There seems to be more than what meets the eye in the surprising turn which the case of police atrocities on a suspected witness in the case of the murder of a labourer in the farm of Coastal Development Authority Chief Nagaraj Shetty that took place two years ago.
How effective will be the state government order banning ore export from ten ports
in Karnataka excluding Mangalore ? What purpose will be achieved by doing so ?
As if in response to the unanimous demand of the opposition parties to take action
against illegal mining, the government, in a delayed move by issuing an order banning
ore export from ten ports, has surprised everyone.
Reports have mentioned of the City Corporation plans to construct a new Central
Market building in Mangalore at a cost of Rs 100 crores. The result of the haphazard
concretization spree embarked upon by the City Corporation utilizing the Rs 100 crore
grant sanctioned earlier by the CM, is already before us.
The mine politics while paving way for a major political battle between the ruling and
opposition parties in the state, is also all likely to pollute the state’s public space for
quite a long time.
If the ore scam that has rocked the state is attracting nation wide attention, the next in the
line is the sand mining which too has kicked off a controversy.
Chief Minister Yeddyurappa has miserably failed in keeping his house in order. He
and his cabinet colleagues have also been highly irresponsible in raising an unnatural
demand to call back the Governor for the sole ‘offence’ of demanding the dropping of
a few ministers who were looting the state’s precious mine wealth. There was a report
that CM Yeddyurappa had not agreed to such a demand placed forth by the Bellary
The happenings in the state assembly on July 15, Thursday, had broken all past records
of undemocratic acts. Even as opposition MLAs tore off copies of the legislations tabled,
the ministers concerned tabled the bills and passed the same without any debate.
The only way left for the state government to tide over the present deadlock arising out
of the unprecedented pandemonium in the assembly over illegal mining, is to agree for a
CBI probe and make an announcement in this regard.
“ If the ministers and MLAs are honest, then why are they hesitant to be probed by the
Lokayukta ?” This highly relevant question raised by Lokayukta Justice Santosh Hegde,
in a television interview, prompted this write-up.
A Public Interest Litigation is a petition which any member of the general public can
lodge with the High Court or the Supreme Court in the interests of the society.