Five engineers of Karnataka irrigation department sent to jail for corruption

BELAGAVI: Five engineers of Irrigation Department have been sentenced to two years of imprisonment and fined Rs 70,000 each by a local court in Belagavi on Friday on charges of indulging in corruption in the process of disbursement of compensation to the people whose houses were damaged badly in Kagdal, Saudatti in 2012.

The five engineers sentenced to imprisonment by 4th Additional District Sessions and Special Court, Belagavi, are, B Padmanabha, then Superintending Engineer, Naviluteertha, Belagavi; M B Kavadi, then Executive Engineer, Naragund, Gadag district; Anand Keshavrao Mirji, AEE, Naveeluteerth, Belagavi; Ms Shubha T, Junior Engineer, Naveeluteertha, Belagavi and Prakash Phakeerappa Hosmani, Junior Engineer, Shirasangi, Saudatti, Belagavi district.

A resident of Kagdal, Hanamappa G Madar had lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta in June, 2012 alleging that above said five engineers of the Irrigation Department had paid a higher compensation to several residents of Kagdal by accepting bribes from them and in violation of the Land Acquisition Act.

The government had ordered for the acquisition of the houses which were damaged due to waterlogging at Kagdal and had decided to acquire the damaged houses to ensure rehabilitation of the affected residents. 

The engineers misused powers and sanctioned more compensation to those who bribed them.

The court charged them also with cheating the government by indulging in corruption, according to an official press note.