BENGALURU: Anti-corruption activist TJ Abraham on Thursday filed a complaint before the Karnataka Lokayukta police, alleging that former RDPR Minister HK Patil and others were involved in corruption in connection with a solar power project in Gadag. Patil and the others had caused the government loss by illegally allowing Amplus KN Solar Pvt Limited to set up a project in Kurtakoti village in Gadag, Abraham alleged.
Amplus KN Solar had connived with Patil to defraud the government to illegally get commissioning certificates for the solar power plant in two phases of 100MW and 35MW. The certificates were issued in February and March 2018. He alleged that a total of 691 acres was utilised for the 135MW solar plant and that 222 acres were not converted for non-agricultural use to set up the industrial solar plant.
He alleged that of 222 acres, the application for conversion for 135 acres was not even submitted, which was a clear violation and in contravention of a condition of Government Order No.EN 273 NCE 2017, dated July 10, 2017.
It mandates that all lands to be used for the project should be converted for non-agricultural purposes before commissioning. He alleged that these actions caused a loss of about Rs 60 crore to the state government each year, and claimed that the total loss already caused was about Rs 270 crore.