BENGALURU: Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R Ashoka has urged Chief Minister DK Shivakumar to order a Lokayukta investigation into the alleged irregularities in awarding tenders worth around Rs 133 crore for garbage and waste transfer stations in the limits of Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA).
In a letter to the CM, Ashoka alleged that eligibility norms have been violated, additional security deposits of around Rs 12.99 crore have not been collected and the Finance Department’s (FD) instructions on the tendering process have been ignored.
He sought an independent investigation into awarding of contracts and the roles of officials and other individuals involved. Ashoka sought to know how Muniyappa Enterprises was awarded a contract despite its alleged failure to meet the financial eligibility norms.
He said the state government had stipulated an annual turnover of Rs 10 crore for such tenders in 2018. But the firm reportedly recorded a turnover of only Rs 3.34 crore in 2023-24. He sought to know the firm’s turnover in earlier years and its GST registration.
Ashoka also flagged the alleged non-collection of additional security deposits for Packages 2 and 5. According to him, Package 2, with an estimated cost of Rs 55.04 crore, required an additional security deposit of around Rs 6.99 crore, while Package 5 required around Rs 5.99 crore. He alleged that the total additional deposits of Rs 12.99 crore had not been collected.
Ashoka claimed that though the FD had issued a warning regarding the matter, a letter of award was issued on May 22. He sought an inquiry into the basis on which the award was issued despite the department’s instructions.
