Under scanner Keonics vendors write to Prez Murmu, PM Modi, threaten suicide over dues

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The Congress State government faced fresh trouble on Tuesday as vendors of Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) threatened to die by suicide if their dues were not paid. Keonix Empanelled Vendors Welfare Association (KEVWA), which claims to represent the interests of anywhere between 450 to 500 vendors, wrote to President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, demanding their intervention over the issue.

They also singled out Information Technology and Bio-Technology (IT-BT) Minister Priyank Kharge and KEONICS Chairman Sharath Bachegowda, company CEO Pavan Kumar Mallapatti and Finance Director Nishith for their plight. They said that their names had been under scanner over irregularities, which led to the docking of payments, which had led to a crisis wherein they no longer had the ability to meet the cost of living. The Opposition BJP came down heavily against Kharge and Bachegowda over the issue. Meanwhile, Priyank blamed irregularities for the delay, adding that names of vendors had to be cleared by the relevant fact-finding committee before the payments could be made. “Several vendors are on the teetering on the edge of suicide due to financial difficulties,” the KEVWA letter said.

“The delay in payment of dues and the new rules have wrecked our livelihoods. We request the immediate release of our dues, or we will be forced to make extreme choices,” it added. The letter said that vendors were on the receiving end of hardships due to corruption as the former KEONICS CEO had demanded a 12 per cent cut from them before payments could be made, adding that when they refused, the dues were withheld. They added that despite requesting Priyank and Bachegowda several times for the release of dues, no relief had been forthcoming. Priyank however, shot back at the Karnataka BJP handle on the social media site X (previously Twitter) when it claimed it was harassment by the minister which had been causing the vendors distress.

The IT-BT Minister alleged that KEONICS had suffered a loss of Rs 300 crore under the previous BJP government due to irregularities. “Do you seriously expect our government to clear payments to vendors who were involved in irregularities during your tenure? Have you forgotten the Accountant General’s audit findings, which flagged over Rs 300 crore worth of misappropriations by KEONICS under your government?” Priyank asked. He claimed that irregularities included payment over works not done, which was done by way of fake bills and the like. He also complained of absence of third party inspections.

Contractors also unhappy- The controversy comes a day after the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association (KSCA) penned a letter to seven ministers demanding release of dues within a week, failing which they would stage protests. The association also accused MLAs of being involved in corruption as they were allegedly being favoured by the State government for contracts.

The late KSCA president Kempanna had famously accused the previous BJP State government of extracting 40 per cent commission against unpaid payments.