Summary:
Bengaluru, Nov 27 (PTI) Sticking to their demand for a judicial probe by a sitting Supreme Court Judge into the kickback charges levelled by the contractors association, the Congress in Karnataka while questioning the credibility of the inquiry by officials on Saturday urged the government to at least form a House Committee to look into it.
Following Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai ordering an inquiry into the charges levelled by contractors, Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar on Friday had sought a report from Additional Chief Secretary (water resources) Rakesh Singh on any irregularities found in the tender process or bill payments with respect to works costing more than Rs 10 crore, and look into complaints of irregularities.
In their letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, the Karnataka State Contractors Association had claimed harassment by ministers, elected representatives and others, accusing them of demanding up to 30 percent of the tender amount for approving a contract and 5-6 per cent towards release of "Letter of Credit" against pending bills.
Water resources was one of the departments that the contractors had named.
"Let them inquire in to last ten years, we don"t have any objection, Whoever is involved, whether they are from Congress or JD(S) or the BJP, the guilty must be punished, as this is public money, there should be a proper account for it," Congress leader D K Shivakumar told reporters here.
Seeking to know how ACS Rakesh Singh can do the inquiry, he said, "he (Singh) may be a good officer, that"s a different question, let them order a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or else let them constitute a House Committee.