ACB raid was much-needed, even I couldn’t curb corruption: BDA chairperson

BDA chairperson S R Vishwanath on Saturday said the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raid on the civic agency that he heads was “much needed”.

ACB sleuths conducted searches in the BDA’s head office for the second consecutive day on Saturday.

Speaking to news reporters at the BJP headquarters here, Vishwanath said nothing that he did to curb corruption in the BDA had worked.

“When I took charge as chairperson a year ago, my aim was to clean up the BDA. But documents go missing in the BDA. Fake documents are created to get sites. Whatever action is taken gets stayed in the court. I welcome the ACB raid because even I couldn’t stop some of the corrupt practices in the BDA,” he said.

He continued: “At one time, the BDA was known as a pro-people, good organisation. In recent years, however, allegations of corruption and irregularities have been heard.”

Assuring cooperation with the investigation, Vishwanath said he made people give complaints to the ACB against corruption in the BDA. The Yelahanka MLA also said he would brief Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who also holds the Bengaluru city development portfolio, on the ongoing raid.

“On the first day of the raid (Friday), I don’t think any cash was found. The raid should have taken place when brokers were there. That’s when cash would have been found,” he said.

Commenting on a complaint by the contractors’ association on kickbacks they have to pay to get their bills cleared, Vishwanath said: “The commission business was started by Congress leaders. Probably, they are behind the complaint.”

Watch latest videos by DH here: