BMP dreaming big

BMP dreaming big
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Even as the budget of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) is facing major cuts and with just three months to go for civic polls, the civic body is all set to consider many projects amounting to hundreds of crores. Further, no work will possibly start until the next council is elected.

The subject meeting of the civic body scheduled to be held on Monday will propose asphalting and repairs to sidewalks in Wards 29, 56, 87, 89, 93, 94, 95, 96, 94, 24, 73, 71, 16, 11, 18, 22, 8, 12, 14, 23, 25, 26, 27, 1, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 98, 99, 68 and 67.

While the BMP has accepted bids at a premium of 40-50 per cent, in many cases a single bid was accepted.

Another major infrastructure project that was pending since 2003 is a flyover at Minerva Circle at a cost of Rs 20.37 crore which has been contracted to National Projects Corporation Limited (NPCL).

Further, complicating the 137 km road works under World Bank funding, the BMP terminated and blacklisted KNR Constructions in KMRP III and I packages and brought in Ketan Constructions.

As the contract period of 18 months given to KNR is not yet complete, the decision is prone to legal and other delays. The civic body claims it can complete these works before next monsoon.

The BMP is also considering imposing a fire cess at a rate of 4 per cent of the property tax. The civic body would also charge patients for anti-rabies injections and for deliveries at BMP nursing homes. The charges would be Rs 100 and 200 respectively.

The civic body’s experiments with joint ventures would be taken further with Shankar Nag (Symphony) cinema on MG Road as a multiplex is proposed to be set up by Shringar Cinemas. A renovate, operate and transfer deal has been worked out with Shringar for Rs 16 lakh a month for a 10-year lease.

However, BMP’s JV on Garuda Mall has a curious twist. The developer Mavercik Holdings was to get 1,56,000 square feet according to the original agreement but the JV partner said it got 8,059 square feet less.

The BMP allowed it to use an adjoining site too. Later the civic body found that it actually gave 11,515 square feet instead of 8,059. Now the BMP is giving the excess 3,456 square feet too on lease to Maverick.

Another curious proposal is that the BMP is still paying for its completed projects like Rajajinagar grade separator and National College flyover.

In the first case, the civic body has decided to pay Rs 5.2 crore to contractor SJR for additional works and escalations.

In case of National College flyover, contractor NPCL is being paid Rs 1.4 crore as escalation charges for BMP delays. That is how wisely the public money is spent.