BBMP buried all rules under underpass

BBMP buried all rules under underpass


Faiza Haneef
First Published : 26 Nov 2008 03:41:00 AM IST
Last Updated : 26 Nov 2008 10:22:42 AM IST

BANGALORE: The miracle of Cauvery junction magic box is just unfolding. The project may have overshot its deadline by several days, but it’s a wonder that it was completed two-and-a-half months before its Detailed Project Report (DPR) was prepared.

The DPR was prepared and sent to Urban Development Principal Secretary, Jothiramalingam only on May 14, 2008, while the magic box had already been inaugurated on February 20, 2008.

What’s bizarre is that according to the DPR, which was approved on May 29, the “underpass is yet to be constructed”.

The DPR, which is essential for commencing detailed designs of any project, was prepared exactly 84 days after the completion of the underpass.

This is probably the first time in the history of BBMP that a project report was submitted to the government for its nod after the completion of the project.

The DPR was submitted by BBMP commissioner S Subramanya.

This information was accessed through a right to information petition (RTI) filed by an advocate and technolegal advisor L V Sreerangaraju. He had to wage a long struggle and appeal before the Karnataka Information Commission to get the details.

It is evident from the goof-up that while the BBMP was misleading the government, the latter too turned a blind eye to the entire sequence of events preceding the approval of the DPR on May 29.

While the total cost of the project was Rs 224 lakh, the DPR pegged it at Rs 146 lakh. Though the BBMP mentioned wrong details, they were approved by the government. What was more absurd was that tenders were floated without a DPR and with legal and technical flaws.

The work on the underpass was started on January 16, 2008 and was inaugurated on February 20, 2008. Traffic was allowed in the first week of March.

“Technically, it was impossible to shift the precast elements and place them within three days as it would take minimum 28 days’ strength for them to be shifted,” said Sreerangaraju.

“According to the DPR, the project does not conform to designs of the curves for the arterial road in keeping with the Indian Road Congress standards and the BBMP has admitted that in the DPR.

With similar structures constructed enroute to the airport, BBMP has violated all engineering principles and this is abuse of authority vested with the commissioner under sections 265, 266 and 267 of KMC act,” Sreerangaraju observed.

Further, the BBMP has spent about Rs 4 lakh for the DPR and the total cost according to the actuals is Rs 228 lakh which is 53 per cent above the approved DPR cost of Rs 146 lakh.

“According to the amended Rule 6 of the KMC Act, the commissioner has no authority to either incur or ratify 53 percent extra over the approved cost,” explained Sreerangaraju.