<p>Bengaluru: Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Thursday admitted that the menace of kickbacks, or ‘commissions’, still existed and “it will be there in the future as well”.</p>.<p>Satish said this even as the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association (KSCA) announced a protest on March 6 against the delay in clearing pending bills worth Rs 37,370 crore.</p>.<p>The KSCA has also accused the Congress government of being more corrupt than the previous BJP administration.</p>.<p>“This (commission) was there earlier, it’s there today and it’ll be there in the future as well. We can’t detect where or at what level it exists. How can you do that?” Satish said. “We’ll have to regulate it. We have to hit the brakes on it,” he said.</p>.‘Commission was there, is there, will remain’: Karnataka minister amid contractors’ protest over Rs 37,370 crore dues.<p>In 2023, Congress had attacked the BJP for ‘40% commission’, based on allegations levelled by the KSCA.</p>.<p>On the KSCA now accusing the Congress of corruption, Satish said, “Contractors should bring this issue to the notice of the chief minister and the Lokayukta. Else, allegations will remain only allegations.”</p>.<p>Satish blamed the previous BJP government for the huge pendency of bills. “Works were awarded without adequate budgetary backing. The work has been executed, but payments will take some time. That was the mistake of the previous government. Large dues are pending in the Irrigation and Public Works departments.</p>.<p>Work cannot be stopped. We are working to balance the payments with the available budget,” he explained.<br />In his public works department, Satish said bills worth Rs 12,000 crore were pending. “Of this, we’ve cleared Rs 3,000 crore,” he said.</p>.<p>Later, on the sidelines of a public event, Satish reiterated that ‘freebies’ were “impacting” development in the state. “The state governments, be it Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, or Maharashtra, need to think about it (impact of freebies). We cannot do away with freebies as poor people are availing it. But we should focus on both free schemes and development,” he said.</p>
<p>Bengaluru: Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi on Thursday admitted that the menace of kickbacks, or ‘commissions’, still existed and “it will be there in the future as well”.</p>.<p>Satish said this even as the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association (KSCA) announced a protest on March 6 against the delay in clearing pending bills worth Rs 37,370 crore.</p>.<p>The KSCA has also accused the Congress government of being more corrupt than the previous BJP administration.</p>.<p>“This (commission) was there earlier, it’s there today and it’ll be there in the future as well. We can’t detect where or at what level it exists. How can you do that?” Satish said. “We’ll have to regulate it. We have to hit the brakes on it,” he said.</p>.‘Commission was there, is there, will remain’: Karnataka minister amid contractors’ protest over Rs 37,370 crore dues.<p>In 2023, Congress had attacked the BJP for ‘40% commission’, based on allegations levelled by the KSCA.</p>.<p>On the KSCA now accusing the Congress of corruption, Satish said, “Contractors should bring this issue to the notice of the chief minister and the Lokayukta. Else, allegations will remain only allegations.”</p>.<p>Satish blamed the previous BJP government for the huge pendency of bills. “Works were awarded without adequate budgetary backing. The work has been executed, but payments will take some time. That was the mistake of the previous government. Large dues are pending in the Irrigation and Public Works departments.</p>.<p>Work cannot be stopped. We are working to balance the payments with the available budget,” he explained.<br />In his public works department, Satish said bills worth Rs 12,000 crore were pending. “Of this, we’ve cleared Rs 3,000 crore,” he said.</p>.<p>Later, on the sidelines of a public event, Satish reiterated that ‘freebies’ were “impacting” development in the state. “The state governments, be it Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, or Maharashtra, need to think about it (impact of freebies). We cannot do away with freebies as poor people are availing it. But we should focus on both free schemes and development,” he said.</p>
