CHENNAI: Practice of soliciting bribes from contractors under the guise of chief minister’s fund or party fund, amounting to nearly 25% of the project cost, will be eliminated in the public works and state highways departments, Minister Aadhav Arjuna said on Thursday.
He also announced that a toll-free helpline would be introduced to enable the public and contractors to lodge corruption-related complaints.
Addressing a meeting of registered contractors at Ezhilagam, the minister said that contracts would be awarded through a transparent process.
“We will ensure that benami companies do not secure highway contracts, and strict action will be taken against forgery, malpractice in billing, and irregularities in payment processes,” the minister said.
Criticising the prevailing “commission culture”, he said contractors were forced to pay commission under various heads. “In any business, profit margins are usually around 8 to 9%. Such excessive commissions make it impossible for contractors to earn a reasonable profit,” he added.