'Minister's son makes deals': Karnataka Contractors' body ups graft ante against Congress govt

The KSCA’s allegation came on a day when CM Siddaramaiah, at an event in Vidhana Soudha, spoke against bribery and middlemen.

Bengaluru/Chitradurga: The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) on Thursday pinpointed corruption in the offices of Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and two other senior Cabinet members and claimed that the ‘commission menace’ was now more than when the BJP was in power.

KSCA president R Manjunath said brokers prowl Shivakumar’s office. He claimed that Minor Irrigation Minister NS Boseraju’s son (Ravi Boseraju) “makes all the deals” and that one relative of Public Works Minister Satish Jarkiholi is interfering with the department’s affairs.

While Shivakumar asked the contractors to lodge a complaint, Boseraju and Satish denied the allegations.

The KSCA’s allegation came on a day when Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, at an event in Vidhana Soudha, spoke against bribery and middlemen. This also came just days after Chief Minister Economic Advisor Basavaraj Rayareddi frowned about rampant corruption in Karnataka.

“When it comes to getting our bills cleared, the percentage of commission we need to pay is now more than what it was under the previous government,” Manjunath told reporters in Chitradurga.

The same KSCA had accused the previous BJP government of ‘40% commission’, which became the Congress’ warcry as it stormed to power on the anti-corruption plank in the 2023 Assembly election.

Manjunath said Boseraju’s son was “directly interfering” with payment of bills. “Why should he? The interference of relatives and family members in releasing money for works carried out by contractors must stop immediately,” he said.

In the case of Satish, Manjunath hailed his integrity. “But one relative of his has started interfering over the last three months,” he said. “While the minister decided to clear pending bills based on seniority, this relative is making changes for personal gains. Officials, when questioned, say they’re not aware,” he added.

“In Shivakumar’s office,” Manjunath said, “one can’t tell who is a broker and who’s not. They approach us promising bill clearance.” The contractors’ grouse is with four irrigation utilities - Visvesvaraya Jala Nigam, Cauvery Neeravari Nigam, Karnataka Neeravari Nigam and Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam. They function under Shivakumar, who is the water resources minister.

In its letters to Siddaramaiah, Shivakumar, Boseraju and Satish, the KSCA charged that “unseen hands” have vitiated the system in the last 3-4 months. “Despite having decided that small contractors would be paid Rs 5-50 lakh, big contractors are being given special letters of credit (LOC),” the letters stated. Manjunath pointed out that there was no special LOC system earlier. "Contractors are struggling due to pending bills."

The KSCA also asked Siddaramaiah to release Rs 15,000 crore, which is half of all the pending bills.

Shivakumar asked contractors to approach either the Lokayukta or the government with a complaint. “We’ll have it investigated. We’re committed to providing good governance. We won’t give scope for bribery,” he said.

Boseraju said his department had paid 583 small contractors last year. “This year, I’ve instructed that 520 of them should be paid,” he said. On his son’s involvement, the minister said: “My son is also into politics. When I'm busy, he receives visitors at my office. He doesn't sign files.”

Satish maintained that his department has prioritised small contractors. “We’ll improve further if there are deficiencies,” he said. He also said that his department has the power to issue special LOCs for 20% of pending bills. “We keep getting recommendations from ministers, MLAs and the Association on clearing bills,” he said. The minister also questioned the motive behind Manjunath’s allegations.