BJP’s Bengaluru city secretary N R Ramesh has lodged complaints with the ACB, Lokayukta and the Enforcement Directorate against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Bengaluru Development Minister K J George among others, here on Tuesday.

Ramesh alleged people named in the complaint misused funds while procuring garbage compactors and mechanical sweeping vehicles. He claimed that Siddaramaiah and George collectively got Rs 14.5 crore in kickbacks for the purchases.

The complaint, a copy of which is available with Express, names four people including a BBMP engineer and the managing director of a private agency.

The BJP leader said BBMP had purchased 25 garbage compactors and nine mechnanical sweeping machines for Rs 40 crore. He alleged that of the 25 compactors, 15 were not functional while the sweeping machines were in a bad state. All vehicles were procured from one agency, he claimed.

He alleged that firms from Italy and the US had offered the sweeping machines for Rs 65 lakh but people named in the complaint rejectedthem. “They got machines from TPS agency for Rs 1.3 crore,’’ he claimed. Ramesh added that BBMP had constructed garbage processing units in city, many of which were not functional.

Now, the state government is gearing up to release Rs 604 crore towards new garbage compactors and construction of processing units. “Without repairing the old ones, what is the need to buy new machines,’’ he asked.

Minister K J George was unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts.

As carried in  ET on 30/8/2017