Palike officials take bribe to clear bills, allege contractors

The BBMP Contractors’ Association has filed a complaint with the Lokayukta stating that the Palike officials collect five to six percent bribe to clear bills.

The accusation is that Chief Accounts Officer of the BBMP and Superintendent of Accounts Branch have been clearing bills generated recently, while withholding bills for the work completed a long ago. The officials have not given any reason for this, the complaint stated.

According to the complaint, the bills for the work completed in 2013 have not been paid.

“While the legitimate bills are due, Chief Accounts Officer and Superintendent of Accounts section neither clear the bill nor give any valid reason for withholding the bills. Even the bills for the works executed during 2014-15 have been cleared. However, bills of works completed by the members of the Contractors' Association pending since 2013,” the complainant said.

The complainant stated that it is a practice in the BBMP that bills are cleared on the basis of the first work completed. The complainants stated that Chief Accounts Officer and his staff collect commission as bribe to clear the bills. It is stated that the officials demand and collect 5-6 percent of the bill amount as bribe and such bills are cleared without having any regard to the old bills pending. The complainant says that as of now bills to the tune of nearly Rs 500 crore has been paid arbitrarily without following seniority in the pending list. The allegations made appears to be serious in nature. If the complainants’ bills are pending for long and if they are otherwise eligible for disbursement of the bill such bills should have been respected rather than later bills,” Upalokayukta Justice
Subhash B Adi said.

The Upalokayukta has directed the chief accounts officer and other staff at the accounts branch to furnish the details of number of contractors, the pendency of bills and list of bills already paid in date-wise order. The report will have to be filed on March 31, the direction stated.