'Commission Exists Now, Will Exist In Future': Karnataka Minister Sathish Jarkiholi Defends Contractors

Bengaluru, Feb 20: Karnataka PWD Minister Sathish Jarkiholi stirred a controversy saying that the `commission' allegations in the government contracts `existed earlier, exists now and will exist in the future also.''

Responding to the Contractors' allegations, Jarkiholi said that the contractors pay commissions to secure government projects and the issue is difficult to eliminate entirely.

Blames previous BJP govt for ₹12,000 crore dues

Blaming the previous BJP government for the current financial burden faced by the infrastructure departments, Jarkiholi said that there was nearly ₹ 12,000 crore pending dues to the contractors when the Congress government took over in 2023. Already, ₹ 3,000 crore dues have been cleared and another ₹ 9,000 crore is still pending. Since the development works can not be stopped, the contractors will naturally participate in the tender processes where they feel comfortable, he said.

Stating that the government had not approved any new projects, Jarkiholi said that it was trying to clear balance payment within available budget limits. Dismissing the allegations of administrative lapses, Jarkiholi asserted that the financial crisis stemmed from large scale tenders issued during the previous government without adequate budgetary backing.

Finance dept questions approvals, ministers must respond

``We are only trying to manage the imbalance. The finance department keeps questioning the approvals and the ministers concerned must respond individually,'' he said.

Pointing to the blame game between political sides over corruption charges, Jarkihole expressed helplessness and said that the focus should be on controlling commission practices than politicising the allegations.