Transport Minister and district in-charge Ramalinga Reddy has said the city needs a new Mayor to begin implementing several pending projects.
“Many projects have been kept pending for want of approval from the BBMP council. [But it] can approve these projects only when a new Mayor has been elected,” he said.
The one-year term of incumbent Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy ended on April 23. Two councillors, Lokesh V. Nayaka and Indira, both from the Congress and the Scheduled Tribes community, challenged the government’s February 8 notification that the Mayor’s post is under general category while the Deputy Mayor’s post is reserved for Backward Class A category.
The government has sought a week to respond to the Karnataka High Court on this petition.
Speaking to presspersons on Monday, Mr. Reddy said the issue was still in court and he would meet with Principal Secretary, Urban Development, to discuss the next course of action.
With the vote-on-account approved by the BBMP council lapsing in June, it is essential for the civic authority to present a budget. Without the budget, the BBMP will not even have money to disburse salaries to its 18,000-odd employees.
Mr. Reddy said Mr. Murthy and BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan may write to the government seeking permission to present the budget.
Mr. Murthy told The Hindu he had already written to the government and sought permission for a subject meeting in the BBMP council on July 5.
