Parking contract for a living!

Parking contract for a living!

Two ministers and a top BBMP official were involved in awarding the contract for nine streets to an ex-serviceman

ATUL CHATURVEDI



The pay and parking system introduced on nine roads in the city on Jan 2 has too many loose ends. While senior BBMP officials try to escape by saying their juniors did not consult them before awarding the contract to a private contractor, records obtained by Bangalore Mirror indicate tenders were awarded at the behest of an additional commissioner, two ministers and others.
Before awarding this tender, the BBMP had given permission to three others to run a similar scheme on Kamaraj Road, Main Guard Road, Dispensary Road and below hightension lines in Koramangala in December 2008.
PULLING STRINGS
After receiving a ‘recommendation’ letter from labour minister B N Bachche Gowda, BBMP’s additional commissioner (east) Puttaswamy directed his juniors to award the pay and park contract on Kamaraj Road, Main Guard Road and Dispensary Road (all located near Commercial Street) to physically handicapped persons identified as Kavitha and Linge Gowda and Koramangala contract to G Subramanya Shetty, an ex-serviceman.
Accordingly, the tender was awarded. Based on this model, the tender for nine streets were awarded to an ex-serviceman, G Subramanya of Iswarya Associates, on Jan 2. Interestingly, urban development minister S Suresh Kumar had issued the recommendation letter in favour of Subramanya, who said he “needs the contract of nine streets for his livelihood”.
Based on this letter, Puttaswamy directed his assistant, Jagadish, to prepare the file. After the latter prepared it, Puttaswamy signed the order on Jan 2. When Subramanya’s men started collecting parking fee from that day, there was a huge public outcry against the system which was abolished during Congress rule, in 2005.
PASSING THE BUCK
Puttaswamy withdrew the order and passed the blame on Jagadish. He even got Jagadish suspended saying he had misled him. But Jagadish had sent a letter to the BBMP commissioner on Jan 7 stating he had been made a scapegoat by Puttaswamy. Jagadish defended his stand by furnishing documentary evidence which shows Puttaswamy’s role and the ministers’ involvement in the tender process. Jagadish sent another letter to BBMP commissioner on Jan 16 saying Puttaswamy had awarded pay and park contract to two physically handicapped persons in December. This will make it difficult for Puttaswamy to say Jagadish had misled him.
NO BIDDING
The parking contracts on all these roads have been awarded to private parties without a bidding.
The government had planned to introduce automated parking on these roads. When they invited tenders from trader bodies to run the system like on Brigade Road, there were no bidders.
In the absence of bidders, the BBMP cancelled the tenders and wrote to the government seeking permission for inviting fresh tenders. Pending this, the BBMP selected individuals and granted them permission to run the parking system.