Belagavi.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is set to inaugurate the multi-crore ‘Kala Mandira’ in Belagavi tomorrow, Sunday.
However, just ahead of this celebration, a serious complaint submitted to the Belagavi Lokayukta office has sparked major controversy.
RTI activist Manjunath Banashankari has lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta alleging misuse of over Rs 10 crore in the construction of the Kala Mandira, which was built under the Smart City project.
The complaint has been filed against Smart City Managing Director Saida Afrin Banu S. Bellary, Chief Technical Officer Virendra Hiremath, Assistant Executive Engineer Abhishek Meendigere, and Assistant Engineer Abhijeet Nayak. Banashankari has also requested that these officials be suspended from their services.
How did Rs 47 crore turn into Rs 57 crore?
The original DPR (Detailed Project Report) was prepared for Rs 47 crore, but the cost was increased to Rs 57 crore without any legal approval. This 21% increase in cost was made without any additional agreement, administrative consent, or cabinet review. This is a direct violation of Rule 18 of the KTPP Act, he stated.
Moreover, the additional works lack the signatures of authorized engineers, which is a violation of KPWD Rules 82 and 96, as detailed in the complaint submitted to the Lokayukta.
From 2019 to 2024, BSCL approved nine additional bills. Even after the final bill, which was supposed to be settled by October 2024, an additional bill of Rs 2 crore for electrical equipment was submitted. However, as per the rules, no additions can be made after the final bill. This too, he claims, is a violation of Finance Department order FD 59 PRO Cell 2004
