Cong hurls tender scam charges at BJP govt

Opposition party quotes BJP MLA Goolihatti D Shekhar’s letter to Water Resources Department which makes similar claims about irregularities amounting to Rs18,000 crore

Maqsood Maniyar | NT

Bengaluru: The Congress on Wednesday accused the BJP government of indulging in a “tender scam”, alleging that contracts were being handed out hurriedly at inflated rates to people who pay the highest commission.

They alleged that the scam had siphoned away around Rs18,000 crore, adding that this was a continuation of the “40 per cent commission” modus operandi of the State government. They argued that tenders issued for drip irrigation works and projects in Public Works Department (PWD) were a part of the irregularities.

The largest Opposition party bolstered their claims with the fact that BJP MLA from Hosadurga Goolihatti D Shekhar had written to the Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department alleging that tenders for irrigation projects had been awarded in an opaque and illegal manner.

Siddu sees MLA appeasement

Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in the Assembly Siddaramaiah went so far as to allege that the exercise was being done so close to the polls because the BJP wanted to “pay off ” their MLAs who hadn’t been able to bag a ministerial berth.

“This government is looting the state coffers. There isn’t much time left for the election. This is done with the intention of letting dissatisfied MLAs who hadn’t been able to make it to ministers’ posts, make some money. So they hurriedly called meetings for Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL), Visveswaraya Jala Nigam Limited (VJNL), Karnataka Irrigation Corporation to get approval for projects. There is no transparency in this.

The tender money is also being doubled or tripled, which is a continuation of the 40 per cent commission policy. It is our responsibility to protect the tax payers’ money,” Siddaramaiah said. “Tenders are being handed out to those who pay the highest commission.

Moreover, they are cherry picking the contractors who get the work and collecting commissions. There are pending bills worth Rs 20,000 crore in various departments, including Public Works, Irrigation, BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike), Rural Development etc.

Works are being given to those who pay 10 per cent commission and this starts from the chief minister’s office. This must be stopped. We will raise this matter in the House as well,” he added. The former chief minister warned the contractors, officials and elected representatives that once Congress comes to power, they’d be tried and punished.

Works approved for high rates:

DKS Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president DK Shivakumar echoed these sentiments, adding that tenders were being handed out at inflated rates.

“If a tender is worth Rs500 crore, they are giving it away at Rs1,000 crore. We are ready to provide all manner of documentation in this regard,” he said, adding that tenders were called and finalized in seven days flat, which was fishy.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary and its Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, KPCC chairman of communications Priyank Kharge and others were also present on the occasion.