Lokayukta probe sought into duplicate bill scam

Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, Reddy said for the past one year, the JD(S) had been raising the issue of rampant corruption in the Palike since 2008.

And now, a probe by the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner  (TVCC) had revealed a huge scam of duplicate bills to the tune of Rs 1,539 crore in three constituencies - Malleswaram, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Gandhinagar.

Though Padmanabha Reddy welcomed BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah’s decision to hand over the case to the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), he said the Task Force did not have the expertise to investigate economic offences and carry out technical investigations.

‘Institution has expertise’

“Only the Lokayukta has the expertise to probe the scam properly. Hence, the JD(S) demands the BBMP Commissioner and the Government to hand over the case to the Lokayukta,” Reddy said.

He said the ruling BJP in the City Corporation and also in the State should not hesitate to hand over these cases to Lokayukta, if they are not involved in these scams. He also demanded that the probe be extended to all the 28 Assembly constituencies of the City, alleging that the amount involved in the corruption was around Rs 8,000 crore.

Reddy went on to claim that some contractors, who had executed 27 works of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), had allegedly claimed their bills in the BBMP too, and received money from both the civic agencies. He said both the bodies should constitute a special investigation team to probe the fraud.

MLA flayed

The JD(S) leader flayed RR Nagar MLA M Srinivas for demanding the suspension of Commissioner Siddaiah.

He said: “Siddaiah hails from Dalit community and has been performing his duties impartially and honestly. The JD(S) will protest if Siddaiah is removed. The JD(S) will involve all the pro-Dalit organisations and fight for Siddaiah.”