Man posing as supervisor fleeces lakhs from pourakarmikas

BENGALURU: A man claiming to be a supervisor, has been reportdly collecting lakhs of rupees from pourakarmikas who keep the city clean. He allegedly intimidates the workers by claiming to be their supervisor and takes money from them. He expects a regular monthly ‘gift’ in the form of a bribe claiming that it is to be paid to higher-us. The civic workers have recorded a video while taking bribe.

The bribe‑taker Venkatesh is the supervisor of municipal workers in the Uttarahalli ward of the Bengaluru South Assembly constituency. He takes monthly bribes from the permanently appointed municipal workers.

In the Bommanahalli zone and Bengaluru South zone, a person named Moshin Babu assists him, and his job is to collect money from the workers. Those who refuse to pay are targeted, removed from work and their families are threatened.

The supervisor Venkatesh also works under the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA). While drawing a government salary, he is simultaneously employed on a contract basis with a private company called Nityashree Enterprises. He also receives a salary from a company that operates garbage trucks on contract. Not only that, he has fixed a rate card for the garbage collected from apartments.

When confronted, Venkatesh said he had not taken any money and gave an explanation. Despite being a municipal worker, he owns a huge bungalow and a car. The workers alleged that all of this was bought with the bribes they paid, and they are upset about his greed.

Even senior officials have supported his bribery, involved in taking money from such people and the GBA commissioner should take this matter seriously and take action against this bribe‑taker who is extorting money from municipal workers, they said.