Stink of corruption has now begun to emanate from the Bangalore drains. And it is K Jairaj, former Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner, who is in the centre of controversy.

According to records furnished by former minister D K Shivakumar of the Congress in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, an unbelievable 14,52,488 cubic metres of silt has been removed from the drains (four storm water valleys) by BBMP.

In other words, 3.90 lakh lorry loads of silt has been transported and dumped on the outskirts.
BBMP has taken up drain desilting and remodelling project under the Centrally-sponsored Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM). A sum of Rs 652 crore has been released by the Centre so far and BBMP has spent 138 crore.

Shivakumar said no notification has been issued for selecting the dumping yards and visit to some of the places where the authorities are said to have dumped the silt, has shown that no such thing has been done by the authorities.

“Large scale embezzlement of funds has taken place in the garb of desilting of drainage lines and also construction of walls to the sewerage systems,”

Jairaj blamed
He made direct allegations against the previous BBMP Commissioner K Jairaj.

“He (Jairaj) had jacked up the estimated costs of civil works from a minimum 50 per cent to more than 1300 per cent. This was done to benefit a handful of contractors,” he alleged.

He demanded Jairaj’s immediate arrest, besides ordering a CBI probe.

Other City Congress MLAs V Somanna, R Roshan Baig, Dinesh Gundurao and N L Narendra Babu sought a probe by the House Committee.

Leader of the Opposition N Dharam Singh wondered how the Centre would release funds for the City if such large-scale misuse of funds had taken place.

 “While Bangalore is expected to get Rs 22, 536 crore, the Mysore City will get Rs 12,000 crore for infrastructure development. If such things happen, will the City gets funds?” he asked.

CM denies
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy rubbished allegations that there had been a scam in the desilting of drains programme under JNNURM. While admitting some “minor lapses” in implementation of the scheme, he said they would be set right.

“For instance, Rs 4 crore from the Rs 22 crore awarded for contractors for desilting had been recovered after it was found it was in excess to the provision of the scheme,” Kumaraswamy said.

He said the Lokayukta will continue its investigations into the allegations. The decision for tender bids had been taken over a period of time since 2003 when Congress was in power. Further, officers were merely acting on the instructions of the then BMP corporators, he said.

The opposition continued its demand for a House Committee or a CBI inquiry into the “scam” and staged a dharna.

N Y Gopalakrishna, who was in the chair, adjourned the House sine die.