Pic: Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil speaks during BCC council meeting on ThursdayBelagavi: The Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) council meeting on Thursday witnessed heated exchanges between ruling and opposition groups over allegations against deputy commissioner of the revenue section, Reshma Talikoti.At the outset, ruling party leader Advocate Hanumant Kongali accused Talikoti of harassing citizens during property pre-delivery inspections (PDI) and allegedly demanding hefty bribes. Councillor Ravi Dhotre and others further claimed that the officer disrespected elected representatives, demanding her immediate removal.The ruling party members went on to push for a resolution against Talikoti, urging the state govt to initiate an inquiry and transfer her from the post. They also alleged that Talikoti was among the accused in the Vega Funmobile Pvt Ltd tax evasion case, where officials allegedly allowed the company to evade nearly Rs 4.7 crore in dues—a case already recommended to the Lokayukta. They claimed this was also one of the reasons why she shouldn’t continue in the post. If she continued, there were chances of her tampering with the evidence.The opposition strongly objected, accusing the ruling group of ‘targeting officials’ for not yielding to political pressure. Belagavi North MLA Asif Sait said: “It is becoming a trend to target officers who don’t work as per the wishes of councillors. This is not the right approach. We must work in coordination with officials. If there is evidence, the matter should be taken to the proper authorities. The council is meant to discuss development, not to single out officials.“Countering this, Belagavi South MLA Abhay Patil backed the resolution, asserting that allegations against the revenue section warranted a probe. “If any officer is involved in wrongdoing, action is necessary. Let there be an inquiry at the govt level,” he said.As the ruling members remained firm on their demand, the opposition staged a walkout. Following their exit, mayor Mangesh called for a vote on the resolution.Senior officials, including commissioner Shubha B and council secretary Priyanka C Vinayak, attempted to dissuade the ruling group. They noted that no charges against Talikoti had been proven yet. Commissioner Shubha clarified that in the Vega Funmobile case, Talikoti was only one among the 25 accused officials, and the investigation was still ongoing.Despite this, the ruling members pressed for action, urging that if Lokayukta findings or other inquiries confirmed wrongdoing, a judicial probe by a retired judge should follow. The house subsequently passed a resolution seeking Talikoti’s removal and an official inquiry.Deputy mayor Vani Vilas Joshi presided over the session.
