BBMP tender violation: Govt seeks probe over alleged irregularities in Chickpet division

The Urban Development Department (UDD) has sought a probe into allegations of discrepancies in allotment of work in the BBMP’s Chickpet division.

In a letter addressed to BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, the UDD mentioned three works costing Rs 26 crore pertaining to development of roads, drainage, footpaths and parks in different parts of the Chickpet Assembly constituency (packages 4, 5 and 6).

The civic body has floated tenders for seven works. The letter is embedded with a private complaint that alleges lack of transparency in awarding at least three contracts.

The UDD issued the directive for a probe — based on a complaint by Prasad B, an advocate — since the grants are sanctioned by the state government under the Amruth Nagarothana Scheme.

The complainant alleged that the executive engineer of the Chickpet division directed the construction firms who attended the pre-bidding meeting not to participate in the tendering process, citing that the works will be awarded to four contractors of his choice.

The UDD has instructed the BBMP Chief Commissioner to order an internal probe to verify if the division has violated the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act.

In his defence, H V Yarappa Reddy, executive engineer of Chickpet division, said he did not make any comments that violate the transparency rules. “The complaint has been lodged with a vested interest,” he told DH.