JOIN USThe High Court of Karnataka on Monday sought to know from the State government why it cannot set up a board to fix support price for agricultural and horticultural produce.
The poser came during the hearing of a petition filed by the mango growers of Kolar district seeking minimum support price for the produce. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna is hearing the petition.
The government counsel submitted that the board cannot be established as it was against the state policy. He said the government cannot interfere unless there was a fall in the prices. “You cannot do this. This sector is neglected completely and is dependent on nature. When will you stop running after the rich?,” the Chief Justice said. Justice B V Nagarathna, referring to plunging tomato prices said prices fall since there was no mechanism for purchase and distribution. The matter was adjourned.
Case remanded
The High Court has remanded a bribery case against police sub inspector to the Special Lokayukta Court for taking cognisance of the offence.
The petitioner, Munivenkatappa, was trapped by the Lokayukta while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 3,000 to release some documents seized by him. The investigating officer, however, filed a ‘B’ report clearing the inspector of the charge.
The Lokayukta Court rejected the report and entrusted the probe to another investigating officer. Munivenkatappa had approached the High Court challenging the direction of the Lokayukta court.
Garbage tenders
The garbage contractors of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike have approached the High Court seeking directions to the civic agency to comply with the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act.
During his submission in the Court on Monday, the counsel for the petitioners claimed that the tender terms and conditions had been amended after the last date to facilitate a new firm, while KTPP Act stipulates entities with experience should be considered eligible for taking part in the tender process.
The counsel contended that each pourakarmika cleans eight km stretch every day - four km of road and four km of footpath. The BBMP norms state that a pourakarmika should clean about one km of road per day. The City had 12,000 pourakarmikas way back in 2007 when garbage generation was 1,200 tonnes a day. Five years later, with the City generating about 5,000 tonnes of garbage a day, the number of pourakarmikas has halved, the counsel claimed. The Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and B V Nagarathna adjourned the matter.
Out of the 89 garbage contract packages, as many as 49 have been awarded to a single firm - BVG India - much to the chagrin of several corporators.