Bengaluru, 29 May

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Thursday said that he has written to the Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh not to transfer any engineer from water resource department, a portfolio that he holds, without informing him.

Speaking to reporters, Shivakumar said, "We don’t have many engineers in the Water Resources Department. We urgently need engineers. Hence, I have written a letter to the Chief Secretary asking not to relieve or send any engineer elsewhere from our department”.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the engineers join the water resource department, get promoted and then get transferred to other departments including Public Works and Zilla Panchayat.

When asked who made the transfer without your permission, he said, "There is a scope for making such transfers at the top level. I won’t say that such scopes are not there. That’s why I am saying that many MLAs put pressure to send engineers to other departments.”

Shivakumar was aggrieved that engineers are not coming forward to work in the irrigation department.

“I have told the Chief Secretary not to transfer anyone without bringing it to my attention,” he told reporters.

Reacting to it, BJP state president BY Vijayendra said, “These are mere indications. For sure, major changes in the state politics are in the offing. These developments are prelude to the climax.”

He also linked Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to senior Congress leader and MLC BK Hariprasad’s residence on Thursday morning with the "changing equations" in the state.