BBMP engineers may face heat in ₹118 crore fake bill scam

Engineers of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are likely to face the heat regarding the Rs 118 crore scam involving fake bills in the RR Nagar assembly constituency.

The action, albeit delayed by one year, is likely to be taken by the state government based on the Lokayukta probe. If sources are to be believed, the Urban Development Department (UDD) may suspend around eight engineers.

On Wednesday, the corridors of BBMP were abuzz with talks that engineers from the BBMP’s RR Nagar zone, the technical vigilance cell under the commissioner (TVCC), and Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Ltd (KRIDL) are going to face the axe.

These engineers are facing the heat for clearing bills worth Rs 118 crore for works that were either not fully done or no work happened at all.

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In a 60-page investigation report submitted by the Lokayukta, Justice P Vishwanath Shetty directed the government to take disciplinary action against the engineers within two months. Although the report was submitted last January, the government took no action.

Sources said the report was brought to light after the change of government in the state. It can be recalled that the Lokayukta had ordered the probe based on the complaint submitted by Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh in September 2020.

Bills cleared in 2 months

As part of RR Nagar, which comes under the MP’s parliamentary constituency, he found out that the BBMP had cleared bills in just two months after the work was awarded to the contractors through KRIDL, a government body.

In February last year, DH had carried an article titled: ‘Lokayukta unearths a Rs 118 crore scam in BBMP’.

The Lokayukta report had exposed glaring loopholes in the way 114 works were carried out. Of these, only two works were found to be executed properly.

The remaining were neither taken up or were partly taken up, but the BBMP had released payments based on the fake bills.

When contacted, Rakesh Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, UDD, did not offer any comments.