Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur
Puttur, Dec 4: A suspected Rs 61-lac misuse in the Puttur City Municipal Council’s garbage disposal vehicle contract has triggered a Lokayukta investigation, with a special team led by Mangaluru Lokayukta Police DySP Danna Gana P Kumar visiting the council office on Monday to gather key documents.
The council had reportedly hired seven lorries for waste disposal, but it is alleged that only two were actually deployed. According to the complaint, fake bills were created for the remaining five lorries, enabling large-scale misappropriation.
Former councillor Mohammed Ali first raised the alarm in 2021, filing a detailed complaint with the then Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
The complaint cited the names of the then municipal commissioner Roopa Shetty, senior health inspector K Ramachandra, temporary employee Isaac S, and accounts officer Chandrarama Devadiga as being linked to the alleged irregularities.
Mohammed Ali’s complaint reportedly contained statements from several officials, GPS video evidence and a range of supporting documents intended to establish the scale of the wrongdoing. After reviewing the material, the ACB sought permission to proceed with a full investigation. During this stage, the ACB was merged with the Lokayukta, handing the case over to the latter for further action.
The Lokayukta team has now seized all relevant records from the municipal council office, giving the probe a fresh push into the suspected scam.