Four staff members at Cubbon Park's Bal Bhavan in Bengaluru pocket ₹3.5 lakh meant for state tourism dept: Report

Four staff members at Bal Bhavan in Cubbon Park allegedly diverted ₹3,50,964 meant for KSTDC into personal accounts using QR codes.

Published on: Jul 24, 2024, 20:00:07 IST

By Yamini C S

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The Karnataka Tourism State Development Corporation (KSTDC) recently uncovered a case of financial misconduct involving four employees at Bal Bhavan in Bengaluru's Cubbon Park. Over a period spanning from December 2022 to April 2024, a total of ₹3,50,964 intended for KSTDC's account was redirected into personal accounts belonging to four staff members Abdul Wajid, Venkatesh K, Ramachandra K, and K Kodandaramu, The Hindu reported.

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Bal Bhavan, a popular children’s park within the Cubbon Park, falls under the maintenance of KSTDC. The four employees in question were stationed at the Mayura Bal Bhavan kiosk, where they allegedly misused QR codes to divert payments to their personal accounts instead of the designated KSTDC account, the report stated.

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Sources indicate that Abdul Wajid, employed on contract as a driver, allegedly rerouted ₹2,66,215 to his personal account during the mentioned period. Ramachandra, a second division clerk also on contract, allegedly redirected ₹31,917. Meanwhile, Venkatesh and Kodandaramu, who were permanent employees, allegedly diverted ₹48,642 and ₹3,920, respectively, to their own accounts.

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Tourism Minister H. K. Patil on Tuesday confirmed that the two permanent employees have been suspended pending a departmental inquiry, while the contracts of the other two workers have been terminated, the publication stated. He further announced directives for filing an FIR against the accused individuals.

This incident has brought attention to broader issues within the Tourism Department, where concerns have been raised about the lack of full-time directors and managing directors within both the department and KSTDC in recent years.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yamini C S
Yamini CS is a Senior Content Producer at Hindustan Times with nearly six years of experience in digital journalism. She is part of the India News desk, where she works on a wide range of stories cutting across civic issues, city-based developments, politics, governance, public policy, breaking news, trending topics, and international affairs that have an impact on India. Her role involves tracking fast-moving developments, verifying information from official and on-ground sources, and presenting news in a clear, accessible format for a digital-first audience. A significant part of her work includes handling live blogs during major news events, such as elections, court verdicts, political developments, civic disruptions, protests, weather-related alerts, and unfolding national or international incidents. Through live coverage, she focuses on timely updates to help readers follow complex stories as they evolve. Before moving to the broader India News desk, Yamini was associated with the Bengaluru desk at Hindustan Times, where she extensively covered urban governance, infrastructure, traffic and transport issues, weather events, public grievances, and civic administration in the city. This experience strengthened her grounding in city reporting and sharpened her focus on citizen-centric journalism. She began her career as a correspondent with Reuters after completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media. Her early training instilled a strong emphasis on accuracy, sourcing, and news ethics, which continue to shape her reporting style. Outside of work, Yamini enjoys reading across genres, listening to music, and spending time with her family, which help her maintain balance in a fast-paced newsroom environment.Read More

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