Agents D Roopa and Hemant Nimbalkar had exchanged many accusations about the Safe City project and among themselves.
In the wake of a great controversy surrounding the Safe City Project for Bengaluru and the gap between two senior IPS officials, D Roopa and Hemant Nimbalkar, the Karnataka government has assigned them new posts. Nimbalkar, who was Additional Commissioner (Administration), Bengaluru, has been transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, Bengaluru. D Roopa, who was the first female Home Secretary in the state, has been appointed Managing Director of Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation Ltd, Bengaluru.
These transfers have been affected by the state government along with other transfers between IPS and IAS state officials.
IPS Malini Krishnamoorthy has been appointed Additional Director General of Police and Chief Secretary of Government (PCAS), Department of the Interior. In addition, Dr. K Ramachandra Rao from IPS has been transferred to the Bengaluru Complaints and Human Rights Department.
The bidding process for the Bengaluru Safe City Project, from various countries, has exposed cracks in the main IAS / IPS circles within the Karnataka government over alleged double standards in the treatment of corruption charges. Roopa and Nimbalkar, Bengaluru’s additional police (administration) commissioner and head of the project’s bidding committee have exchanged allegations of wrongdoing regarding the project.
Roopa has alleged that Nimbalkar being the head of the bidding committee favored a particular committee, violating the rules. Nimbalkar, on the other hand, had alleged that Roopa, the interior minister, was interfering in the process without any authority. However, Roopa has argued that the Chief Secretary himself made her part of the decision-making process.
He has also alleged in a letter he wrote to Chief Secretary Vijaya Bhaskar that although the Department of the Interior had launched an immediate investigation into a “false and motivated” complaint against him, it has been hesitant to do the same against Nimbalkar even after months since the CBI sought sanction of prosecution. The letter also mentions that the IWC has requested a prosecution sanction in September 2020.
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