The Justice Michael D’Cunha Fee, which probed a Covid-time procurements rip-off in Karnataka, has really useful an investigation in opposition to high Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike officers and the Bengaluru Rural, Gadag and Koppal deputy commissioners. It discovered irregularities in 54 per cent of the purchases (value Rs 157.55 crore) by 4 BBMP zones and the three districts.
A latest cupboard notice on the second report by the fee, accessed by indianepress.com, mentioned that motion must be initiated in opposition to joint commissioners, well being officers and others posted within the Bommanahalli, Bengaluru South, Bengaluru West and Yelahanka zones between March 2020 and December 2022. The report was submitted to the federal government on April 5.
Whereas the 4 zones procured tools and medication value Rs 184.62 crore throughout the interval, irregularities value Rs 113.09 crore have been present in virtually two-thirds (61.31 %) of them.
Together with a probe by Lokayukta or different investigating businesses, Justice D’Cunha has additionally really useful motion to get well losses suffered owing to the irregularities. Recovering further quantities from corporations that benefited from the rip-off can also be among the many key suggestions.
Related punishment must be initiated in opposition to the deputy commissioners, district well being officer and different officers of the three districts, the fee has mentioned. In Bengaluru Rural, the fee flagged procurements value Rs 27.83 crore within the recordsdata of purchases value Rs 45.55 crore. In Koppal and Gadag districts, there have been irregularities to the tune of Rs 5.04 crore and Rs 11.56 crore, respectively, in opposition to purchases value Rs 23.71 crore and Rs 35.13 crore.
The fee has really useful motion in opposition to the officers for violation of norms prescribed within the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act, procedural lapses, improper administration of recordsdata associated to the purchases, breaking guidelines to assist a number of corporations whereas procuring medical tools, and variations in bills recorded over precise bills. There was additionally a mismatch within the variety of recordsdata associated to a number of purchases, the fee famous. “Whether or not the recordsdata are hidden or expenditure statements altered is unclear,” it mentioned.
The primary report of the fee, shaped in August 2023, was submitted in August 2024. The federal government has prolonged its tenure until the top of 2025.
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The primary report really useful motion in opposition to former chief minister B S Yediyurappa and former well being and household welfare minister B Sriramulu, amongst others. Enormous discrepancies have been reported within the BJP authorities’s purchases of ventilators, PPE kits and medicines, amongst different issues, within the peak Covid years of 2020 and 2021. The Congress authorities has shaped a Particular Investigation Staff to border fees in reference to the Covid procurements rip-off.