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A '4g scam' in BBMP? Rs 4,700 cr projects went to single contractor without tendering

Last Updated 22 September 2020, 20:37 IST

Almost 50% of the 28,314 BBMP projects executed in the last five years were given to a single contractor, the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Ltd (KRIDL), without any tendering process, the Bengaluru NavaNirmana Party (BNP) has alleged.

Describing it as a 'mega-scam' after studying the BBMP finances since 2015, the party’s office-bearers told reporters on Tuesday the KRIDL was also paid a commission of up to 10%.

Sanjay Mehrotra, the BNP’s head of analytics, explained: "A total of 63,629 projects were approved in the period with a total approved value of Rs 21,653 crore."

Of the approved projects, he said, only 28,314 projects were executed or are under execution with a total value of Rs 10,018 crore. Projects worth Rs 4,721 crore were given to the KRIDL, he added.

In the words of the BNP’s head of research, Sowmya Raghavan, this has been enabled by a provision in the KTPP Act called 4(g). It states: The provisions of Chapter II shall not apply to the procurement of goods and services in respect of specific procurements as may be notified by the government from time to time.

Calling it the "Bengaluru 4g scam", BNP leader Sidhartha Shetty said: "Clause 4(g) in the KTPPA was intended to give exceptions to the tendering process for specific type of procurements which might have some kind of specialisation. However, this clause has been completely abused by successive BBMP councils to give blanket exemptions to the KRIDL to execute all types of projects, including roads, drains, cameras, lights etc."

The party general secretary, Srikanth Narasimhan, said it was time citizens understood "how our hard-earned money is completely mismanaged and goes unaccounted through such brazen acts by elected representatives."

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(Published 22 September 2020, 19:57 IST)

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