Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Dec 24: It is popularly believed that public memory is short, particularly in political matters. The fact that the scandal amounting to Rs 54 lac, said to have occurred in the zilla panchayat here, and which had become the main issue during the zilla panchayat election of 2005, has vanished without any trace, proves this point conclusively. Neither the people, nor the people’s representatives, have been willing to recall it now.

Five officials of the zilla panchayat, who had got promotion in six months thereof, have been exonerated. The then zilla panchayat president, G Ashok Kumar Hegde, had brought the scandal to the fore, by alleging that a scandal amounting to Rs 54 lac had been committed relating to 55 works during the year 1999-2000. Initially, a committee had been appointed to look into the matter, which was later entrusted to the Lokayukta.

Zilla panchayat executive eneigneer, Anantaramu, assistant engineer, Shivaramu, junior engineers, Raghuram Shetty, Timme Gowda and Sooryanarayan, had been suspended, after prima facie finding the allegations to be true.  Relating to the issue, the then district in-charge minister, Vasant V Salian, MLA, U R Sabhapathy, and zilla panchayat president, G Ashok Kumar Hegde, had fought a bitter battle with each other, as the irregularities, which reportedly had been committed,  pertained to Brahmavar and Kaup constituencies. Sabhapathy had angrily resigned from his position as a legislator, but withdrew it later. After Hegde died in a car accident in 2005, no one followed up the issue with that much tenacity, although succeeding presidents too promised to pursue the issue.

As the allegations were not substantiated through the inquiry, these five officials, who were transferred to other districts, also got promotion. Retired district and sessions judge, S Indudhar, who was appointed by the rural development and panchayat raj department to look into the issue, could not establish the charges. After he filed the report in 2007, the officials were exonerated from charges, it is learnt.