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Contractor association mulls writing another letter to PMO over ‘40% commission’
The Karnataka state contractors’ association, a forum of all major public works contractors in the state, on Tuesday said the association will consult its members on writing another letter to prime minister Narendra Modi over charges of rampant corruption in the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state
The Karnataka state contractors’ association, a forum of all major public works contractors in the state, on Tuesday said the association will consult its members on writing another letter to prime minister Narendra Modi over charges of rampant corruption in the Basavaraj Bommai-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state.
“We will call an executive meeting and decide if we should write another letter to the prime minister. The prime minister goes around the country saying that its government is working against corruption but we want to tell him what is happening here,” Kempanna, the president of the association, told Kannada news channel TV9 on Tuesday.
The statements coincide with media reports that the prime minister’s office (PMO) has responded to the allegations made by the association over a year ago on the harassment faced by contractors at the hands of elected representatives and officials, demanding nearly “40% commission or bribes” to award public work contracts or at the time of releasing payments.
Kempanna said he has not received a formal letter or notice from the PMO but a person who claimed to be from the department of home affairs has reached out to the association to take all evidence and documents to support the allegations.
Kempanna said he has not met the official in person and that he has scheduled a meeting to discuss the concerns before handing over the documents.
In November last year, the letter written by the contractors’ association, dated July, to Modi surfaced in which they had alleged that elected representatives and other officials were harassing them and demanding bribes.
The allegations levelled by one section of contractors against the government (present and past) and officials in Karnataka had rekindled the debate on the close nexus between elected representatives and their stooges who end up getting most of the tenders in public works.
They alleged relatives and kin are known to benefit from some of these tenders which range from smallest contracts to big-ticket projects that are often referred to as “kickbacks”
Santosh K Patil, a right-wing worker and contractor, was found dead weeks after he made allegations that he was being harassed by then rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) minister KS Eshwarappa to cough up 40% commission for works of ₹4 crore done in Hindalga village of Belagavi district.
Patil, in a WhatsApp message believed to have been sent by him to his associates and the media, directly blamed Eshwarappa for his death.
There are several pictures circulating on social media in which Patil is seen with the minister.
Kempanna said the association has been trying to meet the chief minister who is currently in Chandigarh, attending a meeting of the GST council.
“Even now there are a few contractors who are getting threats from elected representatives. The executive engineers have no powers and all the decisions are being taken by MLAs and tenders are not being called according to rules. The CM had offered to make some changes but there is still no action on the ground,” he said.
Karnataka’s minister for labour Shivaram Hebbar said on Tuesday: “It is a very good thing if the PMO has started investigations like it is being reported in the media, then the truth will come out if there is evidence. We thank and congratulate the PMO as it has started an investigation on the basis of a complaint against its own (BJP) government.”
Eshwarappa was forced to step down from the cabinet in April as the opposition and others increased pressure on the Bommai government over piling allegations of corruption and polarising the population to deflect attention away from lack of development and welfare ahead of 2023 assembly elections.
