Revanna looted Rs 38.25 cr from 1995 to 2001 as KMF chief

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

Bangalore, Feb 5: Turning the tables on JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda’s elder son and former minister H D Revanna, who is also the party floor leader in the Karnataka assembly, the ruling BJP has alleged that Revanna’s tenure as Karnataka Milk Federation chief was marked by corruption, financial irregularities, nepotism and misuse of powers and looting of Rs 38,25 crore from 1995-96 to 2000-01.

Even as Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has publicly announced during his official tour of Belgaum on Saturday that he would expose various land scams of the Deve Gowda family in Bangalore on Sunday releasing documentary evidence, the Chief Minister’s Political Secretary B J Puttaswamy released abstracts of the inquiry report conducted by the Cooperation Department into 19 different issues to the media in support of his allegations.

The official inquiry had indicted Revanna in connection with financial and recruitment fraud besides revealing irregularities leasing out KMF lands and awarding contract bypassing all tenders during his long tenure at the helm of KMF.

Several officials, including members of KMF Board, toured foreign counties and caused loss to the milk body. A 19.7 guntas land belonging to the KMF had been leased out for a Gujarat-based Milk Marketing Federation for a period of 99 years without in total disregard to rules and regulations, he alleged.

The inquiry report suggested to the Government to take steps to recover money from Revanna and other officials who were involved in the misuse of KMF funds. It recommended disqualification of members and filing criminal cases.

Unfortunately, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government headed by Dharam Singh government set aside the report findings by instructing KMF officials not to commit financial irregularity in the future, which the BJP leader termed as the “most unfortunate” decision.
To re-open the case, the Cooperation Department has decided to file a petition in the High Court of Karnataka on Monday, Puttaswamy said and termed Revanna’s administration of the KMF as “daylight robbery.”

``Revanna flouted all rules and established a Nandini Raitha Kalyana Trust and diverted Rs. 6.79 crore from the KMF to the Trust. The KMF by-law would not allow the chairman to set up the trust and divert the funds. A sum of Rs. 54 lakh spent on construction of a building at Koramangala as shown as loss to the KMF,” he alleged.

The recruitment rules were totally violated and I R Ramalinge Gowda had been appointed as the Managing Director of the KMF bypassing the merit and seniority criteria. The fraud in the recruitment was also found in the recruitment in the Hassan Milk Producing Cooperative Society.

 Revnna had flouted rules in the appointment of 218 candidates. Out of 218 candidates recruited, 216 belonged to the former’s politically powerful Vokkaliga community or his relatives, Puttaswamy alleged.