Bengaluru: Panel to probe Rs 500 crore 'illegal' payments by BBMP in RR Nagar

Bengaluru: A five-member fact-finding committee has been formed to look into the alleged illegalities in the payment of bills to the tune of Rs 500 crore, all pertaining to the RR Nagar Assembly constituency. BBMP’s Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath ordered the probe on Monday after some television channels broadcast the role of ‘honey trapping’ to get the payments. 

In his order, Girinath said the probe must cover all payments released between September 18, 2020 and July 19, 2022. Thulasi Maddineni, a 2005-batch IAS officer was the special commissioner of finance at that time. During this period, RR Nagar constituency was represented by Munirathna, who was also the horticulture minister for about two years. Munirathna is currently in judicial custody over multiple charges, including sexual assault.

Maddineni told DH that she had done nothing wrong. “All payments were made after taking consent of the chief commissioner,” she said. 

While the rule mandates payment of bills on first-come-first-served basis without violating the seniority order, the BBMP reportedly violated the standard operating procedure when it came to clearing bills related to RR Nagar constituency. In some cases, the civic body made the payment just a day after the bill was submitted, it is learnt.  

The violation is serious as contractors generally wait for a minimum of 24 months to get paid for the work they have done. The delayed payments are made known to the private agency at the time of participating in the tenders. Skipping the queue raises questions about the possible nexus between the contractor and officials. The waiting time for projects funded by the government is about three months.