Karnataka's Contractor Crisis: Unpaid Bills and Accusations Fly

Karnataka's Deputy CM D K Shivakumar criticizes the previous BJP government for unpaid contractor bills, attributing it to 'overwork'. With Rs 1.2 lakh crore projects and limited funds, small contractors' bills will be prioritized. KSCA alleges increased corruption under current governance, linking to Congress's '40% commission' accusation.

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has criticized the former BJP government for leaving a substantial backlog of unpaid contractor bills. He attributed the issue to what he described as contractors doing 'overwork' during the BJP's tenure.

Currently, across his portfolios, projects amounting to Rs 1.2 lakh crore are ongoing, despite only having a budget of Rs 16,000 crore and capital between Rs 5,000 crore and Rs 6,000 crore. Shivakumar assured that the backlog will be cleared based on seniority, prioritizing small contractors.

Highlighting financial woes, he noted a pending Rs 5,300 crore from the Centre for the Upper Bhadra project. The Karnataka State Contractors' Association accused the current administration of higher corruption levels than the previous regime, maintaining that these issues contributed to the BJP's downfall following the Congress's '40% commission' corruption allegations.

(With inputs from agencies.)