Mangaluru: Serious allegations of bribery, extortion and harassment have surfaced against executive engineer Vijay and junior engineer Prajwal of the Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL), Mangaluru division.In a complaint to chief minister DK Shivakumar, Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai alleged that the two engineers were harassing contractors executing public development works.Rai claimed contractors were being forced to pay an unauthorised fee of up to 7% under the label of “KRIDL charges”, with officials allegedly citing monthly payouts for the district minister and the departmental minister. Contractors who questioned or opposed the demands were allegedly threatened, he said.The petition stated that transparency, quality standards and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable in public-funded projects. It warned that if the allegations are proven, they would amount to misuse of public funds and undermine public trust in the department.Rai urged the chief minister to order an immediate and impartial departmental inquiry into the allegations. He also sought the suspension or transfer of the two engineers to prevent interference in the probe.The MLA further demanded strict disciplinary action and recovery of any misappropriated or illegally collected govt revenue if the charges are substantiated.
