BENGALURU: A widowed policewoman, associated with Mangaluru Commissionerate of police office, had lost all hope to live when all her efforts to get a housing site in MUDA’s (Mangaluru Urban Development Authority) U Srinivas Mallya layout seemed to lead nowhere.
Such was her disappointment, that she had even approached officials in MUDA to refund the amount of Rs 51,500, which was deposited at the time of sanctioning of a site in October 2012. “The dream of building a home in order to ensure a protective environment for my daughter, now studying in third standard, was my top priority after my husband, also a police constable, had died due to malaria,’’ the policewoman, who didn’t want to be identified, informed.
Despite MUDA’s recommendation, Regional Commissioner in Mysuru had rejected the cop’s application on technical grounds.
‘As my marriage was an inter-religious one, none of the relatives came to my help. It was a lone battle that I had fought for seven years. I have forgotten the count of the number of visits made to Mysuru or Vidhan Soudha or the number of representations I had made to officials or elected representatives,’’ she said.
Vishwanath Alekady of Dalit Sangarsh Samaithi (DSS), who used to visit the office to submit RTI applications, noticed my plight and filed a complaint on my behalf with Lokayukta,’’ she said. As DSS had filed a case, it was assumed that I was a Dalit. “During a hearing at the Lokayukta office in Bengaluru, I had clarified that I was of Christian faith and had accepted their help as I was in no position to approach Lokayukta or any other court on my own,’’ she said.
Lokayukta breaks convention, does a background check
Lokayukta Chief Justice P Vishwanath Shetty had ordered Mangaluru Lokayukta police to do a confidential background check on the organisation in order to ascertain whether there was any intention to defraud the policewoman, sources in Lokayukta told The New Indian Express. Soon, Mangaluru Lokayukta submitted a detailed background report declaring that the intentions of the Dalit organisation and the policewoman were genuine.
Lokayukta Chief Justice Vishwanath Shetty had attached the background report with their order recommending housing site to the policewoman under ‘F’ category (for dependents of government employees who pass away while in service) to Under Secretary (Urban Development) and government, sources informed The New Indian Express and added that the CM would be placing Lokayukta’s recommendation before the cabinet for approval.
Meanwhile, given its credibility in government circles, the background check into organisations filing complaints may become a norm, sources in Lokayukta added.