JOIN USChief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday asked government contractors to complete the projects on time and ensure quality.
“The government will hold engineers accountable for the delay in public projects,” he said at the two-day convention of contractors at the Palace Grounds here.
In the past, contractors would meet the finance minister seeking the release of their dues. Siddaramaiah said he held the finance portfolio and didn’t want the contractors to meet him for the release of dues. “The Congress government has released around Rs 3,000 crore to contractors and will release about Rs 650 crore more shortly,” he added.
The chief minister said the government would see if there were legal provisions to mandate that only contractors from Karnataka get projects.
“Since August, Bengaluru has received rainfall for 42 days, damaging the roads. The government will white-top 2,000-km roads in Bengaluru. The work has just begun on about 100 km. Roads should last for at least five years and contractors should maintain them for no less than three years,” he added.
Bengaluru Development Minister K J George said the government was repairing roads on a war footing and the work would get over in three months.
On the occasion, contractors submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on their long-pending demands.