Time to end ‘cut’ raj in Karnataka

That corruption has become endemic in Karnataka is an old story. But the death of a contractor by suicide who refused to pay 40% commission being demanded upfront for clearance of dues amply substantiates the allegation of deliberate delays in payment to the contractors. Driven by despondency and betrayal, the victim had to make his woes public in the suicide note made viral prior to self-inflicted death. The note accuses the Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Mr. K. S. Eshwarappa of withholding the bills for over a year. The fact that the Minister and the deceased, whose plea for clearance of bill was ignored, belong to the same party discounts the element of bias or political enmity. It also gains some modicum of credibility in the wake of Karnataka Contractors’ Association having alleged 40% to be the general level of commissions being demanded by the government functionaries. The association had gone public with their allegation at least nine months ago and the government had been denying the same in absence of solid evidence.

Victim Santosh’s death should not go in vain. He had reportedly carried out 108 Government works worth over Rs 4 crore over a year ago in Belagavi district. His death has come in the wake of a long list of allegations of contractors being harassed for payment of illegal commissions. Instead of giving them any patient hearing, the powers-that-be have only made mockery of them.

Even the Union dispensation pursuing the ‘na khaoonga, na khane doonga’ (neither will I indulge in corruption nor allow anyone else to indulge in it) dictum has paid no heed to them. Karnataka State Contractors’ Association chief D. Kempanna had written to the prime minister and President about the 40% commission on July 6, 2021. Following this, on March 6, he had even warned that the contractors and the 50,000 workers would go on a protest from April 21. According to the association, the state government is yet to release Rs. 22,000 crore worth of payments due with it.

The victim had raised loans to carry out the work and was undergoing mental distress following pressure from lenders to repay the same. As is normal with such transactions, he had neither been issued work orders nor was being paid due to refusal to cough up the commission amount. Unless being close to the Minister, it would not have been possible to carry out the work on just oral commitment. The victim is said to have several dozens of meetings with the minister urging early clearance of payment, but to no avail.

It will be in the fitness of things that the minister facing the allegation resigns and allows the probe to follow its logical course.