Pic: During his visit, Upa Lokayukta Justice BVeerappa expressed anger over the deplorable conditions of the Koppal district hospitalKoppal: Upa Lokayukta Justice B Veerappa concluded a three-day tour of Koppal district on Friday, after registering a large number of grievances that highlighted administrative lapses. His visits targeted departments notorious for corruption, and the actions taken against officials attracted widespread attention.Before Justice B Veerappa’s visit, 105 cases related to Koppal district were pending in the Lokayukta office in Bengaluru. In preparation, the district administration held a meeting of the officials of the departments where complaints were pending. The Upa Lokayukta created hope among the public that problems could be resolved quickly through face-to-face hearings between complainants and respondents.In addition to addressing existing complaints, Justice B Veerappa registered various suo motu cases during his visit. The performance of several departments—including Koppal municipal corporation, the mines and geology department, the district hospital under KIMS, the Central Bus Terminus, the sub-registrar’s office, and the social welfare department—was reviewed by the Upa Lokayukta, who filed suo motu complaints against most departmental officials.On the first day, the chaos at Koppal Central Bus Terminus deeply upset him. “The officials who have created such a situation are playing with the lives of the people,” he said. During the Upa Lokayukta’s visit, irregularities at the municipal corporation were also revealed. The reasons for the transfer of Lokayukta DSP Vasanth Kumar, following his raid on the brother of municipaliy president Amjad Patel two months back, were uncovered. The Upa Lokayukta identified several irregularities and deemed them worthy of further investigation.Justice B Veerappa also inspected the district hospital, which is under the jurisdiction of KIMS, and expressed deep dissatisfaction at its state. He also uncovered malpractices at the sub-registrar’s Office, notorious for undervaluing or overvaluing properties and conducting all transactions through agents. “Given the number of complaints received and the chaos that I personally found during my visit, it is clear at first glance that there are huge irregularities in several departments of Koppal,” said Justice B Veerappa.Throughout the three-day visit, public turnout at his complaint hearing programme exceeded expectations, with people filing grievances against various departments and officials. However, his failure to visit departments with the most allegations—namely, PWD, KRIDL, PRED, Nirmiti Kendra, RDWSD, and KIMS—left many disappointed.
