Pics: Justin D'Silva

Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (HB/SP)

Karkala, Oct 5: Local municipal councillor, Shubada Rao, has urged Karkala MLA Sunil Kumar, to tender resignation to his position. He has accused the MLA of submitting a bogus list of food kits distribution to the government and having cheated the government in the name of distribution of food to migrant construction workers during the lockdown period.

Addressing a press meet here on Monday October 5, Rao said that Karnataka Construction and Other Labour Welfare Board had released Rs 44,95,000 for Karkala to provide 5,000 food kits to workers. He said that these food kits were not distributed in a justifiable manner.

"On verifying the information by collecting details through Right to Information Act, it can be easily gauged that this is a bogus list and through it, the government and the people in general have been cheated by committing irregularity. The list contains names of people who have not got the kits, those who are the beneficiaries of some other schemes, and the names of the dead people. These things stand as testimony to prove that this is a bogus list. The legislator, who collected money from donors of the town in the name of poor people, secured small food kits valued at about Rs 350 each and distributed them to jewellery workers, barbers, auto rickshaw drivers and owners, bus staff and others. Their names have been provided falsely to the department and the government has been falsely informed that all of them have been provided with the kit s at Rs 899," he stated.

Shubada Rao further said that documents prove that the quotation called for the food kits were fake and quotations were obtained from the office bearers of the MLA's party to siphon off money meant for the people. He said that the money was not directly credited to the bank account of the kit distribution agency by the labour department. He said that huge amounts were transferred from the account of the agency to bank accounts of the office bearers of the party. He termed as tragic the MLA's action in snatching away food meant for the voters. He challenged the legislator to prove that the list of beneficiaries provided by him is not fake. He urged the MLA to own moral responsibility and resign as legislator if he cannot prove his innocence.

He wanted to know why the fact that such a huge sum was released by the labour department for food distribution was concealed from the public. He questioned how the names of dead persons and those who did not get the kits figured in the list. He further sought to know why amount was transferred to the accounts of the party office bearers from the agency's bank account.

Ajit Hegde. Krishna Shetty, Karkala municipal vice president Yogeesh, social media district president Yogeesh, Suresh Acharya Kakala, Rajendra, and others were present at the press meet.