BMP contractors assn makes U-turn on 'cut'

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: The controversy surrounding contractors associations’ demanding the release of pending dues and leveling corruption allegations took an unexpected turn as one of them took a U-turn on Monday.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Working Contractors Association (BWCA) reversed its claim that Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar had demanded 10 to 15 per cent commission for dues to be released, adding that it was only intermediaries who demanded the bribes.

Last week, the same association had penned a letter to Gover nor Thaawarchand Gehlot demanding that the bills be paid and that a few contractors had approached them and alleged that Shivakumar had made commission demands through middlemen.

Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) president Kempanna, however was cautious, stating that no minister had asked them for bribes and that their only concern was release of dues.

Kempanna had famously claimed that the previous BJP government had been demanding a cumulative 40 per cent commission from them.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar have maintained that the claims made by the contractors and the bills have to be investigated by the judicial probe under retired High Court judge B Veerappa before dues can be released.

BWCA president KT Manjunath told mediapersons that a contractor named Hemant and five to six other had originally made the claim that Shivakumar demanded a cut but they withdrew it now, adding it was only intermediaries.

“A contractor namely Hemant and five to six other contractors told us that a commission of 10 to 15 per cent was being demanded on behalf of DK Shivakumar. However, we later realised that it was only some middlemen who were creating confusion on the issue,” Manjunath said, adding that he hadn’t issued any statement on behalf of the association.

However, they constituted one of his claims on the letterhead.

“We have been informed by some contractors that a commission of 10 to 15 per cent is being demanded on behalf of the honourable Minister for Bengaluru Development for the release of payment of bills that are certified and approved for payments,” the BWCA letter to the Governor had read.

Ashwath, DKS exchange barbs The amended statement by the association comes a day after BJP MLA Ashwath Narayan claimed that there had been DKS and YST (A dig at Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra) taxes and that the saffron party would raise awareness on the same.

He added that they would approach the Governor over the same, demand a Lokayukta probe and insist that Shivakumar be sacked.

On Monday, Shivakumar hit back at Narayan, repeating his claim that “BJP-sponsored” contractors had been making allegations against him.

“He is not Ashwath Narayan. He is a ‘Navarangi’ (Chameleon) Narayan. He has a doctorate in protecting thieves. He came to Ramanagara and proclaimed he would sweep the garbage out of the district. He only managed to clean his own party from there,” Shivakumar hit back.