Kodagu: C. S. Arun Machaiah, a former member of the Legislative Council, has demanded that the ban on timber lorries in Kodagu be removed immediately and claimed that officials of the police, forest, transport and revenue departments have joined hands to indulge in corruption by restricting the system of making money every year.
“Containers and lorries weighing 30 to 50 tonnes are plying through Makutta and Kutta Sampache on a daily basis,” said Machaiah. He questioned why the trucks were plying on a daily basis and that there was no restriction only for timber lorries, as it was putting a lot of burden on the pockets of the farmers. “Now, trucks are plying at the gates by bribing,” he added.
“Where is the money given to the staff of the departments that is being taken from the farmers by the traders?,” he asked. Stating that this is a restriction without technicalities, Machaiah challenged the stakeholders to prove if there is any truth in what he has said. He also claimed that for the past few years, he has been continuously transporting cattle in five containers via Gonikoppal.
“Now, the new MLAs have taken strict action and stopped the transportation of cattle, red stone, and sand mining. The sale of silver trees grown by the farmers was being disrupted, and the two MLAs should immediately issue an order to lift the ban,” he urged. He said that the MLAs should lay more emphasis on eradicating corruption in various departments of Kodagu.
