BENGALURU: Bills worth Rs 25 crore for the development works on the stretch between Mariyappanapalya in Hebbal to Kommaghatta, completed just before PM Narendra Modi’s visit in June and that went bad soon after, are all set to be cleared. The BBMP Technical Vigilance Cell Under Commissioner (TVCC) has given the green signal for the payments. While activists sought a third-party inspection and certification for works, Palike’s Engineer-in-Chief BS Prahalad feels it is not necessary.
The day after the PM left the city, the roads caved in and tar peeled off because of the shoddy work. RTI activist and general secretary of KHB Nagarikara Kshemabivridhi Sangha, S Sudarshan, who had filed a complaint against the poor quality of work, said TVCC itself was under scanner as its chief Doddaiah was suspended for corrupt practices.
‘Doddaiah’s a one-off case’
Sudarshan had demanded a third-party investigation before the bills are cleared. He said, “I knew the project was of low quality as I witnessed its poor execution. I had brought it to the notice of the media and two low-ranking engineers were suspended and contractor Ramesh was fined for the tar peeling off and road caving in. People who were supposed to be fixed escaped. Now, the Palike’s TVCC has said the work was good and the file has been cleared. Soon, the bills worth `25 crore will be settled.”
He had also filed an RTI in July, seeking information from the BBMP on the project. “The BBMP has not given a reply yet and I am going for the first appeal before the Information Commission,” he added.
BBMP Engineer-in-Chief BS Prahalad said Doddaiah’s was a one-off case and institutions like TVCC cannot be held responsible. “Based on the satisfactory report for the work done on Bengaluru University Road, Hebbal Road and parts of Mysuru Road, the Palike will clear only those bills,” he added.
He said the problem was only on Kommaghatta and Mariyappanapalaya stretches. “As per the TVCC report, the deficiency was found only during the execution of work. The contractor has been asked to redo the work and once again it will be inspected. The BBMP work estimation for these stretches is Rs 11.5 crore and for the works on University Road, Mysuu Road and Hebbal, it is Rs 14.5 crore,” Prahalad said.