The Karnataka State Contractors Association (KSCA) has accused the ruling Congress government of taking corruption to levels higher from when the Siddaramaiah took the charge.
In a letter wrote on Thursday (25th September), the association said that commissions demanded in government departments under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s leadership have now “doubled.”
The letter, signed by KSCA president R Manjunath and general secretary G M Ravindra, directly addressed Siddaramaiah. “When you were the Leader of Opposition, you assured us that if Congress came to power, contractors would no longer have to pay commissions to get bills cleared. We regret to inform you that commissions have now doubled compared with the previous government,” the letter stated.
According to KSCA, government institutions such as Nirmiti Kendra and the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (KRIDL) are awarding projects to associates of elected representatives and party workers. These individuals, in turn, sub-contract the projects to senior contractors after keeping a cut for themselves. The association argued that such practices make it difficult to maintain quality in projects.
This is the first time the KSCA has formally written to flag large-scale corruption under the Congress government. Earlier, its president Manjunath had only spoken about the issue publicly, without putting it in writing.
In its letter, the KSCA also reminded the Congress that it was their campaign that helped the party storm back to power in the 2023 assembly polls in Karnataka.
Pending bills and unfair practices
The contractors’ body said it has been waiting for clearance of bills worth nearly ₹32,000 crore. While the chief minister has given assurances and directed officials, the association claimed no concrete steps have been taken so far. Departments, it said, are clearing only 15–20% of the pending bill amounts once every three months, while also bypassing seniority to favour select contractors.
The KSCA also accused departments like municipal administration, urban development, and labour of manipulating tender processes. Tenders are allegedly being converted into larger packages so that they can be awarded to powerful contractors, often handpicked, the association alleged. Despite these irregularities, the KSCA said ministers were not intervening to set things right.
The MUDA scam by Siddaramaiah
The corruption charges flagged by contractors come at a time when Siddaramaiah’s government is already under fire over the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA) land scam.
The scam involves the allotment of compensatory land parcels to Siddaramaiah’s wife, BM Parvathi, during his tenure as chief minister. Social activists have claimed that irregularities in the allotment process caused losses worth crores to the state exchequer.
At least three activists, Pradeep Kumar, TJ Abraham, and Snehamayi Krishna, have petitioned Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, demanding action against the chief minister. Anti-corruption activist TJ Abraham, in particular, claimed that the illegal allotment of 14 sites in an upscale Mysuru neighbourhood to Siddaramaiah’s wife resulted in a loss of around ₹45 crore. His complaint to the Lokayukta police in July not only named Siddaramaiah and his wife but also included their son, S Yathindra, and senior MUDA officials.
