As many as 65 councillors, including the mayor, have to pay a fine of ₹384 each to the High Court of Karnataka for not constituting ward committees as mandated by it. Ward committee conveners (local engineers) also have to pay ₹384 each as fine.
This was raised at the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council meeting on Friday with Opposition Leader Padmanabha Reddy blaming the administration for the ‘loss of face’. The BBMP has to pay a fine totalling ₹50,000.
While a few councillors, who have been fined, claimed that the ward committees had been constituted, Mr. Reddy questioned why the civic body’s legal cell had not filed a review petition in the High Court. “Unfortunate that the city’s first citizen has been fined... it is due to officials’ negligence. The legal cell’s advocates are not able to argue in BBMP’s favour in court. Due to this, even the commissioner has been at the receiving end,” he said.
He said that the commissioner, following directions from the High Court, had directed the council secretary to cut the fine amount from the councillors’ honorarium. “It is not a question of the amount. It is the loss of face in the eyes of the citizens that is worrisome,” he said.
Bill for bogus work?
Claiming to have executed flood relief works, including desilting, at Rakshasahalla in Rajarajeshwarinagar Assembly constituency, BBMP officials have raised a bill for ₹30 lakh. Nethra Narayan from the Janata Dal (S) alleged that this was a bill for bogus work. “There is no habitation in the vicinity. To whom did the BBMP give compensation and where have they taken up desilting,” she sought to know.
Protocol violation
Alleging that protocol had been violated, HMT ward councillor Asha Suresh claimed that after a road in her ward was developed, a plaque had been put by the BBMP. The plaque, however, had no mention either of her, the mayor or the commissioner.
Squarely blaming the jurisdictional engineers, she sought their suspension. Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said that he had recently issued a circular directing all officials to strictly follow protocol for all BBMP related events and invitations.
Chief Engineer S. Somashekhar admitted that protocol had indeed been violated and that he had sought an explanation for the same from the executive engineer.
Mayor R. Sampath Raj later recommended to the commissioner to initiate disciplinary action against the official concerned.
