Indian
Express: Bengaluru: Sunday, 04 October 2015.
The towel, an
integral part of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s attire, may rest lightly on his
shoulder, but seems to be a heavy burden on the exchequer. Since April, an
amount of Rs 9.57 lakh was spent on purchasing fabrics, which also included the
chief minister’s favourite ‘gamcha’.
The
government had spent Rs 4.78 lakh to procure towels and an additional Rs 4.79
lakh was spent on purchasing bed linens and blankets for the house since April. According to information
obtained by RTI activist Marilingegowda Maali Patil, the expenditure incurred
includes the ‘gamcha’ or towel, bath towels, face towels, foot mats, pillow
covers, bed sheets, bed covers and blankets for his house. Seemingly, the conclusion drawn by his office
is to begin right from the basics if the very fabric within the house is
impeccable, it will obviously reflect on the very fabric of the society too.
During the
same period, Rs 39.73 lakh was spent on the CM’s official residence that
included the construction of a compound
wall and other repair works. While Siddaramaiah took care of the ‘fabric’, his
ministers seem to have been busy strengthening the very foundation, if not of
the state, but their homes. In all, Rs 1.71 crore was spent on the official
residences of Public Works Department Minister H C Mahadevappa, Rural
Development Minister H K Patil, Industries Minister R V Deshpande, Home
Minister K J George and Forest Minister Ramanath Rai.
Mahadevappa
topped the list with Rs 58.74 lakh in 2013-2014, followed by H K Patil with Rs
39.15 lakh (2013-2014, 2014-2015), Deshpande spentRs 37.72 lakh (2013-14,
2014-2015), George’s bill amounted to Rs
25.39 lakh (2013 to current year) and Rai’s expenses amounted to Rs 10.86 lakh
(2013-2014, 2014-2015).
When
contacted, Rai said he had not asked for any repair works at his official
residence. “They must have taken up the repair works before handing over the
house to me. Unlike the houses of other ministers, mine was repaired and handed
over to me,” he said. While George denied spending such amounts, Deshpande said
that his official residence was like a ‘ghost house’ when it was allotted to
him and needed immediate renovation.“It was in a very bad shape. I had asked
for the repair works to be carried out and it was the responsibility of the PWD
to estimate the cost and carry out the work,” said Deshpande.
.JPG)
.JPG)
