Improve performance or face action, Karnataka minister to officials

HUBBALLI: Officials of various departments in Kundagol had to face the wrath of a team of ministers led by water resource and Kannada and culture minister D K Shivakumar at a taluk review meeting at Savai Gandharva Hall in Kundagol on Friday.
The ministers grilled officials for several hours seeking exact figures and a real picture of implementation of various government schemes.
Going hammer and tongs against officials, Shivakumar said, “Late minister C S Shivalli was innocent like a cow and now I am preparing Kusumavathi Shivalli to be bold to extract the expected work from officials.”
The meeting started with Shivakumar expressing his displeasure over the absence of many officials. An upset Shivakumar said he he had come with his cabinet colleagues like urban development minister U T Khader, housing minister MTB Nagaraj, woman and child development minister Jayamala and told senior officials to ensure the absentees came to the meeting within half an hour.
When ZP deputy secretary Koravar failed to present details about district-level MNREGA and housing schemes properly, Shivakumar said the former was unfit to be a district level officer. He then insisted that officials come up with proper information.
“Don’t under estimate elected representatives. I have come from the gram panchayat level and know all the proceedings of all departments,” he said.
He noted that number of shelter-less people was high in Kundagol taluk and 10,000 houses should be ready in a month. “If required, I am ready to give up houses sanctioned to people of Kanakapura for the people Kundagol,” he said.
Housing minister MTB Nagaraj said his department was ready to give more houses to Kundagol taluk.
Ministers Shivakumar and Jayamala were visibly upset when a food and civil supplies department official struggled to get in touch with a ration shop owner.
Initially, Shivakumar asked the official the working hours of ration shops and asked him to call any ration shop owner to confirm. He also asked the officials to make the call with the speaker on. Jayamala then asked the official to give the number of any one shop owner out of the 40 ration shops of the taluk. After spending 15 minutes, the official said he did not the contact number of any ration shop owner.
During the meeting, some officials were found taking a nap and while many others were busy chatting on the mobile phones.
MLAs Kusumavathi Shivalli, Prasad Abbayya, MLCs Gopalaswamy and Srinivas Mane, deputy commissioner Deepa Cholan, ZP CEO B C Satish, SP G Sangeetha and others were present.