Daijiworld Media Network - Raichur (SP)

Raichur, Dec 24: Speaking to reporters on Tuesday December 23, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa revealed, that the government will write to the Lokayukta to investigate into the alleged issuance of  permits for mining during the tenure of the erstwhile chief minister Kumaraswami too, in contravention of established norms.

Explaining further, he said, the then chief minister Kumaraswami had ordered Lokayukta investigation into illegal mining activities in the state. The Lokayukta, who has completed the investigation, would be submitting his report in two phases. The government proposes to set up a high level committee comprising of three members, for initiating steps against the guilty, he added.

Reiterating that during his tenure, no mining licences was issued, he said that the probe will cover this aspect too. Asserting that the allegations levelled by the Congress that his government has renewed mining licences under pressure from the mining lobby were untrue, he criticized the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee for remaining mum on the Lokayukta probe revelations that several Congress leaders were involved in the mining scam.

In response to the accusations made by ex-prime minister Deve Gowda that the present government is siding with the Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises Ltd(NICE) which is executing the Bangalore-Mysore corridor project, Yeddyurappa said that Deve Gowda himself, during his term as the state's chief minister, had entered into an agreement with the said company, that litigations if any with the company would be subject to London court jurisdiction.  The company was allotted land when the Congress was in power. Deve Gowda, instead of making wayward allegations, would do well to approach the Supreme Court on the issue, supported with documents, he challenged. "I will be filing a defamation suit against Gowda for having levelled allegations that I have entered into an understanding with NICE," he warned.

Speaking in another press conference in Gulbarga on Tuesday, ex-chief minister Dharam Singh demanded for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the leaking of the Lokayukta report within hours of delivering the same to the state chief secretary and also the entire gamut of illegal mining. "How was the fact that my name was mentioned in the report got out within hours of submitting the report? " he asked. Singh also said that the chief minister is aiming at his character assassination by publicizing that his name was included in the list of tainted politicians in the mining scam.