JOIN USA complaint was filed in the Special Lokayukta Court on Thursday alleging corrupt practices by officials of the Public Works Departments, while executing road repair and rebuilding works in rural Karnataka.
C Puttaswamy, a farmer from Channapatna and member of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, in his complaint alleged that officials of the PWD and contractors along with other private individuals had cheated by listing the same projects each year. Substandard projects by the contractors were also ignored by the department as officials got commissions from the contractors, he alleged.
The projects were undertaken in Magadi and Channapatna subdivisions. The nexus between the contractors, middlemen and officials resulted in creating different bills each financial year for the same project, creation of false bills for projects which were never undertaken and improper entry in bill registers, the complaint states.
Puttaswamy also alleged that the PWD floated piecemeal tenders, which are under Rs 20 lakh so they could avoid inviting bids through e-tendering. Many of the roads that were supposedly constructed or maintained through the contractors failed to meet the technical specifications and were practically unusable after completion.
“It’s the duty of the contractors to maintain the road for two years as part of the contract. However, no such maintenance has been done by any of the contractors. It is evident from the record that the same work is allotted again and again. None of the roads repaired or constructed by the department with the help of these contractors are safe to use though the money spent is more than the amount spent on any national highway,” the petitioner argued.
Puttaswamy has sought an investigation under Section 156(3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.