‘I’m not afraid of contractors or their warnings’, says Karnataka Deputy CM D.K. Shivakumar

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Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said he is not afraid of contractors or their warnings, and the government will take its own course in resolving their complaints.

“I cannot give a deadline to contractors. I am not someone who will be afraid of them. They have given a budget, and the corporation also knows that we are sorting out other problems,” Mr. Shivakumar said on October 18.  

His statement comes a day after the Karnataka State Contractors’ Association warned of releasing a ‘corruption report card’ on the State Government in December if pending bills amounting to ₹33,000 crore from the past two years are not cleared within a month. The Association had also threatened to stop all contract work and hold protests across Karnataka in the first week of December, citing the government’s inaction despite multiple meetings with the Chief Minister, Deputy CM, and other ministers. 

De-centralised civic administration 

Speaking during the Bengaluru Nadige (Walk for Bengaluru) programme held at K.R. Puram under the East Corporation limits, Mr. Shivakumar said the government had already de-centralised civic administration to make it more responsive. “The East Corporation alone contributes about ₹6,000 crore in taxes. After forming five corporations, we have doubled the grants with ₹10 crore given to each corporation and ₹5 crore for the committees. People can call 1533 to address their grievances,” he added. 

The administration would focus on easing traffic, expanding CCTV surveillance, and allowing revenue-site owners to obtain A-Khata. “All roads under city municipal corporations and panchayats that are not yet notified as government roads will soon be converted into government roads,” he said. 

D.K. Shivakumar invites Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

Mr. Shivakumar warned that officials in the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) caught seeking bribes would be suspended. and highlighted that citizen involvement in civic development would be encouraged. 

Responding to Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw’s recent tweets expressing dissatisfaction over the state of roads in Bengaluru and saying that citizens would take up repair work, Mr. Shivakumar said, “Kiran Mazumdar Shaw has not spoken to me. But I will invite her for a discussion. Whatever the complaints, let her give them in writing. If she wants to develop roads, we are ready to hand them over for development.”