Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), during the last two fiscals, has diverted funds meant for major infrastructure projects to ward-wise works and smaller projects. As a result, payment to contractors has been delayed bringing work on most of the major infrastructure projects, which were a priority for the State government, to a grinding halt.
Bengaluru district in-charge Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy has now written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah about the funds meant for major projects being diverted for small projects.
The State government, during 2013-14 fiscal, released Rs. 868 crore for projects for which allocations were made in 2012-13 budget. The released funds were credited to a common BBMP account operated by the BBMP Commissioner and the Chief Accounts Officer (CAO), and from there it was diverted to other projects.
G.M. Ravindra, secretary, BBMP Contractors’ Association, told The Hindu that most of the major projects were stalled because contractors were not paid for over a year.
R.K. Mishra, member of the BBMP’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), said no payment has been made since November 2013 for any of the works for which budgetary allocations had been made. He told The Hindu that the State government was now worried whether BBMP had the financial wherewithal to make payments for the major projects, whose allocations have been diverted.
BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana conceded that the funds had been credited to a common account and were utilised for other projects. However, he was quick to add that it was only a book adjustment and BBMP would make all payments for the projects for which the State government released funds.
The State government recently granted Rs. 1,000 crore for repairing damaged roads in the city. It has asked BBMP to open a separate account to deposit the released funds and use them only for the purpose the allocation was made. Expert opinion
Urban experts have not only criticised BBMP for diverting funds meant for important infrastructure projects, but have also aired their doubts about the ability of BBMP in executing them.
V Ravichandar, member of the three-member panel looking into the restructuring of BBMP, has said the Kasturirangan Committee Report on governance in Bangalore Metropolitan Region, 2008, should be implemented. The panel had recommended that Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) be stripped of its planning functions and be turned into an infrastructure development agency. And, the responsibility of implementing the projects be given to BDA.
R.K. Mishra, member of Technical Advisory Committee, BBMP, said the civic agency did not have adequate financial wherewithal or the technical expertise to implement large-scale infrastructure projects. And that is why major projects have been stalled. However, he added that BBMP should be the driving force behind the projects at the policy level.
