CM Siddaramaiah blames contractors for swelling pending bills
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has blamed contractors for swelling pending bills, saying tenders were floated without budgetary provisions and then the works were completed.
Dismissing the contractors' allegations that state officials demand money, the chief minister said no one should either pay or receive bribes.
Siddaramaiah also said that he never took a certain percentage of money as commission for clearing bills or releasing money to the contractors.
Speaking to reporters here on Monday, Siddaramaiah said the contractors' association met him and put forth their demand to clear half of their dues.
"The contractors told me that Rs 30,000 crore was pending and asked me to pay them Rs 15,000 crore by April. I said that cannot be done, and I will pay whatever is possible," the chief minister said.
Asked about the contractors saying they would meet Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to get their dues cleared, Siddaramaiah said he had no objection to their meeting but he has to first see the financial condition of the state before paying them their dues.
"The tenders were invited without budgetary allocations. The contractors participated in the process, the contracts were finalised, and the work started. That's how the pending bills accumulated. Are we responsible for it," the chief minister asked.
"Let them complain to whoever they want. We have to see our financial condition first. We don't have any intention to decline their payments," Siddaramaiah added.
On the contractors' allegation that 'commission' system was prevalent in the state with officials often demanding certain percentage of money, Siddaramaiah said the contractors should not pay any bribe to the officials.
"No one should take bribe. I never took any percentage of money for clearing bills or releasing money," the chief minister said.
According to Siddaramaiah, not only the person who accepts bribe is a criminal, but also the one who pays it.
After the meeting with the chief minister, the Karnataka State Contractors' Association (KSCA) alleged that the corruption prevailing now was more than what existed during the previous BJP government.
Corruption charges helped the opposition Congress launch the '40 per cent commission' allegation in Karnataka in 2023, which finally led to the ouster of the BJP.
KSCA president R Manjunath claimed before reporters that officials were harassing them to clear the bills.
He also said the contractors will meet Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to flag the corruption prevailing in the state and the harassment they are facing.
Ahead of presenting his 16th state Budget on March 7, Siddaramaiah, who also holds the finance portfolio, chaired a business advisory committee meeting on Monday.
He later told reporters that along with the Congress, the opposition BJP and the JD(S) also attended the meeting.
Sira Congress MLA T B Jayachandra will initiate discussions on the governor's address in the assembly on Tuesday, which will go on till Thursday, Siddaramaiah said.
The discussions on Budget will start next Tuesday (March 11) and go on till March 19.
"On March 20, I will reply to the discussions on the Budget in the legislative council," Siddaramaiah said.
When told that people have high expectations from the Budget, the chief minister said they should wait till March 7.
"The (Budget) document is secret till it is presented. Till then we cannot say what is there in it," Siddaramaiah said.
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Karnataka electoral roll SIR exercise to begin from June 20
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka will begin SIR of electoral rolls from June 20 as part of a nationwide exercise covering 16 states and three Union territories, CEO Anbu Kumar said on Friday.
The drive will cover more than 5.55 crore electors in the state, he said.
As per the schedule notified by the Election Commission (EC), preparation, training and printing activities will be carried out from June 20 to June 29 and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct house-to-house visits from June 30 to July 29.
The rationalisation of polling stations is scheduled to be completed by July 29. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, following which claims and objections can be filed between August 5 and September 4.
The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will continue from August 5 to October 3, and the final electoral roll will be published on October 7, it said.
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Addressing a press conference here, CEO Kumar said that in Karnataka, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer is fully prepared to proceed with the SIR of electoral rolls.
As part of this exercise, we have successfully mapped 86.46 per cent of our voters, he said.
"The primary objective of this entire exercise is to ensure that every eligible voter is enrolled, while simultaneously ensuring that no ineligible individuals are included in the voter list. Therefore, I seek the support and cooperation of all the voters of Karnataka, all political parties, and our friends from the media," he added.
According to the statement issued by the CEO's office, 59,050 BLOs will be involved in the SIR of the electoral roll in the state. The exercise will cover approximately 5,55,74,064 electors in the state as of May 12.
The SIR is a participative and transparent exercise involving electors, political parties and the election machinery. During the revision process, BLOs will undertake house-to-house visits for the distribution and collection of enumeration forms, the statement said.
Stating that there are currently 25,284 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties, the CEO urged all recognised political parties to appoint BLAs for every polling station to ensure active participation and transparency in the revision process.
Electors have been requested to cooperate with BLOs during the house-to-house distribution and collection of enumeration forms.
Further details regarding the revision process, forms and schedule will be made available on the official websites of the District Election Officers, the Chief Electoral Officer, Karnataka, and the Election Commission of India, the statement said.
