Udupi official suspended over allegations of graft during theme park construction
During probe, it was revealed that the Parushurama theme park was inaugurated at Bailur Umikal Hill in Erlapadi village, Karkala taluk last year without the work being completed in it
Udupi district Nirmithi Kendra’s project director has been suspended after allegations were levied against him of misconduct related to the construction of the Parushurama theme park at Bailur Umikal Hill in Erlapadi village, Karkala taluk, officials familiar with the matter said.
The order was issued by Udupi deputy commissioner Vidya Kumari.
During the investigation it was found that Arun Kumar, who was responsible for overseeing the implementation of ₹11.05 crore worth theme park project, of which ₹6.72 crore had already been disbursed. However, the park was inaugurated on January 27 last year without completing the work in the park or officially handing it over to the concerned department.
Udupi additional deputy commissioner GS Mamatha Devi said: “The work is under investigation by the CID and the justice HN Nagmohan Das commission of inquiry. To prevent potential interference with the ongoing investigation, Arun Kumar has been suspended with immediate effect by the deputy commissioner. He has been replaced by Diwakara P, assistant project director of Nirmithi Kendra, who will assume additional charge. This order was issued on June 24 by DC Vidya Kumari.”
The district administration had removed the statue due to defects in its installation on October 13 last year.
Congress spokesperson Shubhadarao hailed Arun Kumar’s suspension and said: “It is a positive development that the government has ordered the suspension of Arun Kumar, who, along with former MLA Sunil Kumar, was involved in corruption and deceived the public by installing a fake statue of Parashurama. This is the first victory for our struggle for truth.”
Shubhadarao further criticised the actions of the officials involved, highlighting that an advance payment of ₹1 crore was made to Krishna Naik of Chris Art World, Bengaluru, for the statue’s creation in November 2022.
He described the suspension as a consequence of misleading the tourism minister and failing to maintain proper documentation related to the statue’s shipment.
In response, Udupi district Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president B Kishore Kumar accused the Congress government of using the suspension to divert attention from its involvement in other scandals, such as those related to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and the Karnataka Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation. “The government released ₹6.72 crore, and the money was fully utilised for construction. How can they accuse us of irregularities before completion? This is merely a political game,” Kumar stated.
