Officials yet to face action for misuse of funds

Special Correspondent, GULBARGA, July 12, 2012 The Hindu : NATIONAL / KARNATAKA : Officials yet to face action for misuse of funds




For social activist Raju Kulageri, it has been a run from pillar to post to get the State government implement the directions of the Principal Bench of the Karnataka High Court, issued in 2010, to initiate action against 14 officials.

This involves acting against four officials of the rank of Commissioner of city corporation, five assistant executive engineers, and six assistant and junior engineers in connection with the misuse of Rs. 9.4 crore released under the State Finance Commission and the Chief Minister’s Special Package in 2004-05 to the Gulbarga City Corporation.
Dr. Kulageri, who filed a (PIL) petition in the Karnataka High Court seeking action against these officials based on the findings of the then Deputy Commissioner, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, has been tapping on the doors of the GCC and the Urban Development Department to implement the directions of the High Court.

‘Frustrating’


Addressing a press conference in Gulbarga on Wednesday, Dr. Kulageri said it had been a frustrating experience for him.


Dr. Kulageri accused the Urban Development officials of giving evasive replies and adopting dilatory tactics in providing the information sought under the Right To Information (RTI) Act on the status of the implementation of the directions of the High Court.


The directions had clearly stated that action should be initiated against the 14 officials and an implementation report filed in six months.


Going in circles


Dr. Kulageri said he filed an RTI application in 2010, seeking to know the status of the implementation of the directions of the High Court. The Urban Development Department replied after a month, that the information sought in the application was not clear, and requested the applicant to seek the information with clarity.

The activist said that he filed another application after a week, which the department returned, stating that the address mentioned in the postal order was wrong. It asked Dr. Kulageri to submit another application with the correct address in the postal order. When he did so, the department officials finally replied stating that they did not have the copy of the judgment of the Karnataka High Court, and asked Dr. Kulageri to submit a copy of the judgment so they could take action.

Dr. Kulageri complained to the State Information Commissioner, and during a hearing on April 27 officials of the Urban Development Department agreed to provide information sought and details of follow-up action, including the forming of a committee headed by a retired judge to inquire into the charges levelled against the officials concerned within three months.


He said the three months that had been provided to the committee to submit its report would be over on July 12. If the government failed to act within 15 days, he would file a case of contempt against it.