By Firoz.T.Totanawala
The Bangalore Metro Reporter
IN THE NAME OF DEVELOPMENT!
MULTI CRORE BBMP SCAM
The Multi Crore works scam in BBMP is not a new phenomenon. It is going on since many decades. But, the present scam is much larger than any previous scams. In the past three years, the unholy nexus between the concerned authorities have defrauded thousands of crores.
The other day, the BBMP Commissioner Siddaiah was shifted and Shankaralinge Gowda was brought in his place, in a swift operation. Siddaiah who entrusted the Rs. 1500 crore works scam to BMTF for a thorough probe invited the wrath of the ruling BJP. The Mayor and other leaders of the ruling party took serious exception to this and demanded his ouster. They argued that Siddaiah had not consulted the Mayor or Dy. Mayor before ordering the BMTF probe. In fact, the BMTF acted swiftly and seized many important documents and before it started the probe in all earnestness, fire broke out in the BMTF office where records were kept.
The fire ignited the suspicion that it was a deliberate attempt to hush up the scams in RR Nagar, Gandhinagar and Malleswaram Zones. Matters turned to worse after BMTF arrested an Executive Engineer. The engineers protested the arrest and Siddaiah wrote a letter to the government for referring the scam to the Lokayukta for thorough investigation. But, he was transferred and even the probe was diverted from BMTF to CID.
It all started in 2008 when BJP came to power. The BJP won 18 seats in Bangalore City and the ruling party MLAs opposed elections to the BBMP. The government succumbed to the pressure and went on postponing the BBMP elections on one or the other pretexts. The MLAs to cement their hold on their constituencies made the then CM Yeddyurappa, to earmark hundreds of crores to each MLAs for works in their constituencies. Dr. Subramanya, the then Commissioner, catered to the need of every MLA by releasing unimaginable money to the works.
And thus started the day light loot. Bogus works, works on paper and sub standard works became the order of the day.
Acting under High Court orders, the government finally held the BBMP elections and the BJP got a comfortable majority. But still, some corporators proved to be a thorn, particularly those who belonged to different parties.
Then, in the last two years, the Corporators grew tremendously and MLAs were sidelined in many areas. The Corporators also started demanding their pound of flesh from the works.
It is another matter that BBMP has not much finance to execute the multi crore works. It depends on the government for huge grants. As luck would have it, the central government provided financial assistance to the BBMP to the tune of more than 25000 crores over the last four years, under JnNURM. These funds are project specific and cannot be appropriated for other works. But here too, the BBMP engineers have used a major chunk of grants to other works. If the central government conducts a detailed audit on the JnNURM funds and its utilisation, one can be sure of the funds getting stopped.
To be precise, the Rs. 1500 crore works scam in RR Nagar, Gandhinagar and Malleswaram are only the tip of the iceberg. In Malleswaram and Gandhinagar, one can say that there is no scope for developmental works worth hundreds of crores as these areas are fully developed. There are good roads, good sanitation and water supply. There are fully developed parks and play grounds and even footpaths are well maintained. When this being the case, where is the scope for spending hundreds of crores in these fully developed areas? The same is the case with the 100 wards of BMP before it became BBMP in 2007 after merger of CMCs and 110 villages with it. It is the newly added CMC and village areas that needed the development projects.
If one has to take all these into consideration, the BBMP has spent more than 20000 crores in the last three years towards development projects especially roads. And the hard fact is that there is no much scope for spending such huge amount in the BMP areas and on the contrary, the newly added CMCs and villages have continued to suffer negligence.
Siddaiah is being questioned for entrusting the probe to BMTF without consulting the Mayor. Also, his efforts to refer the case to the Lokayukta are being fired.
Whatsoever, no one can claim innocence in the scam which may be worth Rs. 10000 crores! As the probe is handed over to CID, one can see a decent burial as everybody is involved, like the old saying goes ‘Hamam me Sab nange hai!
And that is all.
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