Ballari: With their MLAs behind bars , the people of Kampli, Hosapete and Kudligi in Ballari district have almost said goodbye to developmental work in their midst.
Neither welfare nor developmental schemes have made much headway in these constituencies for over a year as the MLAs, who made it to the state Assembly with huge margin of votes in May 2013, are languishing in jail for the last year owing to their alleged involvement in illegal mining and ore export.
The CBI arrested Kampli MLA, Suresh Babu of the BSR Congress, Kudligi independent MLA, B. Nagendra and Hospet MLA, Anand Singh of the BJP last year along with Karwar independent MLA, Satish Sail for their alleged involvement in the Belekeri iron ore scam that led to huge quantities of ore being exported in violation of rules.
All three have been now remanded to the Parappana Agrahara jail in Bengaluru.
While the jailed MLAs were permitted by the CBI to submit action plans for their constituencies to the deputy commissioner through the jail authorities under the Rs 2 crore annual fund given to all legislators by the state government, the work is progressing at a snail’s pace and is substandard in most cases.
People of these constituencies are now wondering whether they will have to put up with this situation for another three- and- a -half years of the present government’s term.
A public debate has already started on whether these jailed legislators should voluntarily resign on moral grounds as their chances of securing bail appear very slim with the Economic Offences wing of the CBI, Chennai branch further tightening the noose around them by probing all aspects of the iron ore export through Belekeri port.
