House panel must probe drinking water unit scam': BJP
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Krishna Byregowda, however, denied any irregularities in the scheme.
Bengaluru: BJP members staged a dharna in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, demanding a House committee probe into alleged irregularities in the installation of drinking water units in the state.
They were protesting as the state government was willing to only order a departmental inquiry into the issue. Raising the matter in the House, Mr Raghunath Malkapure of the BJP alleged that crores of rupees had been misappropriated in installation of RO drinking water units and the department of rural development and panchayat raj had failed to check the scam.
Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister, Krishna Byregowda, however, denied any irregularities in the scheme. He said of the 18,000 RO drinking water units installed in the state, around 600 units were not in working order and a technical committee headed by Captain Rajaramanna was looking into the matter. Once the committee submitted its report, the government would take necessary action to rectify things, he assured.
But not satisfied with his reply, the BJP resorted to a dharna in the well of the House, forcing Chairman Prathapchandra Shetty to adjourn it twice. He finally adjourned the House for the day after lunch as the BJP members refused to withdraw their dharna and stalled all proceedings.