KN Police: Banglore Police: " देखा है कहीं ऐसा रिश्वत देने वाला", इस खदान मालिक ने तो तोड़े सारे रिकार्ड, दी 617 अधिकारियों को घूस

A single mine operator, Karapadi Mahesh, whose name figures prominently in the Lokayukta's final report, paid bribes amounting to Rs. 2.27 crore to 617 government officials. This is revealed in Book 14 of the detailed report, which was the basis of the Lokayukta's findings. The 89-page document reveals that the first bribes were paid in June 2007 — Rs. 5 lakh to the Assistant Conservator of Forests and Rs. 20,000 to the “C F Office”.

The 617 persons named in their official capacity are from every department that had some responsibility of oversight related to mining activities. The usual suspects — officials from various levels of the police department, the RTO, the Forest Department, Mines and Geology — are all there in the report. A significant entry in the list is that of “Muniram Lokayukta Hospet,” who was found to have received a bribe of Rs. 18.5 lakh from Karaupdi Mahesh between November and December 2009. The biggest amounts in the list were to “Bijapur kane” (Rs. 13.72 lakh), “Bijapur & Bagalkot & Belgaum Line (Rs. 5.37 lakh and Rs. 3 lakh listed separately), and an Additional SP (Rs. 4.2 lakh paid between December 2009 and Febriary 2010)). The report points out that some of the entries in the list were paid by the Associated Mining Company, a company that was closely associated with the former Tourism Minister G. Janardhan Reddy.

The report of the investigating team pertaining to this single mine owner unveils the “unholy nexus of bribing” in several districts of the State “all along the roads from Bellary to Krishnapatnam.” The bribes were paid in return for a range of favours — not checking overloading, trip sheets, way permits, for allowing removal of ore beyond the permitted quantity, evasion of royalty payments and other State taxes. The individuals who received the bribes from all levels of the government machinery.

The same report also provides a detail account of the manner in which Karapadi Mahesh, Govind (Govindanna) and their associates were paid “risk” money by entities purchasing the illegally mined ore.

The report notes that the investigation, which began at Belekeri port in February 2010, “was a turning point.” The payments of “risk” money received by Karapadi Mahesh and his associates is enumerated in a list of 382 instances. In all, they were paid Rs. 40.93 crore by those who bought the illegally extracted and transported ore. A third table in this section of the report lists 93 trading entities that engaged in illegal trade with Karapadi Mahesh and his associates amounting to Rs. 62.92 crore.