Mangaluru: M R Ravi, CEO, DK Zilla Panchayat on Tuesday relieved in-charge executive officer of Mangaluru taluk panchayat G Sadananda from his post.The EO is under fire for confessing before MLA Y Bharath Shetty that he demanded bribes from panchayat development officers to release grants to their respective GPs. Facing protests from PDOs on this issue, Sadananda on Saturday had made this admission to the MLA.In an order dated September 18, Ravi stated that the explanation given by Sadananda to the show-cause notice issued to him on Monday was not satisfactory and that he stands relieved from his post with immediate effect. Ravi directed Sadananda to hand over charge to A Sujanchandra Rao, assistant executive engineer, panchayat raj engineering sub-division, Mangaluru, and that Rao will hold concurrent charge of both posts till further orders.Ravi told TOI that he has relieved Sadananda from his post to facilitate a probe that he has directed the joint director, department of agriculture Anthony Maria Emmanuel to wrap up in three-days. “This is a preliminary step to ensure fairness of probe,” Ravi said, adding future course of action against Sadananda will be initiated based on the inquiry report that the inquiry officer will submit. The probe orders, too, were issued on Monday.In a related development, Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLA Bharath Shetty said the incident of EO demanding bribes from PDOs is symptomatic of the rot that has set in the system. “It is clear that writ of officials’ runs large in this present coalition government as chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has no control whatsoever over the bureaucracy,” Kateel said, while demanding a comprehensive probe into the incident at the highest level.Noting that Kumaraswamy himself heads the finance department, Kateel said if EOs admit that they are forced to accept bribes from PDOs to pay off the finance department to get funds released, it is a sign of where the administration is headed. Questioning the silence of CM as well as district minister U T Khader to this episode, Kateel said it also gives rise to doubts of officials doubling up as ‘collection agents’ for the powers that be .Shetty said confession of Sadananda in the presence of taluk panchayat president Mohammad Monu and PDOs of Mangaluru taluk has laid bare the face of corruption under the present government. “Both the CEO and DC had acknowledged my WhatsApp message and video of the incident sent by me following the incident,” the MLA said, adding the state government must place the tainted officer under suspension at the earliest.

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