Same old fake bill scam, but with a new twistKRIDL officials committed fraud in connivance with Palike officials
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Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike-DH file photo
Another fake bill scam to the tune of Rs nine crore has surfaced in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) where the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) officials in connivance with contractors and BBMP officials tried to siphon off money.
A majority of works pertain to improving Chickpet business area in KR Market ward including the Avenue Road, which are in shambles due to potholes, uneven footpath, reeking garbage heaps.
The other wards where the fraud took place are Chamarajpet and Azad Nagar. Instead of spending the funds on these wards, especially KR Market, the Palike and Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited officials tried to squander the entire Rs nine crore.
The fraud came to light when former corporator B T Srinivas Murthy complained to BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik about the bogus bills submitted to the accounts department for clearance.
Probe by TVCC
The Commissioner handed over the case to the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) for investigation.
During the course of investigation, TVCC had to face numerous hurdles in getting the records from the officials of the zone concerned.
The Commissioner handed over the investigation on October 10 this year, but the file did not reach the TVCC till November 11, forcing him to write many letters to the zonal officers, according to documents with Deccan Herald.
All together 24 works worth Rs 9.29 crores were to be undertaken. Of these, 14 works were supposed to be carried out by KRIDL, nine by Aishwarya Infrastructure and one by Hemanth Kumar P.
It is learnt that KRIDL had sub-contracted its 14 works to Aishwarya Infrastructure, which did not undertake any work and submitted bogus bills to the Palike for clearance. After the investigation laid bare the fraud, the payment has been stopped for all 24 works.
High-level probe
The TVCC has recommended a high-level investigation into the scam and stringent action against all those engineers and officials who are involved in the scam, according to sources.
Although Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited, a government agency, has earned notoriety by swindling Palike money, the civic agency has always entrusted works to it, apparently buckling under pressure from public representatives.
A majority of works pertain to improving Chickpet business area in KR Market ward including the Avenue Road, which are in shambles due to potholes, uneven footpath, reeking garbage heaps.
The other wards where the fraud took place are Chamarajpet and Azad Nagar. Instead of spending the funds on these wards, especially KR Market, the Palike and Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited officials tried to squander the entire Rs nine crore.
The fraud came to light when former corporator B T Srinivas Murthy complained to BBMP Commissioner G Kumar Naik about the bogus bills submitted to the accounts department for clearance.
Probe by TVCC
The Commissioner handed over the case to the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner (TVCC) for investigation.
During the course of investigation, TVCC had to face numerous hurdles in getting the records from the officials of the zone concerned.
The Commissioner handed over the investigation on October 10 this year, but the file did not reach the TVCC till November 11, forcing him to write many letters to the zonal officers, according to documents with Deccan Herald.
All together 24 works worth Rs 9.29 crores were to be undertaken. Of these, 14 works were supposed to be carried out by KRIDL, nine by Aishwarya Infrastructure and one by Hemanth Kumar P.
It is learnt that KRIDL had sub-contracted its 14 works to Aishwarya Infrastructure, which did not undertake any work and submitted bogus bills to the Palike for clearance. After the investigation laid bare the fraud, the payment has been stopped for all 24 works.
High-level probe
The TVCC has recommended a high-level investigation into the scam and stringent action against all those engineers and officials who are involved in the scam, according to sources.
Although Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited, a government agency, has earned notoriety by swindling Palike money, the civic agency has always entrusted works to it, apparently buckling under pressure from public representatives.