Mangaluru, 31 August

Puttur Congress MLA Ashok Kumar Rai has written to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar alleging corruption in the Mangaluru division of KRIDL, including a demand for a 7 per cent "cut" from contractors executing government projects.

The MLA has urged the CM to take immediate note of the allegations, order a thorough investigation and initiate strict disciplinary action against the officials concerned.

"Yes, I have written a letter to the CM in this regard. The corrupt officials are bringing a bad name to the government through such practices. I want the government to crack down on these officials and stop this," Rai said on Monday.

The Congress legislator alleged that the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited executive engineer and junior engineer had been demanding an additional 7 per cent commission from contractors executing development works under the corporation.

According to the complaint submitted to the CM, the officials allegedly collect monthly payments from contractors in the names of the department and district ministers.

Contractors who questioned or resisted the demand were allegedly threatened by the engineers, Rai claimed.

Rai expressed concern over the alleged misuse of public funds and said transparency, quality and strict adherence to rules were essential in public development works.

He said that if the allegations against the officials were true, it would amount to serious misuse of public money.

Commenting on Rai's allegations, the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, R Ashoka said the Congress MLA himself had exposed the government's "loot.”