Mangaluru City South MLA D. Vedavyasa Kamath on Thursday levelled serious allegations of corruption in the procurement of medicines by the Department of AYUSH in Dakshina Kannada, warning that the BJP would launch a public protest if the State government failed to take disciplinary action against the officials involved.
Speaking at a press conference at the Atal Seva Kendra, Mr. Kamath said that the Lokayukta had already conducted raids on the department’s Mangaluru office, prompting senior Health and Family Welfare officials to make two visits for an inquiry.
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According to the MLA, the department had allegedly purchased substandard or outdated medicines and distributed them to patients, “playing with the lives of people” in the process. He said he had raised the issue several times with district authorities, including Deputy Commissioner H.V. Darshan, and submitted supporting documents.
The matter, he added, was also placed before Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao during last week’s Karnataka Development Programme Review Committee meeting. “But so far, no action has been taken. Is the government protecting some officials in this matter?” he asked.
Mr. Kamath said that if the government continued to remain silent, the BJP would hold demonstrations outside Government Wenlock Hospital and the AYUSH Department office in the city.
Opposition to Toll Plan
The MLA also criticised what he described as an attempt to impose a toll on vehicles using the Kadri Park Road. The road, he pointed out, was developed under the Mangaluru Smart City Mission by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. (MSCL) and not through a public-private partnership.
“The bidder maintaining the road has not invested anything in its development. It was funded entirely by the government. Hence, collecting toll on it is unacceptable,” he said, urging the administration to drop the idea.
E-Khata Delays Continue
Raising another civic issue, Mr. Kamath said residents continued to face long delays due to persistent technical glitches in the government’s server for issuing e-khata documents. “The government is not bothered to fix the problem,” he said, adding that citizens were being forced to wait for extended periods for routine services.
