Former High Court judge Nagamohan Das, who was appointed by the Karnataka government to probe the 40% bribery allegations of contractors during the previous BJP regime, has now sought more clarity from the government on the nature and scope of investigation as the order copy he received had certain “ambiguities.”
The Public Works Department (PWD) initially constituted the Nagamohan Das committee to probe allegations about officials and Ministers in the previous government taking 40% commission from contractors. The order stipulated a time of 30 days and directed the committee to investigate large scale works in various departments including PWD, Urban Development Department and Panchayat Raj and Rural Development and Irrigation Department.
Modified order
However, the department modified the order, turning the committee into commission. In the modified order, the government also gave three months’ time to complete the probe.
Mr. Nagamohan Das, talking to The Hindu, said about two days back senior officials from the Public Works Department visited him with the order copy. “After I read the order copy, I found certain ambiguities about the probe which I cannot share. I specifically asked the officials to provide clarification on the aspects I raised. The officials said they would give clarity and will come back again.”
Mr. Nagamohan Das said he had also asked the officials whether Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is excluded from his scope as four different Special Investigation Teams (SITs) are probing. He further said it may not feel right for two agencies to probe one department simultaneously. The PWD will also clarify the same.
Dedicated office
The government will be providing a dedicated office to conduct the probe and Mr. Nagamohan Das is likely to hire financial and technical experts. As the nature of the work is civil, engineers will be roped in for the investigation.
This order comes at a time when the State government led by the Congress and contractors have been engaged in a face-off over clearance of pending bills in various departments. In some departments, bills are pending from the last three years. In BBMP, bills to the tune of ₹ 6,000 crore are pending and contractors have halted all the works.
