Yamini C S | Edited by Aniruddha Dhar
A contractor who was accused of sub-standard work and fined ₹3 lakh after a road he had laid caved in days later, has secured a ₹99 crore project in Karnataka capital Bengaluru. Identified as Ramesh S, he was responsible for laying a road where prime minister Narendra Modi’s convoy was set to pass in June.
When it caved in and asphalt started peeling off days later, it left the ruling BJP embarrassed. The contractor has now been awarded development work for the Bengaluru Development Authority’s (BDA) Visvesvaraya Layout, where he will be developing drains and culverts, and improving footpaths among other things, The New Indian Express reported. These works are worth a total ₹99 crore, it added.
The Mariyappanapalya Main Road near Dr BR Ambedkar School of Economics (BASE) University was laid at the cost of ₹6 crore, and caved in days after the prime minister’s convoy passed, with pieces of asphalt peeling off.
READ | Bengaluru civic body spent ₹6 Cr on road for PM’s visit. Cave-in the next day
While Ramesh was fined ₹3 lakh, three other engineers were issued a show-cause notice over “sub-standard” asphalting. Congress leaders have levelled allegations of corruption against the Basavaraj Bommai-led government in the state, alleging that ministers demand a 40 per cent “commission” to grant every infrastructure project.
The government-hired contractors are also accused of using low-quality raw materials to cut costs. Karnataka is set to go into assembly election next year.
