HD Revanna under Lokayukta lens over Rs 11.4 cr loss

BANGALORE: A week after registering a first information report (FIR) against politicians involved in the Upper Krishna Project fund misappropriation scandal, apparently targeting former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, the BJP government has ordered a Lokayukta probe against Gowda’s son and former minister H D Revanna for an alleged loss of Rs 11.4 crore incurred by Bescom when he was power minister.

The probe has been ordered on the directions of the committee on public undertaking which, during its meeting in September, studied the observations made in the CAG reports of 2007 and 2008 on purchase of coyote conductors (used in power lines) and line materials by Bescom. Revanna was energy minister from 2004 to 2007.

According to CAG reports, the unnecessary purchase of coyote conductors has resulted in loss of Rs 4.69 crore and additional purchase of line material by Bescom resulted in burden of Rs 6.71 crore to the exchequer. All transactions were executed during Revanna’s tenure.

The BJP government has so far ordered four probes against former power minister and JD(S) leader HD Revanna, the latest being in a case of alleged loss of Rs 15 crore to the Bescom exchequer.

The cases in which Revanna’s facing probes are: irregularities in public works department engineers' recruitment; financial irregularities in ring road project by Karnataka Road Development Corporation in Hassan; purchase of coal for higher price and purchase of transformers for higher price.

The first two cases are being probed by the Lokayukta and the other two by Justice V P Mohan Kumar Commission, which submitted its report to the government last week.