More than 50 per cent of the works undertaken by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over the past three years are of substandard quality, according to Palike’s Quality Control Cell.
Addressing presspersons here on Friday, Opposition Leader in the Palike Council M. Nagaraj said that most of these works were taken up during the Administrator’s period, when works totalling Rs. 8,162 crores were executed. The BBMP had already paid Rs. 4,000 crore to the contractors, who have executed the works. The civic authority still has pending bills amounting to Rs. 4,162 crore.
Alleging gross irregularities, he said that if more than half of the works executed was of sub-standard quality, the BBMP has lost out in the bargain. “Of the works amounting to Rs. 4,000 crore, if 50 per cent is sub-standard, then the BBMP has incurred a loss of Rs. 2,000 crore,” he charged.
He also said that the BBMP’s quality control cell has listed 13 organisations as empanelled consultants to carry out third party checks. Of these organisations, only three were government agencies, while the remaining were private organisations. “These organisations are supposed to monitor the quality of works. However, they are keeping up with part of their bargain. This is also causing a loss to the civic body.”
Mr. Nagaraj said that since the quality of works was sub-standard, the contractors who executed the job must be made responsible for all issues arising out of the same for a minimum of one year. The BBMP Commissioner must initiate action against officials who have failed to monitor the quality of works as per sections 487 and 321(b) of the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, while the contractors must be blacklisted. “The Central Bureau of Investigation or the Lokayukta must look into the irregularities and bring the guilty to book,” he said.
