The Hindu: Belagavi: Wednesday, June 14, 2017.
The state
legislature secretariat is not working in a transparent manner, charged
Bheemappa Gundappa Gadad, an RTI activist.
He told
presspersons here in Belagavi on Tuesday that there was no response to several
of his applications for information on issues like the winter session of the
legislature held in Belagavi in 2016, despite several reminders. “I had sought
information on the cost incurred for the Belagavi session. While the Belagavi
district administration has promptly responded, the state legislature
secretariat still has not,” he pointed out.
Mr. Gadad
said that around ₹8.2 crore was spent on the session. Of this, various
government agencies are yet to settle bills amounting to ₹2.2 crore. “What is
worrying is that the state government has exempted the expenses of VIPs,
including logistics and transport arrangements, from the Karnataka Transparency
in Public Procurement Act,” he said.
Responses to
some his RTI applications about the session have revealed some interesting
facts. A total of ₹57.99 lakh was spent by VIPs to book hotel rooms and on
food. Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra spent around ₹1.92
lakh on lodging and ₹47,000 on food. Those who spent above ₹1 lakh for rooms,
include ministers K.R. Ramesh Kumar, H.K. Patil, Tanveer Sait, Umashree, A.
Krishnappa and H. Anjaneya, former minister H.Y. Meti, MLAs Channabasappa
Shivalli and Ivan D’souza.
Several VIPs
stayed in star hotels in Hubbali, despite Belagavi having some of the best
hotels and government accommodations, Mr. Gadad remarked.
The RTI
response claims former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has spent just ₹50 on
food. Among those who spent the most on food are former Chief Minister H.D.
Kumaraswamy, minister M.R. Seetharam, and Mr. D’souza.
Among the
other expenses incurred by the district administration was ₹10.22 lakh paid to
farmers, who let out their lands so that the government could prepare a place
for organisations to stage protests while the house was in session.
Mr. Gadad
also alleged that the legislature secretariat that hosted a workshop to train
journalists and had refused to part with information about the amount spent on
buying souvenirs for the delegates. “The officers are only saying around 350
journalists were given mementos, but are declining to give the details,” he
said.
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