BMP differs with CM on deadline

COUNCIL MEETING
BMP differs with CM on deadline
The Times of India

Bangalore: The BMP does not seem to have taken a tip or two from last year’s deluge. On Wednesday, BMP engineer-in-chief Rame Gowda declared unabashedly, “It is not possible to finish road works before the onset of monsoon.’’

This when CM Kumaraswamy had assured on Tuesday in the Legislative Assembly that asphalting and road-related works would be completed before the rain.

Rame Gowda even added that it could be completed only be next year’s monsoon. Commissioner K Jothiramalingam defended this by explaining that there was a practical problem that the BMP faced, of unhelpful contractors. “For some works, the BDA had not even received tenders, at least we receive responses. Someone suggested that we blacklist the contractors who have not delivered. But corporators told me that if we blacklist them at this juncture, the ward works will get affected. ‘’

For the record, of the 1000 km of arterial roads which were supposed to have been done up, only 300 kms has seen work so far.

Lock and key for wedding halls: Replying to a query raised by Azadnagar corporator B T Srinivas Murthy on unauthorised wedding halls, commissioner Jothiramalingam said that five halls in each zone would be locked up by April end.

The case in point were the numerous wedding halls which were functioning in blatant violation of bylaws and deviation from original plan. After explaining the nuances of deviations, Jothiramalingam said with support from corproators, they could lock up at least 15 wedding halls totally which would serve as a warning to other buildings as well.

For the first time in the history of the BMP, a resolution was passed in the Council enabling it to spend budgetary allocation up to 30 per cent with pending approval for both administration and works expenses. Hitherto, 20 per cent of the total allocation of the Budget were used as pending approval for administrative works.