A team of officials led by Upalokayukta S.B. Majage paid a surprise visit to the town planning department of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagar Palike (BBMP) on Saturday and found the office locked even though it was a working day .
There was no official in the office. Even the Joint Director’s room was locked. Not even a peon was present.
“When we called the officials seeking an explanation, they were evasive. They claimed that many personnel were on leave even though there was no mention of the same in the attendance register,” a senior official in the Lokayukta’s office told The Hindu .
The officials checked the register related to building plan approvals. “Staff in this important department have not been efficient in their work. Of 204 applications for building plan approvals, only 14 have been disposed of,” the official said.
The Upalokayukta has issued a show cause notice and sought a reply from the officials concerned by February 18.
