BENGALURU: The Siddaramaiah government has come under attack over implementation of the Rs 2,500 crore Housing Scheme as opposition leader in Legislative Assembly Jagadish Shettar has accused a Rs 250 crore scam in the tendering process. Shettar has demanded a CBI probe into the alleged scam.
Explaining the modus operandi of the alleged irregularity, Shettar said, the work for construction of 50,000 houses for the poor under Centre-sponsored Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) was broken into 43 packages and awarded to a select group of 10 contractors in violation of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act.
The tenders were awarded to contractors who had no work experience, he added. Shettar released to the media a copy of the letter dated December 22, 2017, written by Congress MLA and Slum Development Board Chairman R V Devraj, who had highlighted the irregularities in tendering. Deveraj stated some officials had favoured a group of contractors by creating false documents.
Devraj had urged the state government to stop the tendering process and even constituted a panel to probe the irregularities, Shettar and his Legislative Council counterpart K S Eshwarappa said. Shettar added that the scam surfaced only because of a rift between Devraj, Housing minister M Krishnappa and MLA Priya Krishna over sharing the Commission.
Denying Shettar and Eshwarappa’s charge Home Minister Ramalinga Reddy challenged the BJP leaders to file a police complaint about the alleged scam. “Let BJP leaders file police complaint if they have the documents to prove their charges,” Ramalinga Reddy said.