Bengaluru, Aug 17 (IANS): The BBMP has lodged an FIR against the contractors who threatened to commit suicide if bills were not cleared, giving a twist to the ongoing confrontation between the contractors and Congress government in Karnataka.

BBMP officer Mahadev lodged the complaint with the High Grounds police station, sources confirmed on Thursday . The FIR had been lodged against the President of BBMP Contractors’ Association K.T. Manjunath and 57 others.

The development has yet again brought the issue of pending bills to the forefront. The Congress government in Karnataka has stiffened its stand over the issue of release of pending bills alleging rampant corruption. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and DyCM D.K. Shivakumar reiterated the stiffened stand regarding the pending bills.

They had stated that the bills would be cleared after an investigation. Shivakumar and Siddaramaiah had maintained that their government had not allotted a single work to contractors and that all the bills were for the works sanctioned and implemented by the previous BJP government.

Shivakumar had stated that the bills have been submitted for Rs 25,000 crore and available funds were only Rs 650 crore. However, the pending bills of the contractors, who have executed the work honestly, would be cleared and their interests would be protected. "The bills have been pending for two to three years and contractors can’t blackmail to clear the bills urgently. The committee headed by a retired justice would give the report and accordingly the bills would be released," Shivakumar had stated.

The BJP and a section of contractors had alleged that Shivakumar was asking for 15 per cent commission for the pending bills and hence stopped the clearance. The contractors have met the Governor, Thaawarchand Gehlot and sought his intervention. The Contractors’ Association has softened its stand and made it clear that Shivakumar had not asked for commission.