JOIN US A few hours before Om Prakash took charge as the State’s DG&IGP, Loksatta Party complained to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday that he has prima facie misused his position as an IPS officer to get clearances for a quarrying and crushing unit, in his son's name in Ramanagar district.
The party leaders met the Chief Minister on Saturday evening and demanded an independent inquiry.
According to the complaint, an application seeking quarrying and stone crushing unit was filed in the name of Om Prakash's son Karthikesh Om Prakash in 2009. Mining License (Number 1354) was issued in favour of the firm owned by Karthikesh - Magadi Quarry and Crusher – and around five acres of gomala land at Hanchikuppe Village near Magadi in Ramanagar district was allotted. However, the villagers and Gram Panchayat raised objections to the unit and the matter had reached court.
“The firm has another partner, the wife of Ashwath, an employee at the police headquarters. Another application was filed in Ashwath’s wife’s name and 5 acres of land were allotted. Since an acre each in the lands, allotted in favour of these two individuals, was too close to the villages, the two acres were dropped from the allotment.
Later, on March 1, 2013, the then Ramanagar DC relaxed certain conditions and declared the area as safe zone. The DC had relaxed the conditions of the Karnataka Regulation of Stone Crushers Act 2011.
On the same day, based on the recommendation of the DC, (Karnataka State) Pollution Control Board accorded certification for the safer zone. How can both the offices - Ramanagar DC’s and Pollution Control Board in Bengaluru - pass orders in favour of a quarry owner in one day?,'' Loksatta party secretary Deepak C N said.
The party, in its memorandum, stated that Karthikesh was 23 years old when the application was filed with the government. “Besides, his partner is the wife of a clerk in the police headquarters.
All these hint at possible misuse of office by a senior police officer. We are only demanding a free and fair inquiry into the whole process of issuance of mining licence and subsequent granting of certification for safe zone after relaxing certain regulations,'' Deepak said.
Top cop says he is ready to face probe
Om Prakash, after he took charge as the new DG&IGP, on Saturday said that he never misused power as an IPS officer in getting a quarry and crushing unit in Ramanagar district.
“Let people lodge complaints in this regard. Let there be an inquiry. I never played any role as the decision making authority was somebody else,” he said.
Regarding reports that his son is partnering a business with the son of a former Central minister which eventually helped in his elevation as DG&IGP, Om Prakash said: “ All such reports are false and fictitious. Let somebody inquire and the truth would come out.”
When asked about staff shortage in the Police Department, infighting among IPS officers, communal tension, increasing terror threats and intelligence gathering, he said he needs some time so that he could study the issues and come out with an action plan.