Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter LICENSE TO TAKE FOR A RIDE! SAGA OF KSTDC TAXI SERVICES AT BIAL, DRIVERS SUFFER AS AUTHORITIES TURN BLIND EYE

 

Firoz.T.Totanawala  

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

LICENSE TO TAKE FOR A RIDE! 

SAGA OF KSTDC TAXI SERVICES AT BIAL, 

DRIVERS SUFFER AS AUTHORITIES TURN BLIND EYE 

 The Managing Director of KSTDC Devaiah is still blind towards the scams in Taxi services operation at BIAL. The KSTDC is making crores commercially by exploiting the Taxi owners cum drivers. And the Corporation seems to have abdicated the responsibility of running the Taxi services to a caucus of unscrupulous people who have floated a namesake Taxi Drivers Welfare Association. While the Taxi drivers toil hard, the caucus led by Neelakantappa are allegedly making money merrily and sharing it with few top officials of KSTDC. And the Tourism secretary Latha Krishna Rao, an eccentric official does not want to hear anything in this regard...

THE SAGA 

In our series of exposures on the scams in the KSTDC managed Taxi Services operations in BIAL, we have exposed in detail how the Taxi owners cum drivers who should have obtained gainful self employment, are being systematically harassed, victimised and exploited by a gang of unscrupulous elements who have floated the KSTDC Airport Taxi Drivers Welfare Association. The Association is owned by one Neelakantappa who is functioning as its General Secretary since its inception. He changes the other bearers and EC Members as per his whims and fancies, with nobody daring to question his actions. 

 The Neelakantappa caucus includes among others, the ATO Chikkamath, Vice President Siddiah and few others. The President, or rather non-working President only for name sake is Prabhakara Reddy, a former MLA who is well past 70 years. Neelakantappa who was running his Maruthi Van in the old Air Port has become a millionaire now, thanks to the Association, corrupt babus of KSTDC and the spineless Taxi drivers who are too scared to protest against their harassment and victimisation. 

 In a way, the caucus is running a parallel establishment in KSTDC. Nobody in KSTDC questions Neelakantappa’s actions even though he is an employee of KSTDC brought in through an outsourcing agency. He is only a Supervisor in BIAL’s KSTDC parking lot and Taxi services. Neelakantappa’s caucus has the backing of Patil, a senior official in the Corporation, whose relative was given the call centre contract. 

 PECULIAR ARRANGEMENT! 

 As Neelakantappa is an employee, though temporary, and is put in charge of supervising the Taxi services in BIAL, he is barred from floating the KSTDC Taxi Drivers Welfare Association. The Taxi owners cum drivers are all unemployed youths who with great difficulty have managed finances or loans to purchase a Taxi and registering it with KSTDC Taxi service. They have to earn a minimum of 2000 rupees per day towards parking fee, loan installments, diesel and maintenance. Only if they earn 2500 per day, they get some income. For this they have to get the trips from Airport and pickups from other places to the Airport. As such, supervisor in the Taxi services cannot legally, technically and even otherwise should have been allowed to represent the Taxi drivers, as he has his own liking and disliking towards drivers. But the KSTDC top brass have allowed this unimaginable arrangement to flourish. 

 WHEELING THE CALL CENTRE! 

 Of course, the KSTDC top brass seem to have given absolute monopoly to the Neelakantappa led association to do as it likes vis-a-vis taxi services and drivers. The call centre too is literally controlled by Neelakantappa gang. The call centre personnel obey their orders to provide trips to the airport. It is a fact that 90% of the drivers do not get any pickups from the call centre as it is reserved for the favourites of Neelakantappa gang. If any other driver requests the call centre to give him a pick up trip, the stock reply from the call centre is talk to Siddaiah or Neelakantappa! The call centre does not practice the system of queue while giving pickups. What more, the Drivers are made to pay Rs.2000 per month towards call centre charges! It is because of this bad practice, many drivers are depending on private travels to get them pickups. The drivers who avail this pick up have to pay Rs.100 per pick up! Even then it is worth as they pay Rs.65 per day to the call centre which does not provide even a couple of pickups in a month! 

 While the Neelakantappa gang exploits the drivers to no end, the gang has prospered beyond anybody’s imagination. Very recently, the Neelakantappa gang arranged a new contractor for the call centre. Earlier the Corporation used to collect the parking and call centre charges through one receipt. Now, the Corporation collects only parking charges on its receipt and Association collects the call centre charges separately. What does this mean? Why has the Corporation discontinued the practice of collecting parking and call charges together?

 If the Corporation has washed off its hands from call centre, there is the real danger of BIAL cancelling the license as it has stipulated that the operator should have its own call centre. Even though the corporation has outsourced the call centre till recently, it used to function as KSTDC call centre and the corporation was collecting the call centre charges along with parking charges. Now, the corporation admits that it has given the call centre contract to one Vikas Global Solutions. And the fact is that it is the Neelakantappa owned association which is collecting call charges officially. This implies that there is a tie up of the agency with the Association. Does this also mean that the Neelakantappa owned Association has taken up the contract also? 

 MONEY, ALL THE WAY! 

 It is another matter that the Association or rather Neelakantappa gang makes the drivers to obey their orders and stomach their vulgar abuses, without a whisper of protest. The drivers have to pay the Association membership fee of Rs. 16500/-. They have to purchase the vehicles from only one particular dealer - Sirish Agencies and they are advised to get the finance from Mahindra Finance or else lose the enrollment in KSTDC. 

They have to pay Rs. 30,000 towards registration in KSTDC. They have to procure the GPRS machines at almost double the market rates and the same is the case with pulse meters. More than this, they are to pay parking charges at Rs.285 per day and that too, they have to pay the monthly parking fee in advance. Despite the monthly parking fee being paid by the drivers one month in advance, they have to pay a penalty of Rs.100 per day if there is delay! Neelakantappa gang penalises the drivers in every conceivable means. The drivers get fined if their shirt is not buttoned, or shoe is not polished et al. 

 The KSTDC has to pay BIAL Rs.85 per day for parking per vehicle. But the KSTDC is charging Rs.285 per day per vehicle. With 600 Taxis plying under KSTDC banner, the Corporation makes a big profit of 1.20 lakh per day. The Corporation which is making such a huge profit without investing a single pie has not provided any sort of facilities to the drivers. The Corporation could have provided group insurance and medical facilities to the drivers and master health checkups once in a year. There are many more such facilities the corporation could have provided at less than 10% of the profits the drivers bring to it. 

 Interestingly, the Corporation which started the Taxi services at BIAL with less than 100 Taxis had assured the drivers that the parking fee will be decreased drastically once the fleet strength crosses 200. Now that the fleet strength has reached 600, the Corporation or rather the Neelakantappa gang have instead increased the parking fee by more than a thousand per month!

 PRIVATE SERVICE! 

 The Neelakantappa gang liberally uses the vehicles of the Taxi drivers free of charge. For example, a taxi is exclusively used by ATO Chikkamath to commute daily from his home to the Airport and back. As if to compensate the driver, he is provided with good numbers of trips from the reception counter itself unlike other taxies which have to queue up in the parking lot. 

 SILENCE PLEASE! 

 Shockingly, the KSTDC top brass is keeping a deafening silence over the entire issue. The present MD Devaiah is being kept in dark about the developments. Our exposures are being talked about widely but not by the MD. Even if he had come to know of the scams, he seems to be posing as if it is not his concern. May be he has become deaf, dumb and blind to the going on. As far as the Tourism Secretary Latha Krishna Rao is concerned, she too is maintaining a deep silence over the issue. 

 ONE MAN SHOW! 

 Neelakantappa is an ‘outsourced’ employee of KSTDC. He is the General Secretary of the KSTDC Airport Taxi Drivers Welfare Association. In addition to this, he also owns many Taxis in his kith and kin’s names. And these Taxi’s are given ‘maximum’ Trips and Pickups from the KSTDC counter and call centre. These taxis are running round the clock and Neelakantappa openly says that as the General Secretary of the Association, he has every right to provide good business to his taxis. 

 If one were to take the statistics of Trips and picks of the vehicles (owned by the kith and kin of NK) bearing numbers 2608, 2499, 2488, 3443, 1331, 1144 and 2592, the cat will be out of the bag! These vehicles are doing a roaring business. In addition to this, vehicle bearing number 9759 is exclusively used by ATO Chikkmath for pick and drop to his home. In return, this vehicle also gets huge business. 

 Every vehicle, as a rule, has to be in the queue at the parking lot and the KSTDC counter in the Airport is only for reception. But few favourites of Neelakantappa are allowed to pick up the passengers directly from the counter! Gone were the days when a leader sacrifices his self for the benefit of the community. And Neelakantappa sacrifices the interests of other taxi drivers to get good business to his vehicles! 

Any comments!

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter BEG YOUR PARDON! YEDURAPPA THREATENS HIS DETRACTORS TO BEG FORGIVENESS!

By Firoz.T.Totanawala 

The Bangalore Metro Reporter

 BEG YOUR PARDON! 

YEDURAPPA THREATENS HIS DETRACTORS TO BEG FORGIVENESS! 

 The other day, B.S.Yeddyurappa has thundered that those who have leveled charges of corruption against him will have to come to him to beg forgiveness, within a short time. He had again proclaimed his innocence by claiming that he is as white as snow. He has also stated that he will not go to Delhi to reclaim his ‘lost’ CM gaddi. 

 What does Yedurappa’s statement implies? From day one, when the charges were made, he is crying from the rooftops that he has done no wrong. Even when the official documents substantiated the charges, he still stood his ground. Instead of admitting his lapses, Yedurappa is threatening his adversaries especially in his own party. 

 Yedurappa’s predicament is his own doing. Instead of using the golden opportunity to serve the people better after he became the CM and bringing qualitative changes in the administration, he indulged in commercialization. 

 Apparently, Yedurappa became the CM by procuring the support of six independent MLAs. Later, more than 20 MLAs were procured under ‘Operation Kamala’, where in, the MLAs were made to resign their seat and join BJP. Then immediately, they were either made ministers or chairman of the Boards. They were fielded as BJP candidates and all care taken to ensure their win. At one point of time, out of the cabinet strength of 34 including CM, almost 20 were outsiders who joined BJP just before the general elections or under Operation Kamala. 

Through Operation Kamala, Yedurappa reduced the strength of the opposition. 

 Initially, after becoming the Deputy CM, Yedurappa allowed his family members to do the leg work for him. Yedurappa who was in power for the first time in life and that too as the Deputy CM, wanted loyal people around him. The political leaders in the present scenario do not believe in their followers for the fear of betrayal at an opportune time. So, it was inevitable for Yedurappa to bring in his family members to the centre stage. Besides, he brought in officials of his caste around him and the same arrangement continued even after Yedurappa became the CM. 

 After becoming the CM and ensuring that there will be no threat to his gaddi by undertaking Operation Kamala, Yedurappa started his poly tricks. He targeted the Congress and JD(S) leaders particularly HD Deve Gowda and his family. He was very much particular about settling scores with Deve Gowda family and that was his biggest folly. Gradually, the Deve Gowda family started hitting back at Yedurappa with Kumaraswamy taking the leadership of the counter attack. 

 

When Kumaraswamy started exposing one scandal after another, the people were shocked at the quality and quantity of the scams. For the first time in the history of the nation, Yedurappa had introduced taking ‘bribe’ through cheques! The dealers who clinched deals with him had to deposit the bribe amount in the name of firms and companies floated by the kith and kin of Yedurappa. Many valuable BDA sites in posh localities were ‘gifted’ by Yedurappa to his kith and kins. Yedurappa’s scam studded rule made headlines at the national level and the BJP High Command was totally embarrassed. 

 Media too vied with one another to expose the scams of Yedurappa, his family members and some of his ministers. Many ministers came under the scanner and by October 2010, Yedurappa was in deep under trouble. Yedurappa, to save his gaddi disqualified 16 MLAs including five ministers for revolting against his leadership and won the confidence vote by a whisker. By this time, the Lokayukta, who was probing the Mining scam, submitted the report in July last year. Yedurappa was prominently named in the report and he had to go. 

 By then, the Lokayukta court had admitted many cases filed against Yedurappa and company under Prevention of Corruption Act. In one such case, he was forced to camp in the Parappana Agrahara for 23 days. Each and every case was held to be Prima facie positive. In one case, filed on the basis of the Lokayukta report, the High Court has quashed the FIR filed against him, on technical grounds, mind it, not on merit. Yedurappa has successfully prevented the government to go for appeal in the Supreme Court. 

 Ever since the HC Order, Yedurappa is staking his claim to the CM post again. He has even gone to the extent of toppling his own government but developed cold feet at the eleventh hour. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee has recommended CBI enquiry into his ‘donation’ scam in the mining scam. To put it bluntly, no CM in the past is accused of such large number of scams and corruption related criminal cases. 

 Despite tell tale evidences of his corruption, nepotism and favouritism, Yedurappa is proclaiming his innocence and accusing his detractions of conspiracy! Yedurappa lost a golden opportunity to provide a clean and honest administration. He had committed unimaginable scams and according to him, those who exposed his scams, are all conspirators! And Yedurappa tells them to beg forgiveness from him, the earlier, the better. 

 On the contrary, it is Yedurappa who has to apologise to the people who gave him a chance to prove his worth as the CM and not to misuse and abuse his position to make money. He became the CM due to the mandate of people. With all the scams painting him black, one should appreciate his guts for demanding his detractors to beg forgiveness! This is nothing but an accused becoming the judge! 

And that is all!

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter PRICE OF PRIVATIZATION! REGISTRATION STALLED FOR 3 DAYS.

By Firoz.T.Totanawala 

 The Bangalore Metro Reporter 

 PRICE OF PRIVATIZATION! 

 REGISTRATION STALLED FOR 3 DAYS. 

 Never in the history of 140 plus years of registration department, was the registration stopped even for a day. But, it has happened now. For full three days, the Sub Registrar offices could not register the documents due to the strike by the computer operators of the private companies. One can not blame the operators who were grossly underpaid while their companies have made hundreds of crores in the last nine years. The operators are also demanding regularisation of their services in the department. The stoppage of registration work should make the department hang its head in shame. 

The registration in the State’s Sub Registrar offices was stopped for full three days, which is the only time in its 140 years old history. And this was due to the strike by the poorly paid operators of the private companies who were given computerization contract in the department. 

 The computerized registration was introduced in 2003 by the then IGR D. Satya Murthy who spent a fortune to develop the Kaveri software. However, instead of taking up this task through the department employees, Satya Murthy entrusted the implementation to two private companies, CMS and ECIL, by manipulating the tender. 

 Under the ‘Kaveri’ system, the documents are scanned; thumb impression and photo of the parties captured and data entries are made and printed in the document itself. Once the SR certifies the documents, the same is scanned and stored in CDs. The documents are delivered to the parties immediately. 

 The companies are paid on pet page basis in the document. Even though the department collects one percent as the service charge in the form of Registration fee, the registering public are required to pay the contractor’s service charges separately. Shockingly, while the cost of the work cannot be more than Rs. 3 to 4 per page, the companies earn Rs.30 per page. As per the contract, the companies are to establish the necessary infrastructure, provide the operators and run the contract for five years and then leave the infrastructure to the department. 

 Both these contractors made hundreds of crores in the first five years. As per the agreement, the companies and the Software providers had to train the department officials within three years. But even to this day, that is nine years after the contracts, the department officials are yet to be trained. 

 Whatsoever, the companies have appointed about 700 operators throughout the state and pay them a meager salary. Though the companies are obliged to pay minimum salary, it simply pays them salaries lower than the minimum wages. Initially, a majority of the operators were not experienced and there were blunders in registration process. Obviously, the companies are required to train the operators, but, since these companies have allegedly ‘booked’ the senior officials in the department, there are no asker and teller. The operators were paid 2 to 4 thousand per month as salary and were not even provided with basic facilities. They were hired and fired without logic or reason. It is the generosity of the Sub Registrars that sustained them. In major cities the operators are tipped Rs.50 to 100 per scanning of a document. But in offices where the ‘income’ is meager, the operators are put to hardship. It is another matter that few operators in Bangalore offices have made a fortune by doubling as cashier for the SR or agents. This is only an exception rather a rule. 

 Arguably, the department should have stipulated that the companies pay a decent salary to its operators as bad working conditions may affect the registration process. Further, the public were forced to spend extra money and time to rectify mistakes in their documents committed by the operators. When mistakes became the order of the day, the then IGR issued a circular levying a penalty of Rs.1000 per mistake to the operators! Had the same been levied on the companies, things would have been different. How could an operator who barely gets 2 to 3 thousand salary, afford to pay this penalty? If there are more than one mistake the operator would rather quit the job than paying the penalty. 

 Interestingly, the contract has expired in June 2008. The department had made attempts to train its employees to take up the computerization from July 2008. But the training was simply name sake and the companies managed to get extensions after extensions and are completing nine years soon. And they continued the practice of paying meager salary to its operators. 

 Finally, the operators thought it fit to strike the work demanding higher pay and their absorption in the department. On 16th, they struck work and the works in the SR offices came to a stand still. For three days the picture was same. And on 4th day, the operators called off their strike and the business in the SR offices resumed as normal. For full three days, the SR offices ceased to function. The stoppage of works in the SR offices for three days is unheard of in the 140 year old history of the department. 

 Arguably, the department could have threatened the companies to terminate their contract if their operators are not paid fair salary. But it remained silent. Shockingly, the IGR and the revenue Secretary too remained silent. The IGR on his part should have directed the SRs to start the manual registration to avoid difficulties to the public. But the IGR Chandrashekar did not approve it and eventually, the public were denied their basic right of registration. Heavens would not have fallen if the SRs did manual registration and kept the documents pending, till things became clear. After clearing manual registration, the IGR would have provided intensive training to the department officials for computer registration. This is not difficult as majority of the staff and officials have computer knowledge. Within a week, they would have been ready to take up the registration. But neither the IGR nor the Bhoomi Secretary Rajiv Chawla were prepared to take this simple step. 

 Eventually, the department and the public suffered for three days, for no fault. This is the price the department and the public had to pay for the folly of few officials who ‘privatised’ the computerization. 

That is all.

Firoz.T.Totanawala The Bangalore Metro Reporter THE POLITICAL IMITATION! BSR CONGRESS, IMITATING YSR CONGRESS OF AP

BY Firoz.T.Totanawala 

 The Bangalore Metro Reporter

 

THE POLITICAL IMITATION! 

 BSR CONGRESS, IMITATING YSR CONGRESS OF AP

B.Sriramulu, is on a Padayatra from Bidar to Bengaluru. At the end of the Padayatra in Bengaluru, Sriramulu will announce the formation of BSR Congress, on the lines of YSR Congress in AP, owned by YSR’s son Jagan Mohan Reddy. The party is named after Jagan’s father late Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy, the former CM of AP. The Padayatra is also a copy of YSR’s Padayatra in AP before he became the CM. There is all the likelihood of YSR Congress and BSR Congress joining hands for the creation of Rayalseema Pradesh which will include bordering areas in Karnataka... 

 After B.S.Yeddyurappa was forced to resign, all the Reddy Brothers lost their minister ship and as their names figured in the Mining scam report, they were denied the berths. Sriramulu made all out efforts to become the minister. After Janaradhana Reddy was arrested by CBI and put behind bars and the virtual stop to the mining business, the Reddy Brothers were forced to rethink their strategy. Sriramulu, then resigned his Assembly seat to win by-election later. Before his resignation, the Reddy Brothers were planning to float a regional party and Sriramulu was their mascot. 

 Of course, the moment Sriramulu filed the nomination to the by-election; he gave enough indication of imitating YSR Congress of AP. Sriramulu got the ‘Fan’ as his election symbol which is the symbol of YSR Congress. During the election campaign itself, Sriramulu gave enough hints at forming a regional party and to portray himself as the champion of Backward Classes. As on now, he has succeeded in styling himself as the Valmiki leader. In fact, Sriramulu tried to get some support of ‘intellectuals’ cum politicians who could not succeed in politics. 

 As he wanted to imitate YSR Congress, Sriramulu decided to a name the party in his name itself - BSY Congress, which stands for B.Sriramulu. However, BSR to people is propagated as Badavara Shramikara Raithara Congress. He suffixed Congress so that BSR Congress and YSR Congress sounds similar. Thus, Sriramulu’s party has many similarities like pronunciation, election symbol and the naming the party in the name of an individual. 

 Now, what about the style of functioning? It is a well known fact that Jagan went on a tour cum padayatra in AP to express his gratitude to the love and affection shown by the people towards his father YSR. Similarly, Sriramulu is undertaking padayatra from Bidar to Bangaluru on the pretext of helping the people who are reeling under severe drought. 

 Arguably, one does not know what Sriramulu will achieve with his hi-tech Padayatra with meticulous planning and liberal expenses. Sriramulu in every meeting held during the Padayatra is lamenting about his ‘jailed’ friend Janardhana Reddy. He says that Janardhana Reddy is very innocent and he is being ‘fixed’ through conspiracies! His statements in this regard have made him a laughing stock. 

 Of course, Sriramulu’s Padayatra and his BSR Congress will be a ready made platform for the Reddy Brothers to start their political business afresh, after the release of Janardhana Reddy. Interestingly, YSR Congress’ Boss Jagan is also facing the threat of arrest by the CBI which is probing his amassing of wealth under the direction of the High Court. Already his close aids are in jail and the CBI may arrest Jagan any time from now. 

 There is another discreet tie up of BSR and YSR Congress. The tie up may trigger separate Rayalseema Pradesh comprising of Rayalseema region in AP with Bellary, Raichur and other bordering areas which sounds as their long term aim. Apparently, Sriramulu is playing AP politics in Karnataka. 

That is all.