The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BMP getting short shrift, says former Mayor

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 01, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BMP getting short shrift, says former Mayor

Staff Reporter

P.R. Ramesh attacks State Government

BANGALORE: The former Mayor P.R. Ramesh on Friday alleged that the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) was receiving "step-motherly" treatment from the State Government.

Participating in the continued discussion on the BMP budget 2006-2007 at the BMP Council here, Mr. Ramesh pointed out that the administration in the BMP "is carrying out the Government's agenda."

`Growth stalled'

"The scope for growth of political leadership in the BMP is stalled at every level and the commissioner and his team are acting as the ruling party here. We (the team of corporators) form the Opposition group," he said in a lighter vein.

"We need to introspect why many of the projects that have been announced in the BMP budgets in the past have not reached the implementation stage. Though we have presented a Rs. 1,870-crore budget, we all know our non-plan expenditure itself is over Rs. 700 crore. Do we have to bank completely on loans? Why cannot the Government make larger allocations for development works?" he said.

Janata Dal (Secular) members M.K. Kuppuraj and Kokila Chandrashekar interrupted Mr. Ramesh and asked him why he did not raise this point when the Congress was ruling the State.

When Commissioner K. Jothiramalingam intervened and said: "he is a mere official appointed by the so-called ruling party," members of all parties enjoyed a lighter moment.

The budget session has been adjourned until Monday.

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