CM takes a look at civic woes

CM takes a look at civic woes
Government Will Crack Down On Encroachers, Garbage Mafia
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa on Tuesday toured Silk Board Junction and Chennammana Kere Achukattu, two of the several areas that have been affected by the recent rain.
Yeddyurappa and his team of ministers, accompanied by local corporators, also inspected CT Bed, Banashankari, where a retainer wall had collapsed due to rain.
Yeddyurappa said precautionary measures have been taken up this year. “BWSSB, BDA and BBMP will set up control rooms and a contingency plan will be prepared. All three must work together to tackle emergencies,” he said.
Condemning the encroachment of Rajakaluves and lakes in the city, he said this will not be tolerated. He also called for action against the practice of giving garbage collection work to only a few contractors — he called them the “garbage mafia”.
“Work should not stop for lack of funds,” he said. He cautioned motorists to watch out for trees in the middle of busy roads as the branches often cause accidents. Confusion galore: Yeddyurappa’s first tour of the city after he took over as CM was chaotic. First, he and his supporters were delayed at ‘Krishna’, his official residence. Then the vehicle transporting the media lost track of the convoy, and got stuck in the morning rush-hour traffic. Added to that, one of the press vehicles broke down. To sum up the chaos, Yeddyurappa called off his visits to flood-affected areas half-way through because he had to meet the governor.
Infrastructure: Elaborating on his meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, he said the Centre had extended support to his government to take up and complete infrastructure work in the state.
BBMP polls: The dates for BBMP polls will be announced after Friday’s vote of confidence.
Aid for farmers: Yeddyurappa extended support to farmers in the state and promised strict action against those involved in distribution of poor-quality seeds and fertilizers. He urged the Centre to release more fertilizers. He said his government will make farmerfriendly policies.
Garbage tenders to be probed
The CM said there is a mafia behind allotting tenders for garbage clearance in the city, and the government will inquire into this. In the past 5 years, only one contractor was awarded tender for garbage clearance. “The tender is not transparent. It has not been changed for 5 years and this gives rise to doubts. So the government will conduct an inquiry into the whole process of awarding tenders,” minister R Ashok said, following which the CM said he would order a probe into the issue.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com

DUTY CALLS: Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa with his ministers inspects an open drain at Chennamana Kere, Banashankari, on Tuesday