Delay in corporator’s arrest irks Lokayukta Santhosh Hegde

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, March 4: Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde on Thursday slammed the police for not doing enough to arrest Ramaswamy Palya (Ward no. 62) Corporator N. Chandru, accused of attacking the vigilance officer, Lokayukta, and chief executive officer, Lake Development Authority, Dr. U.V. Singh.

“How long does it take for the police to arrest an accused — a corporator in this case? It’s more than 10 days since Dr. Singh was attacked and the police still haven’t been able to arrest the main accused”, said an angry Lokayukta. The victim, Dr. Singh, had himself gone and lodged a police complaint against the accused after he was assaulted and had even given evidence including the registration number of the corporator’s car, the Lokayukta said.

Justice Hegde said he will soon inquire into the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike’s methodology of granting contracts for clearing effluents. “I would like to know how and to whom they grant the contract for clearing the effluents”, said Justice Hegde. He lauded the government effort in agreeing to institute an inquiry against some BWSSB officials who could be involved in illegally releasing industrial and other effluents in treated lake waters.

On February 20, Dr. Singh, on information that industrial effluents are being let in to Nagawara Lake, had rushed to the spot and was assaulted by some unknown men when he tried to stop the tanker from letting the pollutants in to he lake.

Dr. Singh said four men assaulted him when he tried to turn off the hose discharging the effluents and threw him out of the moving vehicle when he tried to snatch the vehicle keys. A person claiming to be a BBMP corporator, who was present, had threatened him. The next day, police arrested Chandru’s brother Saravana along with the other accused Bharat Singh alias Manja Ashok, Palani, Babu and Deena. They have so far not been able to lay their hands on the corporator.