House panel on power 'scam' finalises report

A Legislative Assembly committee set up to look into irregularities in power purchase between 2006 and 2010, has finalised its report and is likely to submit it to the House in the coming winter session of the state legislature.

Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, who heads the panel, had convened the committee’s meeting on Monday. But members from both the Opposition parties kept off the meeting. Of the nine members, only three members attended the meeting. Shivakumar said he would convene a meeting again on November 7 and request the opposition members to sign the report.

It is learnt that the BJP members will submit a dissent note, raising objections to the contents of the report. The BJP members fear that the ruling party would make use of the report to target the saffron party, which had recently charged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar with causing huge loss to the exchequer by paying penalty on behalf of a private coal mining company.

Shivakumar said that nobody could “shut” him up, and that the report would only reflect the truth. He also said that he was not using the report to target his political rivals. JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, who is one of the members, recently signed the report.