PM yet to respond to corruption complaint by contractors of Karnataka
The Hindu
They had complained that ministers and government officials are demanding bribes of up to 40% of the project cost
The Prime Minister’s Office is yet to respond to the letter complaining that ministers and government officials in the State are demanding bribes of up to 40% of the total cost of each project, says Kempanna, president, Karnataka State Contractors’ Association.
“We would like to firmly reiterate that contractors in Karnataka are told to pay bribes of up to 40% of the project cost. Earlier, the commission was around 10%. After 2019, it has jumped to 40%. Ministers, legislators and government officers are involved. If contractors pay 40% of the project cost as bribes, how can they maintain the quality of work? It is a serious problem and we had sought a meeting with B.S. Yediyurappa when he was the Chief Minister to discuss the issue. Despite repeated efforts, the Chief Minister did not give us an appointment. We, therefore, had to write a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi about our grievances. Unfortunately, we have not received any response from the Prime Minister’s Office so far,” he told mediapersons in Kalaburagi on January 3.