Karnataka Guv summons BBMP chief over volume of bills awaiting clearance

Naveen Menezes, Bengaluru, DHNS

Following a complaint by the BBMP Working Contractors'  Association, Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot summoned BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath on Thursday evening.

The governor is said to have sought details on the volume of bills pending for clearance and the commission charges levelled by the association for releasing payments. 

On Wednesday, a delegation of contractors led by KT Manjunath met the governor and sought his help in ensuring the BBMP does not hold up the payments for long. They also claimed that Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, is demanding 10-15% commission for clearing each bill. 

According to the contractors, the BBMP owes a total of Rs 5,500 crore to them.

While Rs 3,000 crore worth of works were funded by the state government, the remaining are taken up using BBMP grants. The association has said the BBMP is not clearing bills of Rs 675 crore released by the government in February this year. The civic body, they said, also has cash of Rs 1,500 crore it collected from various sources, including property tax. 

Despite the mounting pressure, Shivakumar has stuck to his stand of clearing bills only after a thorough scrutiny. At present, one investigation is being initiated by four senior IAS officers and another by Shivakumar himself.