Mysore/Mysuru: Days after K.R. Nagar MLA Sa.Ra. Mahesh stoked a controversy against IAS officer accusing the officer of Rs. 6 crore scam in the purchase of cotton bags when she was the Deputy Commissioner of Mysuru where she had approved to buy 14 lakh cloth bags from Karnataka Handlooms Development Corporation (KHDC), his supporters and JD(S) workers have now demanded action against the officer. 

JD(S) members in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) and certain members of K.R. Nagar Gram Panchayats (GPs) urged District Minister S.T. Somashekar to withdraw the order passed by Rohini Sindhuri alleging that she had misused powers of the Corporation and Panchayats. 

They said that the bags were bought at Rs. 52 per piece while the same bags are available at Rs. 13 including GST. The cloth bags were supposed to be distributed in MCC and GP limits. However, the MCC Council didn’t approve the plan. Since then, the boxes of bags have been stocked in the MCC godown, they said. 

The total cost of the 14,71,458 bags is 7.65 crore while it is available for Rs. 1.47 crore, they said and demanded action. 

Following the allegations made by the MLA, Rohini Sindhuri had already clarified that the allegations against her are “blatant lies and contrary  to the truth.”

Sindhuri, who is now Commi-ssioner in the Endowment Department, while displaying various documents related to the purchase of cloth bags, said last week, “The work order for cloth bags distribution scheme was given to State-run KHDC and the order was placed in compliance with Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements  (KTPP) Act.”

Insisting that not a single rupee was paid as kickback during her tenure as Mysuru DC, Sindhuri said that Nanjangud CMC recently made a payment of about Rs. 9.6 lakh to KHDC and is the first ULB to do so. 

“It is an attempt to browbeat and scare officers, who dare to inquire into illegalities and irregularities against people representatives and other individuals,” she clarified.

Similar allegations have also been made against the IAS Officer by K.R. Nagar Municipality members owing loyalty to MLA Mahesh. 

They said that Rohini Sindhuri and the present DC Dr. Bagadi Gautham have asked the Municipality to return the  Rs. 10 lakh award given by the State Government in order to purchase cloth bags.

The JD(S) leaders, including Mahesh, Corporators K.V. Sridhar, Prema Shankaregowda, Ashwini Ananthu, Bhagya Madesh and others, were present while submitting the memorandum to the Minister.