One-day summit: cost Rs 21 lakh, progress little

One-day summit: cost Rs 21 lakh, progress little
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: Day-long meeting on transforming the city, and promises galore. The result — not much action on the ground but only hefty bills. The money spent on the meeting: Rs 21,86,487.
The Agenda for Bengaluru Infrastructure Development (ABIDE), the one-day summit to take stock of the civic projects in the city held at IISc on June 28, cost the BDA (nodal agency) this whopping amount.
Information obtained under RTI by an NGO, Karnataka Right To Information Activists (KRIA) Forum, shows that the BDA had spent the huge amount on audio visuals, flowers, stalls, carpets, plastic chairs, banners, decoration of the hall, electronic support, bags, video filming of the event etc. What takes the cake is the catering bill — Rs 7,48,857 on food and Rs 36,126 on coffee and snacks!
M V K Anil Kumar, who got the information under RTI, on expenses incurred on the ABIDE meeting, said he pursued it because the much-publicized meeting offered little chance for citizens’ representation.
“These meetings have about 75% attendance by the bureaucrats and the rest by the corporate company representatives and retired officials. They can chalk out programmes in air-conditioned halls of posh hotels and announce them but what about the residents, who are major stakeholders in the development of the city?’’ asked Anil Kumar, who is also convener of the RTI group Kria Katte.
The idea of spending Rs 21.86 lakh on a meeting to chart out the future course of the city — all the while sidelining its citizens’ take on the process of development — reflects the state of affairs in which development planning is taken up in Bangalore.
Kumar had sought the information from the urban development department, which in turn, directed him to BDA stating that the UDD was an overseeing body that only issued directions on meetings of this nature.
MONEY ORDER RAVE for audio visuals Rs 99,000 Jai Maruthi flower decorators
Rs 95,000
Raja Enterprises for setting up stalls Rs 98,315 Haridas Enterprises for carpets & plastic chairs Rs 89,437 E-Cube Advertising solutions for Arts & Human Resources
Rs 96,068
Peacock Enterprises for banners
Rs 97,056
Vishnu Tent House for decoration of the hall Rs 95,506 Audio Line for electronic support
Rs 93,500
Stage Logic for stage drop etc,
Rs 96,635
F5 Events & Services Pvt Ltd
Rs 90,309 Bharani Electricals Rs 31,461 Fortune Enterprises Rs 63,000 (for 140 bags) Fortune Enterprises Rs 90,000 (for 200 bags) Kiran Video filming Rs 40,000 F5 Events & Services Pvt Ltd Rs 54,270 (for other works) F5 Events & Services Pvt Ltd Rs 14,058 (for exhibition stall design and frame) Yakshi Advertising Rs 67,883 (for printing invitation letters, envelopes, folders & courier charges) Royal Orchid Hotel Harsh
Rs 7,48,857 Kamakshi Foods Rs 36,126
SOME
PROJECTS DISCUSSED
Solid waste management — started but facing hurdles
Roads — bad shape, with rains making it worse
Water pipe replacement — bhoomi puja at Bhaartinagar
Metro Rail — speeded up on MG Road stretch
High-speed link to BIA — on the drawing board