Mangaluru: While the legislative sessions of both the houses were adjourned to Monday, the state BJP seems to be setting the scene for a new debate on the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) ordinance 2015 promulgated under article 123 (1) of the constitution by the central government, which, according to them, the state government has failed to comply with, during the recent distribution of mining contracts.
The state government has allotted contracts to seven private mining companies which violate the guidelines of the ordinance which mandates such allotments through auction. This disclosure was made by the leader of the opposition of the upper house K S Eshwarappa on Saturday, Feb 7 at a press meet convened at the BJP office.
“The central government has passed the ordinance to bring transparency in awarding such contracts on January 12, 2015. The Congress lead state government did not follow the norms thus awarding the contracts by procedure of allotment”, said Eshwarappa.
He added that auction was a must in giving the contracts to the mining industries in order to avoid crony capitalism in the contract processes as it was notified in the Gazette Notification.
During the press meet, he released the names of seven companies that had bagged the mining contracts, M/s Karignur Mineral Mining Industries, Shri Upendran, Tumkur Minerals, M/s Karnataka Limpo Cement Industries, Veerabhadrappa Sangappa and Co, Minerals Enterprises Ltd, M/s SesaSaterlite Ltd.
The former deputy chief minister of Karnataka said told reporters that M/S SesaSterlite Ltd, was facing a CBI probe and it has not been given a clean chit. He lambasted the government and claimed the Congress party was resorting to corrupt practices to benefit certain individuals. The state government has hurriedly allotted the contracts from Jan 7 to Jan 12 to the respective companies, he said.
Electromechanical meter purchase mired in corruption
The top state BJP leader said that the government was on the back-foot over the massive 190 crore corruption in the purchase of new electromechanical meters by Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom).
He alleged that the L & G and L & T companies succeeded in grabbing the contract for the purchase of electricity meters without following the tender process.
He pointed out that Bescom officials did not meet the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act norms. The Bescom has not conducted a tender process rather, have directly givinen the contract .“The government heeding to the demands of the opposition in the assembly finally agreed to a probe which will be taken up by the Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department”, he informed. He obliquely referred to the name of power minister D K Shivkumar alleging his potential involvement in the meter mess.
