TOO MANY QUESTIONS THAT BEG ANSWERS
Former BBMP Chief Siddaiah Has 3 Months To Reply To 33 Queries From The Lokayukta; Officials Say They Acted On Information From Sources
The Karnataka Lokayukta which had raided/trapped only five IAS officers in the last 10 years appears to have shrugged itself off a deep slumber by raiding three bureaucrats from the elite service in one day on Tuesday.
However, a cursory glance at the three IAS officers raided is enough to suspect that there is more to the watchdog’s action than meets the eye.
Take the case of Siddaiah (in pic), the most high-profile among the raided babus.
For more than a couple of years now, he has been adorning some of the most sought-after jobs in the Karnataka.
After serving as commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), he was chosen to head the BBMP on June 30, 2010.
Getting posted to the BBMP hot seat when a newly-elected council was in place was only a reiteration of the confidence he enjoyed among the decisionmakers.
But his fall from grace was sudden. He stirred up a hornets’ nest at the BBMP by his measures to rein in expenditure. Unearthing the Rs1,539-crore tender scam in civic works in some prime areas of the city, Siddaiah, ironically, recommended a Lokayukta inquiry into the scam.
In one fell swoop, engineers and BJP corporators and MLAs from the city ganged up against him and are believed to have brought pressure on the state government to rein in the bureaucrat.
Unceremoniously shunted out of the BBMP on November 28, Siddaiah, who was pampered with plum postings, is awaiting posting. Tuesday’s raids could not have come at a worse time. The timing only lends credence to the fact that Siddaiah’s newfound woes could only be because of the wrath of a section of people's representatives.
Another bureaucrat raided on Tuesday, M V Veerabhadraiah, deputy general manager, Upper Krishna Project, has close links with the JD(S) and had even planned to contest the 2008 assembly polls from Madhugiri on the party ticket. He had applied for VRS, but it was rejected. It is said that he was preparing the ground to contest from Madhugiri in the next assembly polls when the raids happened.
Reports had also spoken of Siddaiah’s proximity to the opposition Congress and his likelihood of being the party candidate from Nelamangala. Siddaiah, who is due to retire in a couple of years, had denied harbouring political ambitions though.
On Tuesday, Siddaiah only said: “I have spoken to the chief secretary. Let the government see the preliminary report, check the veracity the veracity and take a call.”
Probed further, he said: "I have saved Rs 15,000 crore to the BBMP through various expenditure cutting measures and by unearthing scams. Is this the reward for all my hard work?”
However, a cursory glance at the three IAS officers raided is enough to suspect that there is more to the watchdog’s action than meets the eye.
Take the case of Siddaiah (in pic), the most high-profile among the raided babus.
For more than a couple of years now, he has been adorning some of the most sought-after jobs in the Karnataka.
After serving as commissioner of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), he was chosen to head the BBMP on June 30, 2010.
Getting posted to the BBMP hot seat when a newly-elected council was in place was only a reiteration of the confidence he enjoyed among the decisionmakers.
But his fall from grace was sudden. He stirred up a hornets’ nest at the BBMP by his measures to rein in expenditure. Unearthing the Rs1,539-crore tender scam in civic works in some prime areas of the city, Siddaiah, ironically, recommended a Lokayukta inquiry into the scam.
In one fell swoop, engineers and BJP corporators and MLAs from the city ganged up against him and are believed to have brought pressure on the state government to rein in the bureaucrat.
Unceremoniously shunted out of the BBMP on November 28, Siddaiah, who was pampered with plum postings, is awaiting posting. Tuesday’s raids could not have come at a worse time. The timing only lends credence to the fact that Siddaiah’s newfound woes could only be because of the wrath of a section of people's representatives.
Another bureaucrat raided on Tuesday, M V Veerabhadraiah, deputy general manager, Upper Krishna Project, has close links with the JD(S) and had even planned to contest the 2008 assembly polls from Madhugiri on the party ticket. He had applied for VRS, but it was rejected. It is said that he was preparing the ground to contest from Madhugiri in the next assembly polls when the raids happened.
Reports had also spoken of Siddaiah’s proximity to the opposition Congress and his likelihood of being the party candidate from Nelamangala. Siddaiah, who is due to retire in a couple of years, had denied harbouring political ambitions though.
On Tuesday, Siddaiah only said: “I have spoken to the chief secretary. Let the government see the preliminary report, check the veracity the veracity and take a call.”
Probed further, he said: "I have saved Rs 15,000 crore to the BBMP through various expenditure cutting measures and by unearthing scams. Is this the reward for all my hard work?”
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