KR Puram: Conditions critical but stable

Headless’ CMC passes development plans without discussion
KR Puram: Conditions critical but stable
Deccan Herald

Even as the seven City Municipal Councils (CMCs) brace for a possible merger with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), administrative lethargy continues to hijack development in KR Puram CMC.


Even as the seven City Municipal Councils (CMCs) brace for a possible merger with the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), administrative lethargy continues to hijack development in KR Puram CMC.

For starters, since February the CMC has not had a Commissioner to monitor the progress of ongoing projects.

If the President’s post has been lying vacant since February, the Commissioner is said to be ‘away’ for the past three months. The CMC is now left to the mercy of the 30-odd Congress Councillors, their five JD (S) and BJP counterparts and administrative staff. This, when a huge flood relief package waits to be disbursed before the monsoon that is just round the corner.

The flood relief package- of nearly Rs 25 crore- has come in from the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP), Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and the Revenue Secretary for the CMC which was considerably hit by last year’s rains. The package is yet to be disbursed.

Big budget plans

A budget plan of Rs 28 crore for a cash-strapped CMC could be puzzling enough. More puzzling is that the April 28 budget meeting cleared the plan without discussions. The CMC has only Rs six crore collected as betterment charges (which were discontinued following the introduction of the self assessment scheme), while the salary expenditure is about Rs 1.21 crore.

The ‘headless’ budget meeting comes as no surprise, as many councillors themselves admitted that the CMC members had met after eight months. “We had to clear the Rs 28-crore plan without any discussion, as the members were tired after a long debate on the crumbling civic amenities and meagre resources,” said a councillor.

Monsoon looms large

Insiders claimed that even monthly public meetings were unheard of in the CMC. However, what the residents dread the most is the monsoon. Nine months after last year’s floods, little has been done to change the situation in KR Puram.

Down the KR Puram arterial road, what welcomes you is a newly patched road that resembles a steppe farm. Tuesday’s showers were ominous as to what awaits the City this monsoon. Potholes have become puddles and many layouts resemble slushy, ploughed fields. Not to forget the stench of open drains and mounting piles of garbage. However, even as project deadlines approach and monsoon gets closer, most of the projects are either moving at a snail’s pace or are yet to take off.

The CMC officials and citizens speak in different languages. “The Rama Murthy Nagar Main Road was asphalted but with the first rains, we realised that the change was only cosmetic. The road now has huge potholes,” rued Gopalakrishna, a resident.

On the other hand, the CMC officials claim that all main roads have been asphalted and a Rajakaluve is being built near Pai Layout, which was worst-hit during the floods. “We have completed at least 50 per cent of the projects but the sudden hike in prices of bitumen and other construction material has stalled the projects, as the contractors have walked out. We will soon start major development works,” said an official.

Development projects in KR Puram

Relief Scope Authority Amount spent Deadline/Status

Rs 2 crore Asphalting roads Revenue Secretary Rs 1.3 crore March 006/stalled

Rs 1.75 crore Building Rajakaluve BDA Rs 1.35 crore March 6/Stalled

Rs 19.98 crore Reviving

stormwater drains BMP -- August end/Yet to start

Apart from these projects, BMP also has plans lined up to build retaining walls, widen Rajakaluves and evict encroachments.