Mysuru: In a major embarrassment to co-operation minister Mr H.C. Mahadevprasad, considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, officials of the department of mines and geology seized two lorries transporting white building stones from a quarry owned by his son, allegedly without an e-permit, in Belachalawadi in Chamarajnagar district on Monday.
Following complaints by Raitha Sangha leaders representing farmers from over a month that illegal white stone mining was happening in agricultural land in survey number 243 in Belachalawadi, belonging to Ganesh Prasad, son of Mr Mahadevprasad, Mines and Geology officials visited the spot on Monday.
According to Raitha Sangha leaders, permission had not been granted for mining and white stone had been dug out to a depth of 80 feet to be illegally transported.
However, when contacted the officials claimed that permission had been granted for mining in the two and a half acres of land belonging to the Minister’s son.
An e-permit was required for transportation of the stones but they found that the two seized lorries did not have permission for transporting white building stones, the officials explained.
Mr Mahadevprasad is the in-charge minister of Chamarajpet district and represents Gundlupet constituency in the state Assembly.
Did he ask for a bribe?
Sunil Bose, son of PWD Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa too is in trouble with a Mysuru court asking him to appear on July 4 in a corruption case. Sunil and friend, Raju allegedly asked mines officer, Alfonis to collect Rs 1 lakh from Basavaraj, who had taken a sand mining tender in March, 2010. The minister was then T. Narsipur MLA.
Mahadevappa’s son gets court notice in graft case
The son of Public Works Minister Dr H.C. Mahadevappa, Mr Sunil Bose and his friend Raju have been served a notice to attend court proceedings on July 4 in a corruption case being heard by the third additional district and sessions court.
According to the complainant, Mr Basavaraj, he had taken a government tender to carry out sand mining in block number 3 in Akkur Doddi in T Narsipur taluk. For each trip of sand excavated, permission fee of Rs 50 had to be deposited with the department of mines and geology as per which he had deposited Rs 10,000.
But an officer named Alfonis of the department of mines and geology allegedly demanded Rs 1 lakh as bribe , on March 23, 2010, claiming that he had to give the money to Mr Sunil Bose failing which permission would not be granted, the complainant alleged.
Mr Basavaraj said, “On March 25, 2010, I lodged a complaint with ADGP Lokayukta Mr Roopkumar Datta. On March 25 and 26, I recorded the conversation of Alfonis and Mr Sunil Bose over phone. I even visited the house of Mr Sunil Bose. On March 27, 2010, Alfonis was trapped by the Lokayukta while I was giving him Rs 1 lakh. At that time, Alfonis had given a written statement that he was supposed to give the money to Mr Sunil Bose. But the Lokayukta dropped the name of Mr Bose while submitting the chargesheet in 2013. I challenged this in court on February 25, 2015. On June 4 this year, the third additional district and sessions court directed the Lokayukta to include Mr Bose’s name as an accused and issued a notice to both Sunil and his associate, Raju, to appear before the court on July 4,” he said.
