BMP unaware of ‘deadline’

BMP unaware of ‘deadline’
Deccan Herald

Is the concept of ‘deadline’ dying for the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike? With yet another promised development programme — footpath restoration — missing its June 30 deadline, it seems so.

As per the plans announced by BMP Commissioner K Jairaj in May, footpath correction works were supposed to be taken up in all 100 wards of the City. However, the Commissioner on Wednesday said, only 30 per cent of the work was completed. “The obvious distortion on footpaths have been corrected. However, I am not satisfied with the progress,” Mr Jairaj said.

Mr Jairaj, who had warned his engineers “to deliver, or leave”, shortly after he took over as Commissioner in May, seems to have changed his stand on the issue. “The BMP engineers are short-staffed and under a lot of pressure. They have become the beasts of burden. Apart from their usual work, they have to finish ward work, emergency work and spill-over work. It is difficult for them to focus on footpath work,” Mr Jairaj explained.

As for the promised weekly review meetings to discuss the progress in each ward, a senior BMP official revealed that footpath upgradation had not been discussed till now in the meetings. “We are focussing more on flood mitigation programmes, where a lot of work has been done,” he said.

New deadline

Footpath works will be expanded to a “total footpath maintenance programme”, revealed Mr Jairaj. The work will be completed in three months, he said.