Congress member M. Nagaraju expressed disappointment over Urban Development Minister B.S. Suresh’s response to the Legislative Council that there were no irregularities in the execution of the Smart City project in the city.
“I am disappointed with his reply and I cannot accept his answer,” Mr. Nagaraju said after the Minister said that there have been no irregularities in the project. He said: “The same Minister had earlier said that he would appoint a committee to probe the irregularities in the Smart City project and he is now saying that there has been no irregularities.”
Mr. Suresh tried to divert attention by saying that Mr. Nagaraju, a known Congress face on television debates, was trying to bring the same to the House. This triggered a conversation between the two. An upset Chairman Basavaraj Horatti turned the question to a 30-minute discussion even as the Minister said he wanted to respond to Mr. Nagaraju’s question. Mr. Horatti, however, denied permission.
On Netravati
Meanwhile, another Congress member Ivan D’Souza also embarrassed the Minister by disputing his reply to the House. To a question on the pollution in Netravati river and functioning of four STPs, Mr. Suresh told the House that potable water was being supplied to the city and STPs were functioning well to prevent any pollution to the river.
However, Mr. D’Souza said that the STPs were not functioning and showed reports of water samples that said that the water was not fit for direct consumption. “STPs are not working and ₹1.5 crore was being shown as the amount spent on its maintenance annually,” he said.
Published – March 04, 2025 08:23 pm IST