Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jan 24: A court here has held municipality officials guilty in an incident of theft of items from the godown of the municipality here and also committing irregularities in water supply works, thus causing a loss of about Rs 16 lac to the municipality.

The then municipal commissioner, C C Govindaraju (deceased), T Anke Gowda, B Narayan, D Basappa, junior engineer A V Anand and assistant, Basha Saheb have been found guilty in the case. Judge of the chief senior civil court here, Vivekananda Pandit, through a judgement, ordered recovery of Rs 16,00,244 from these officials jointly.

The case relates to tap water supply and sanitation works undertaken within the municipal limits here between 1996-97 and 2002-03. A case alleging irregularities in the execution of the scheme had been lodged at the town police station here. The accused had secured anticipatory bail from the district and sessions court.

Corps of Detectives (COD) who conducted investigation relating to theft of items from the town of the municipality here and other irregularities had submitted a report thereof to the municipality through the director general of police (special cell) on July 21, 2011. The COD officials had found that the accused, in connivance with the supplier of water supply equipment named Jayaram Shetty from Kundapur, had committed irregularities. The COD had in their letter dated July 10, 2009, recommended for filing suit at the civil court and recover the loss from the accused.

The municipality had filed a report of the COD and audit report in the court. The court has ordered to recover Rs 16,00,244 from the accused along with interest thereon at six percent per annum with affect from July 10, 2009.

Senior advocate, N Krishnaraja Acharya, represented the municipality in the court.