Bengaluru's road, drain funds have leaked, says Yeddyurappa

The Opposition BJP on Saturday used the corruption plank to target the Siddaramaiah-led Congress government over Friday’s heavy rainfall that claimed eight lives in the city.

“Funds amounting to Rs 4,000 crore that the government says had been released for development of roads and drains have leaked,” BJP state president and chief ministerial face BS Yeddyurappa told reporters. Instead of focussing on developmental works, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is busy looting the government’s treasury,” he charged.

On Saturday morning, BJP leaders including Yeddyurappa, former deputy chief minister R Ashoka and others visited rain-hit areas and distributed Rs 1 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 to the injured. As many as 14 people have died so far this monsoon.

“There’s also a big stormwater drain scam,” Yeddyurappa said. “The city has 850 km of drains of which the government says 325 km encroached. It has sanctioned Rs 800 crore for drain development through 600 works. This is divided into five packages with five contractors. These are blacklisted contractors who have been given 24% more than the actual cost of works,” Yeddyurappa said.

The BJP has vowed to expose corruption in the Congress government and has already released two sets of documents indicting Siddaramaiah of denotifying land in Bengaluru. Siddaramaiah, however, has strongly refuted the charges.