Almost every road and pavement in Bengaluru is currently dug up, as civil work is going on in nearly all localities simultaneously. Tertiary drains are being remade, roads re-asphalted, footpaths relaid and storm-water drains concretised.
Social media is abuzz with posts of citizens coming down heavily on how it has become extremely difficult to negotiate traffic in the city. “Bengalureans have no experience of living in a war-ravaged city. But it is no longer true,” one of the citizens said on Facebook recently.
A blast of civil work, months before Assembly elections, seems to be the strategy of not only ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but MLAs cutting across party lines in the city. Ongoing civil work, especially in residential localities at the ward level during an election season, is definitely a boost to the MLAs, said an incumbent BJP MLA.
Development work at Ganganagar in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
Three year’s work in a year
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who holds charge of both Bengaluru Development and Finance, announced in the State Budget 2022-23, that Amrut Nagarothana Scheme under which ₹6,000 crore worth of work will be taken up over three years. However, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has issued work orders for ₹6,000 crore worth of work in the last four months alone.
While ₹1,500 crore has been earmarked for storm-water drains and ₹1,400 crore for whitetopping of roads, nearly ₹3,000 crore is being spent on ward works — which is the most visible form of development activity, mostly asphalting of roads, remaking tertiary drains and footpaths, that MLAs are keen on.
Posters featuring photos of politicians at Ganganagar in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Sudhakara Jain
MLAs take credit
Flex boards with the faces of MLAs “apologising” to people for the inconvenience due to ongoing work — a new trend in the city — clearly aims to remind the voters who is getting the work done in the crucial election season. The new strategy circumvents a court ruling that only photographs of those holding constitutional positions can be put on civil work-related hoardings.
In the absence of an elected civic body, MLAs have become the face of all civic work — even those in the wards taken by the civic body. “If there was a civic body, the MLAs couldn’t have taken credit for all civic projects in their constituency, as councillors in the constituency would invariably be from multiple parties and it would have created a contested space. Now, MLAs are walking away with everything. Civic polls have been pending since September 2020 and MLAs, cutting across party lines, have blocked elections till after Assembly polls later this year,” said a former BJP councillor.
The ongoing civic work on Sannidi Road in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash
Election funds
More importantly, what mostly remains unsaid is that alleged kickbacks from these contracts will also probably fund the upcoming Assembly polls in the city.
“Despite our repeated vocal protests, the reality of “40% commission” for contracts hasn’t changed one bit. It may have actually worsened a bit, as everyone now demands 40%. The slew of civil work by BBMP is no exception. Unless contractors pay the commission, contracts won’t materialise and MLAs, cutting across party lines, are the key operators in this ring,” alleged a senior contractor of the BBMP Contractors’ Association, who did not wish to be named.
Another contractor alleged that collecting funds from contractors during election time is an old practice and it has only deteriorated further. With a criminal defamation case and an injunction order pending before the court, contractors are largely not speaking up.
TenderSure work in progress at BEML Layout in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar
Discontent over Amrut Nagarothana
The allocation of funds under the Amrut Nagarothana Scheme has also come under severe criticism by the opposition Congress. Senior Congress leader Ramalinga Reddy had held a press conference and alleged that allocation of funds after the BBMP budget was presented in 2022 was highly partisan. A Congress MLA said constituencies represented by BJP and Congress seem to have got funds allotted to them in almost a 70:30 ratio.
Meanwhile, there is no clarity on whether the State government has released matching grants to the civic body. If not, pending bills at BBMP, presently pegged at around ₹2,700 crore and not cleared for works carried out in the past 25 months, will only mount further. In fact, the civic body has sought a loan of ₹600 crore from the State government to clear some pending bills immediately to stave off protests. BBMP Contractors Association had gone on a one-day strike over pending bills on January 9.
As opposition Congress recently held protests at over 300 locations in the city simultaneously giving a call to “root out corruption and save Bengaluru”, blaming the incumbent BJP government for “crumbling infrastructure” of the city, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai tweeted, “Due to our government’s unwavering emphasis on growth and development, Bengaluru is firmly entrenched on the path of progress.” He cited Amrut Nagarothana Scheme.
Civic work underway at Jayanagar in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K. Bhagya Prakash
What about quality of work?
But contractors themselves are sceptical of the quality of work, given the demand for kickbacks, which they say cuts across party lines. “Contractors are usually forced to pay upfront before a contract is awarded, pushing them into debt. This leaves little working capital for the ongoing projects. Development work may be visible, but its quality and durability is questionable,” a senior contractor admitted.
“Sadly, the political class seems to have a very low opinion of the people. They think we will fall for this elaborate charade ahead of elections. With the unprecedented allegations made by contractors openly about kickbacks, it is evident why various projects are being taken up at this point in time. People can see through these machinations. But it is unfair to blame the politicians alone. Unless there are electoral reforms, the system will not be fixed,” lamented N. S. Mukunda, of Bengaluru Praja Vedike.
