Social activist and senior BJP leader NR Ramesh has filed a complaint against two Congress ministers in the Siddaramaiah government in Karnataka, claiming that they "misused" over Rs 17,000 crore funds under the Central government's flagship Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme.
Addressing a press conference, Mr Ramesh shared that he has filed a complaint against State Urban Development Minister Bhyrati Suresh, Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan, Congress MLA and Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUW & DB) chairman Vinay Kulkarni.
He stated, "Filed complaints against Ministers Byrathi Suresh, Rahim Khan, and Vinay Kulkarni with both the Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate (ED)."
The BJP leader shared that he also filed a complaint against Chief Engineers of the Karnataka Urban Water Supply (KUWS) and Drainage Board (DB), VL Chandrappa and TN Muddurajanna, and the Director of the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA), Prabhuling Kavalikatti, IAS," Mr Ramesh said.
The AMRUT scheme aims to improve the quality of life in urban areas outside major metros by enhancing drinking water supply, underground drainage, sewage management, storm water drains, green zones, parks, and urban transport infrastructure.
"The implementation responsibility in Karnataka was assigned to KUWS & DB and the Directorate of Municipal Administration (DMA). For the financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25, the Central Government released Rs 16,989.66 crore for AMRUT projects in Karnataka. Of this, 75 per cent of the funds were allocated to KUW & DB and 25 per cent to DMA," Mr Ramesh said.
"In 2024-25, out of Rs 8,989.66 crore released, tenders worth Rs 5,799.98 crore for 137 works have been finalised and are in progress, while tenders worth Rs 3,189.68 crore for 93 works have been completed but execution is yet to begin, according to official data from KUW & DB and DMA. Additionally, in 2023-24, Rs 8,000 crore was released and reportedly fully utilised for AMRUT implementation, as claimed by both departments," he stated.
"However, it has emerged that over 50 per cent of the Rs 16,989.66 crore funds released in the past two years have been misused by corrupt officials in both KUW & DB and DMA, under the leadership of Urban Development Minister Byrathi Suresh, KUW & DB Chairman Vinay Kulkarni, and Municipal Administration Minister Rahim Khan," Mr Ramesh charged.
"Nearly half the listed tasks in project estimates were not executed, yet funds were withdrawn. Funds were disbursed without actual execution of works. Identical sets of three-phase project photographs were used to falsely certify completion of multiple works. Pre-determined contractors were given exclusive access to tenders to facilitate embezzlement," Mr Ramesh alleged.
An independent inspection at the 27 city corporations/municipalities on the implementation of the AMRUT scheme in urban areas in Karnataka revealed that less than 50 per cent of the claimed works are not visible on the ground, he claimed.
"Even before tenders were approved, Ministers Byrathi Suresh and Rahim Khan received a 15 per cent commission, while Vinay Kulkarni took 3 per cent," Mr Ramesh charged.
He further alleged that more than 50 per cent of AMRUT funds were looted in the form of commissions by top officials in KUW & DB and DMA, including Chief Engineers, Executive Engineers, Assistant Executive Engineers, Assistant Engineers, Commissioners of Urban Local Bodies, and Chief Executive Officers of Town Municipalities.
Mr Ramesh, who has also lodged the complaint in this regard with the Governor's office, has appealed to the Governor of Karnataka to grant prosecution permission for investigating the cases against Ministers Byrathi Suresh, Rahim Khan, and the Congress MLA Vinay Kulkarni.
Mr Ramesh has also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, for a CBI probe into the massive "misuse" of AMRUT funds.
"I also demand a high-level judicial inquiry into the scam from the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah," Mr Ramesh demanded.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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