Bangalore:
The MUDA scam that had been making headlines in Karnataka has been sidelined by a new scam — an alleged misappropriation of funds worth crores of rupees meant to fight Covid during the BJP government in the state led by then Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa, leading to allegations of tit-for-tat scams. The Cabinet today discussed a preliminary report on the matter prepared by Justice John Michael D'Cunha, which apparently mentions many other irregularities.
Of these, sources said, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah made three crucial observations at the meeting.
According to sources, the judge has made very serious observations about the misappropriation of hundreds of crores of rupees and that many files are missing and have not been handed over to him despite his repeated requests.
The total expenditure during the pandemic in the state was Rs 13,000 crore. Though no figure was mentioned officially, sources said that around Rs 1,000 crore was diverted.
The report is expected to be completed within the next six months and may even be presented during the winter session of parliament. The government has extended the commission's mandate by six months so that it can present the final report.
The sources said the 1,000-page multi-volume interim report will be analysed by officials and submitted to the government in less than a month.
Asked about the scam-on-scam allegations, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil said it was “unfortunate” that whenever a major report comes out, it is called tit-for-tat.
“MUDA has been in existence for less than two months. The Cunha committee was appointed a year ago. How can this analogy be used here? It was an administrative measure.”
The Cunha report is seen as a boon for the Congress and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, whom the BJP has been trying to hammer over the MUDA scam. Mr Siddaramaiah has moved to court to challenge the Governor's permission to prosecute him over the matter.
The alleged scam is related to irregularities in the allotment of land by the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). It has been alleged that the allotment of compensatory land parcels to BM Parvathi, Siddaramaiah's wife, far exceeds the value of the land given in exchange.
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