Bengaluru: The BBMP Accounts Committee has pulled up civic officials for giving their nod to awarding of tenders for advertising on skywalks to three contractors who are tax defaulters. The committee alleged that due process had not been followed during the tendering process.
Netra Narayan, chairperson, Accounts Committee, said, "When tax defaulters are not allowed to even apply, how can they be awarded tenders?"
One company owes ₹7.86 crore, another ₹86 lakh and the third ₹9 lakh in taxes to the BBMP.
In one case, said Ms. Narayan, one of the contractors had gone to court for not being awarded a contract. At that time, civic officials had pointed out that he was a tax defaulter.
She also alleged that the tenders had been cleared without being placed before the Town Planning Committee. The tenders were to be placed before the BBMP Council for approval at its next meeting.
BBMP Superintendent Engineer (Major Roads) B.S. Prahallad said that his department, which is in charge of approving tenders, had written to the advertising department to know if the contractors have cleared all dues. "We have written to the advertisement department seeking a clarification,” said Mr. Prahallad.
He refuted the accounts committee's claim that due process was not followed. "Since September 2016, the BBMP has been pushing for a single-window system to speed up work. For the 90 works, we got just six responses. Contractors want to be awarded work faster instead of going from one committee to another for clearance," he said.
Manmohan Singh, president, Bangalore Outdoor Advertiser's Association, said that they have moved court against the BBMP for ‘unreasonable taxes’ on banner advertisements. "The BBMP should differentiate between legal hoardings and illegal hoardings, and take action against the latter," he said.
