NewsKarnataka-Karkala

Karkala : Lokayukta sleuths led by Udupi Lokayukta DySP Umesh Shet have raided the residence of TMC engineer Sridhar Naika on Tuesday June 10 and have unearthed huge quantity of disproportionate assets. It has been learnt that the engineer owned two palatial bungalows at Nitte in his wife’s name.

Naika who has been serving as Karkala TMC Engineer since last year  is already facing several allegations -some of which include entrusting   one cent out of the four cents land of the children’s park near the Gandhi Maidan, to a private educational institution.  Another issue was pertaining to the 60 cents land owned by the TMC adjacent to the Hegde Road. Naika had faced the allegation of raising compound wall around only 35 cents land. It is said that the rest of the land was sold to local residents.

The Lokayukta raid in the backdrop of the two allegations against the engineer  has raised much curiosity, The Lokayukta  team has also visited the TMC office and is reviewing various documents.

The Karkala TMC too is rocked by several irregularities. Even the  tender invited for a car to be used by Environment Engineer  was reportedly misused. When it came to light that  the  car  registered in the name of the husband of a former TMC president  was also part of the tender, the then Chief Officer had  withheld the  process.

It  came to light two years later that the same car  was  hired for a rent of Rs 84,000 per month. Councillors even alleged irregularities in the clearing of bills. An in-depth probe by the Lokayukta into these irregularities too may roll more skeletons down the cupboard of the TMC.

It is also said that several TMC officials of present and past own disproportionate assets and properties in benami names. Citizens of the town hope there would be a Lokayukta probe even in this direction.