Bengaluru: Accusing minister of state for textiles and ports, Baburao Chinchansur of accepting a Rs 2 crore bribe to favour a contractor for the construction of a bund at the Gangolli fisheries port in Kundapur taluk of Dakshina Kannada district, senior BJP leader Jagadish Shettar demanded his resignation and ordering of a CBI investigation into the matter on Saturday.
“The recorded conversation on the phone between the minister and the contractor establishes that he received money to award the work in question,” he charged, speaking to reporters here. “This is one of the biggest scams in the Siddaramaiah government and should be investigated by the CBI,” he demanded.
It all started with a tender being called for the project at Gangolli port by the department of ports in 2015, according to him. Although six companies participated in the bidding, four were eliminated and only two, Yojitha Mangalore Company and Sripathi Associates, Chennai qualified.
Later, on verification, the Mangalore company was disqualified as well, leaving only the Chennai company in the bidding process. But on opening, it was found that it had quoted 24.17 per cent more than the rates specified by the department and so at a meeting held by fisheries minister, Abhay Chandra Jain, it was decided to cancel the contract to save the govenrment Rs 24 crore and call for a fresh tender, Mr Shettar said.
It was then that Mr Chinchansur stepped in, he alleged. “He promised to get the contract for the Chennai company if he was given a Rs 2 crore kickback and on August 28, 2015 wrote to Mr Jain to award the work to Sripathi Associates.
He also requested him to place the file before the state Cabinet,” Mr Shettar charged, alleging that Mr Chinchansur too had a role in awarding tender worth Rs 36 crore for development of roads and other work in Gurmitkal Assembly constituency. Some of the kickback from this deal was meant for Industries and Tourism Minister R.V. Deshpande too, he claimed, demanding his resignation as well.
