Karnataka bribe case: IAS officer Pallavi Akurathi accuses public works department engineer

Bengaluru: That bribe is an inherent part of the system to get work done, is known to public. But, when corruption has spread to the extent that even IAS officers in the secretariat are complaining about bribing officials to get work done is worrying.

Joint secretary of the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms, IAS officer Pallavi Akurathi has complained to the higher authorities that an engineer from the Public Works Department (PWD) did not take up the repair work in her residential quarters although directions had come from higher authorities.

The letter is addressed to M Lakshmi Narayana, then Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), PWD. Pallavi expressed her concern about the irreverence of this PWD assistant engineer and the corruption in the system.

"I am sad to submit the bitter truth that repairs of the quarters of those residents of KPWD quarters, who pay illegal money, are attended to immediately and those who don’t pay, have to wait years together for small repairs,” she said in the letter (that is available with MyNation) dated June 7, 2018.

“I am sad to inform you that the PWD Assistant Engineer Girish, who you directed to look into the internal repairs of the quarters, did not even bother to call me. His number was switched off, or he wouldn’t pick up the call,” she further said in the letter.

ACS M Lakshmi Narayana, who was in charge of the PWD department till June 26, said that the complaints against the assistant engineer have been forwarded to the chief engineer urging him for an internal inquiry. 

IAS officer Pallavi Akurathi is a resident of Bengaluru's Jeevan Bhima Nagar. She submitted the problems and request for repair work to be done with respect to the drainage and bad roads. She approached the PWD in the first quarter of this year.

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