Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.
Credit: DH Photo
The government will not cow down to blackmailing tactics of the contractors and will release pending bills only after a thorough scrutiny of bills, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Tuesday.
Shivakumar referred to the Lokayukta report that exposed how contractors raise bills without executing works. He insisted that the government does not intend to merely delay payments to the contractors.
“We want to ensure that only those contractors who had done the work are paid,” he said, adding that the contractors are free to raise complaints with the governor or with the opposition leaders.
Responding to allegations that the new government is demanding commission to release payments to contractors, Shivakumar said: “I have not spoken to any contractor. I am conscious and I know politics. I also know the people who are instigating the contractors to make such statements.”
The BBMP, he said, floated tenders for works worth over Rs 1,000 crore in just a month. “We have told the officials to evaluate each and every bill. The Water Resources Department has Rs 600 crore, but bills worth over Rs 25,000 crore are pending. How do we pay? Should all those who have not done the work be paid?" he asked.