Constructing a building allegedly comes at an extra cost in several pockets of Bengaluru, even if the property owner has obtained all clearances. Cartels involving elected representatives, their henchmen & field-level officials are allegedly going around demanding Rs 2 lakh per floor for buildings following norms & Rs 4 lakh per floor in case of illegal structures, several property owners said.

One such cartel was busted on Tuesday. A corporator’s aide masquerading as a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) junior engineer & a waterman & their associate were arrested by Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officials while accepting cash worth Rs 50,000 & a Rs 1 lakh cheque from the owner of a building under construction in Singasandra, southeast Bengaluru.

Property owner AP Govindappa alleged the trio had demanded Rs 3 lakh for the 4-storey building he was constructing.

According to the complainant, Lokesh, who claimed to be junior engineer in Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)’s Singsandra ward corporator’s office, waterman Govindraju & their associate Krishna Kumar told him they would get his building demolished if he did not pay the bribe.

Sources said Lokesh worked as personal assistant to Singasandra corporator Shanta Babu & was deputed in her office. Shanta said: “Work timings at my office are till 5pm & I do not know what people do after I leave. Even police have begun questioning me about their activities.”

According to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sleuths, Govindappa had undertaken construction of the 4-floor building without any plan approval from the civic agency.

Police said Lokesh had demanded Rs 3 lakh & Govindaraju was negotiating on his behalf. Finally, the trio agreed to settle for Rs 1.5 lakh. On Tuesday evening, Lokesh & Krishna Kumar were arrested while accepting the bribe. Govindaraju was nabbed later.

“Prima facie, it has come to our notice that Lokesh was collecting bribe from property owners after threatening them that he’s a govt officer. This is a serious offence & we are probing others’ roles as well,” said an officer part of the investigation.

Meanwhile, one property owner told how money was extorted from him when he undertook construction of a building. “It is very difficult to take up construction in Bengaluru. You need to have political connections or be highly influential to avoid paying bribes to complete the project peacefully,” he said.

“Those with papers in order are also not spared. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) ward engineer will be the first person to visit the property the moment work begins. Then the corporator’s henchmen step in. They raise a hundred objections. Issues like debris on the road are blown up. They won’t let the property owner rest in peace till the money is paid,” he said.

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