Assistant Engineer suspended, contractor blacklisted over poor road works in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru Central City Corporation (BCCC) on Saturday suspended an assistant engineer (AE) and blacklisted a contracting company after irregularities were found in road asphalting works carried out under an infrastructure programme in ward 110, Sampangiramanagar.

The suspended official, Poojarappa, AE of Sampangiramanagar, will also face a departmental inquiry for allegedly colluding with the contractor and executing poor-quality work. The suspension followed directions by Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda.

According to a GBA document, an inspection revealed poor-quality execution of asphalting works on arterial and sub-arterial roads in Ward 110. Inspection by officials found that the roads had not been asphalted according to the approved action plan. The contractor allegedly used less material than prescribed and failed to maintain the required thickness of the asphalt layer.

The order said the deficiencies indicated serious lapses in the execution and supervision of the project. The order alleged that the officer had failed in his duties and had colluded with the contractor during the execution of the project. The suspension has been ordered under Rule 10 of the Karnataka Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1957.