Southern States
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Karnataka
Krishna promises action on stamp paper issue
By Our Special Correspondent
BANGALORE, JAN. 24. The Chief Minister, S. M. Krishna, today told the Legislative Council that immediate action would be taken on the tip off given by the BJP leader, B. S. Yediyurappa, on the storage of fake stamp papers worth about Rs. 50 crores at Khanapur in Belgaum District.
The BJP members, unhappy with the delay in the Government initiating action, staged a walk-out during the Zero Hour.
Despite the matter being brought to the notice of the Government at 5-00 p.m. on Wednesday, no action had been initiated on Thursday, which gave room for suspicion that the Government and its officials were part of the racket, they said.
Mr. Yediyurappa said he had information that Karim Shamsher of Mumbai, connected with the stamp paper racket, was now in Khanapur and therefore wanted the Home Minister or the police to collect all details available with him.
The Chief Minister, who denied the charges made by the BJP, said the Government would act on clues given by the BJP and hold an independent investigation and ensure that the culprits were nabbed at the earliest.
Mr. Krishna said the Government had done its best in unearthing the ramifications of the stamp paper racket and several people had been arrested and charge-sheeted. The Government had even requested the High Court to set up a Special Court to deal with the cases pertaining to the stamp paper racket.
``Why then should the Government shy away from initiating necessary action to the clues provided? If specific information is given on the collusion of officials, action will be initiated,'' he said.
The Home Minister, Mallikarjun Kharge, said the Government was not interested in shielding anybody. The Joint Commissioner of Police (crimes), Bangalore, had been asked to look into the matter. ``We have taken the matter seriously and not lightly as is being made out by the Opposition,'' he said.
Water tariff
Referring to the recent increase in water rates in Bangalore raised by P. Ramiah (nominated), the Chief Minister said the water tariff had been revised after five years. Henceforth, the effort would be to revise the water tariff periodically.
The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewage Board (BWSSB) had gone in for the revision since it was unable to absorb the increase in water supply cost. The BWSSB was one of the best water boards in the country in terms of the economy in performance and administration. The administrative cost was one of the lowest although efforts were on to further reduce the administrative expenditure, he added.
Earlier, during the Question Hour, the Chief Minister, replying to a question of Mr. Ramiah on the Bangalore Development Authority, said it was difficult to fix the boundaries of the city, more so, with the City acquiring importance on the international map.
It would be appropriate for the Government to ensure that Bangalore expanded to a set plan. It was in this direction that the BDA had taken up the demolition of unauthorised constructions in a big way. The BDA had allotted 5,000 house sites in the newly-formed Anjanapura lay-out and another 15,000 sites would be allotted this year.
Mr. Krishna said the BDA had not conducted any survey on encroachments on its lands. Following the demolition of the unauthorised constructions, the BDA had taken back nearly Rs. 200 crore worth of its properties. The Government was committed to a planned development of Bangalore, he said.
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