Date:10/08/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/08/10/stories/2004081007700400.htm

Karnataka

Dharam Singh rules out probe

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, AUG. 9. In a virtual rejection of the demands of the former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (S) President, H.D. Deve Gowda, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, today saw no reason for a probe into the alleged irregularities in the acquisition of land for the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) project.

Addressing Congress workers at a function organised to mark the 62nd anniversary of the Quit India Movement at Ambedkar Bhavan here, he said the Government was against a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a special court into the acquisition of lands for the project as demanded by the BJP. Mr. Deve Gowda has also demanded a CBI probe into the project and another inquiry into the alleged misdeeds of the Bangalore Development Authority in the past five years. He has trained his guns on the former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and the former BDA Commissioner Jayakar Jerome.

Clean chit

Giving a clean chit to the previous Government in which he was the Public Works Minister, Mr. Dharam Singh said it had acquired the land going by the law and there were no irregularities in it.

There was no truth in the allegations made by the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, B.S. Yediyurappa. The BJP had disturbed the proceedings in the State legislature to get publicity, he charged. Thus, Mr. Dharam Singh deftly ignored the demands of Mr. Deve Gowda and referred only to the demands of the BJP.

Rice scam

Referring to the rice scam, he said the Corps of Detectives was investigating the irregularities in the distribution of foodgrains under the food-for-work programme.

After the probe, the Government would not hesitate to punish the guilty, he said.