Mangaluru: The Former MLAs have made serious allegations that the sitting MLAs had demanded commission from the contractors in the Surathkal Market issue and were responsible for stopping the work.

The allegation was made by Former MLA Moideen Bava, who targeted sitting MLA Dr. Y. Bharat Shetty. Bava also alleged that sitting MLA Bharat Shetty, who had not spoken on the Market issue for four years, not only spoke in the House three months before the elections but also tried to mislead the people by telling out lies.

“In the 2017 Budget, the then Chief Minister had sanctioned Surathkal Market work with SFC Special Grant. The officials called for tender after Mangaluru City Carporation (MCC) received Rs. 50 Crore. There is no need to call for a tender if there is a space problem. Minister Basavaraj Byrathi, however, has lied in Assembly that there was a problem of land for the Market and that the previous Government had started the work in a hurry and that he had visited twice, he alleged.

“No one knows that he has visited twice, did he visit at night?” he took a jibe.

When the Congress – JD(S) Coalition Government was in power, work worth Rs. 14 Crore was done. Upset over this, the MLAs alleged that the contractor had left the job as he was fed up with starting teasing for commission, he said.

Dr. Bharath Shetty, who was the BJP District President at that time, had protested against the development of the Market. If the previous Government had made a mistake and it had been said four years ago people would have believed it. The work is worth Rs. 60 Crore and has now reached Rs. 80 Crore. Work worth Rs. 16 Crore has already been completed. Ministers and MLAs have offered to give contracts to newcomers. This will result in a loss of Rs. 36 Crore to the Government. I will soon expose the scam of these MLAs. You may wonder if there are such MLAs,” Bava said.

“The MLAs are using the officials to use the money meant for the development of Ganeshpura Temple Road to do other works and are also undertaking poor works. The Housing Board purchased the Former Minister’s land worth only Rs. 3 Crore for Rs. 41 Crore. The water is still on this land yet the housing board which has bought it at a high price, has not conducted works here. The MLA, who claims that he has brought Rs. 1,800 Crore for the Constituency, should give a list of it, he said and challenged the BJP to come for an open discussion with him along with documents.

Leaders Umesh Dandakeri, Ganesh Poojary, Mallikarjuna, Chandrahasa, Fayaz and Nazir Bajal were present at the press meet.