KPSC Assistant Secretary: One official-Two names…

By Firoz.T.Totanawala

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

1st February 2011 issue-

KPSC Assistant Secretary:

One official-Two names…

Ever heard of a government official using two names in official correspondences? If not, the case of M.N Gururaja Rao, presently the Asst. Secretary KPSC stares before us. As far as KPSC official records are concerned, he is M.N Gururaj Rao. But he becomes a different person M.N Gururaj when he functions as the Secretary of the Lokseva Housing Co-op Society formed by the employees of KPSC. For outsiders, both names seems different and persons, different. This double role of MNG is going on since decades. And none had the guts to take action, let alone initiating action against this double role…

M.N Gururaj Rao, joined the KPSC as a junior Assistant in KPSC. Except a gap of few months, he remained as a permanent fixture in establishment section. Over the years, he got promotions as assistant, senior assistant, section officer and presently the Assistant Secretary, again in establishment section, he has been designated as the public information officer of KPSC, also. MNG is a well known name among the bureaucrats. He is personally known to most of the IAS, IPS, KAS and other officials in the state. As far as KPSC Members and the Chairmen are concerned, MNG is their ‘Advisor’. Since many many years.

This is not the story here. MNG Rao, the assistant secretary in KPSC becomes MN Gururaj officially in the Lokseva HCS as its secretary! The society is also located in the KPSC premises with or without permission from the KPSC. And MNG need not have to take any permission to house his society in KPSC and use it free of cost, as he is running the show in KPSC every since he joined the organization.

But the activities of the society formed solely for the purpose of providing sites to the employees of KPSC to say the least, has become a very big real estate agency. MNG purchases lands, gets government clearance, forms layouts and sells sites to any tom-Dick and Harry provided they pay the market price. Infact, the KPSC has not more than 300 employees including offricials. But the society has made hundreds of sites in many layouts. MNG takes enough care to ‘gift’ big sites to successive chairman, Members. Presently, outsiders, general public etc. can purchase the sites from this society. Almost the entire KPSC employees who needed site have been given sites long back. As such the society has to be wound up as it has outlived its utility and served its purpose.

But MNG is not prepared to wind up the society as it has become the hen that lays golden eggs everyday. He is using the society as a real estate agent to acquire lands and sell sites to the public. As is natural, he had acquired lot of clout in the corridors of power this explains the inaction by the various departments to take action against the illegalities and scams committed by MNG in the society. The co-op. department is protecting the society as if it is its own. No official in the co-op. department is prepared to even take a look at the serious violations of acts and rules. Interestingly, the BDA had even allowed CA sites to be converted into parks.

Be that as it may, MNG is not using his official name in the society for fear of loosing his job KPSC. That is why he is using another name by cutting off ‘rao’ from his original name. this is known to everybody in the government and also KPSC. In all the correspondences of the society, he uses M.N Gururaj and in KPSC he uses the name of MN Gururaj Rao. Despite knowing this ‘Double’ role of MNG, the KPSC has not taken any action, lest it may antagonize MNG!

Interestingly, MNG and signature is that of MN Gururaj, the secretary of the KPSC Hpousing Society. And the same Gururaj is the assistant Secretary of the KPSC, he is officially known as MN Gururaja Rao.

This is a very serious offence under the KCS and action had to be taken against MNG in this regard. Curiously, MNG is always busy in his real estate agency in the grab of society so much so that he does not attend the office regularly and without caring to obtain permission, he goes to the Sub-Registrar offices to register the LCS/ sale deeds and other real estate related business.

The case of MNG is a challenge to the law of the land. It is time, the KPSC takes even some sort of action against him in this regard.

Lokseva Housing Co-op Society!

Real estate Agency at the cost of KPSC employees

The Lokseva Housing Society was formed in the eighties with the sole aim of providing sites to the KPSC employees. The KPSC has a staff strength of less than 300. it formed a layout in Nagadevanahalli near Kengeri and allotted sites to the members of others as well. Since then, the society, nay, its owner MN Gururaj (or is it MN Gururaj Rao) has formed other layouts as well. He had till now formed thousands of sites and sold it to the officials of other departments, KPSC members and even general public.

It is no secret that MNG gets a premium for selling sites to others. The recent layout is in Kogilu abetting the Arkavathi layout of BDA, where the land prices are very high. MNG credits the society fixed rates to the society account and pockets the rest.

Legally, the society should have been winded up after all the KPSC employees who were eligible to get allotments, get sites. The society’s objections would have been achieved. And after the objections of the society are achieved, there is no reason or logic to continue the society any more.

But who cares? Definitely not MNG. He had continued with the activities of the society by converting it into a real estate agency and is making crores and crores, in the process. As MNG is above law, the government does not notice of his real estate agency-that is society.

Forget about all these. The Co-op,Society’s Rules does not permit MNG to hold the post of secretary. The law stipulates that every co-op. should have a paid secretary. The co-op. department has banned the post of Secretary or Honourary Secretary. But it had not bothered to apply this stipulation to MNG who has become the permanent Secretary of the society.

The society functions from a big office in KPSC and not a penny is paid as the rent. Moreover, solomn, a KPSC employee is among the staff of the society. He does not work in KPSC but in the society. He marks his attendance in KPSC and works in society. This is against the law and Soloman had to be dealt with.

Similarly, a retired Section officer in KPSC Manjunath also works in the society taking remuneration. And the law bars employment of retired officials in the society. But who cares? It is time, somebody in the co-op. department show the guts to take a look at the affairs of the society!