Updated on Sunday, May 03, 2009, 00:00 IST

Bangalore, May 03: Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has paid eight official visits to temples during the first few months of his tenure at a cost of Rs 11 lakh to the public exchequer.

This revelation figured among the four major findings student journalists of Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media have gathered by making use of the Right to Information Act.

Briefing the media on Thursday, the students alleged that government departments were reluctant to give complete information though they were legally bound to do so under the Act.

Charging the CM’s office with being ‘most uncooperative’ with the requests, students said that they were shunted between different officials for 72 times by 18 officers to gather the requisite information.

BMTC fires only ten percent of its drivers who had caused fatal accidents and the rest get back to work, a fact that has come to light through RTI.

The students had to file three applications before the authorities responded.

“BMTC has quietly recycled their most deadly drivers responsible for nearly 370 fatal collisions since 2000. In the case of 28 drivers, they caused a second and even a third accident before they were fired,” the students said. Government school teachers go on leave for years without being removed from the rolls, another RTI application to the Department of Public Instruction revealed.

Lokayukta received praise from the students for being most co-operative. However, the flip side was that less than one percent of the corruption cases booked by Lokayukta culminated with convictions.