BBMP

Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited

BJP

Manjunath Reddy

Satyanarayana

taxation and finance

Central Business District

time

Ejipura

Bengaluru

Hemalatha

Koramangala

Taxation

Municipal Council

CMC

TMC

That’s the amounthas put up for grabs; if you couldn’t figure it out, you are not a contractorTalk about abdicating responsibility, the BBMP has decided to outsource all kinds of civil activities to the(KRIDL) which is a government undertaking. These will run into more than Rs 8,500 crore over the next two years.The decision was taken to avoid the tendering process, which would have forced transparency on the procurement process. The decision to outsource was a unanimous one, taken during the monthly council meeting. A fewcorporators did, however, demand that funds reserved for the developments of 110 villages -- inducted during the formation of BBMP in 2007 – not be given to an outside agency.Mayor BNdefended the council’s decision though he approved it only after ruling party leader RSproposed to take civil works through the KRIDL. These funds include grants allotted by the state government, development funds reserved for 110 villages, funds reserved under the BBMP’s own budget, mayor and deputy mayor fund and funds recommended by the standing committee onSpeaking to Bangalore Mirror, Reddy maintained that there was pressure from corporators belonging to the core city (100 wards including the) and from those representing 110 villages.“I have convened a meeting of corporators representing these 110 villages on Thursday and the same will be informed to the council,” the mayor said.The mayor says that tenders have been invited on more than four occasions but contractors have not participated. “Time is being wasted with tenders being re-invited and the taxpayer’s money is also getting wasted. The engineers are unable to execute works for which Rs 1,250 crore in grants have been allotted by the state government during 2015-16. We are yet to utilise these funds and the government is all set to release another Rs 7,300 crore over the next two years.”“We want funds to be used, and just to cutwe have decided to outsource the civil works to the KRIDL. But if required we will also invite tenders,” he added.The funds allotted by the state government will be utilised for various developmental activities like white-topping of important roads; TenderSURE projects; construction of grade separators in signal-free corridors; development of footpaths and markets; on stormwater drains; and flyover construction nearand Shivananda circle flyover, sources added.Meanwhile, Padmanabh Reddy, the BJP’s leader-in-council criticised the move and said that the party was opposing the works allotted for the development of 110 villages because funds won’t be utilised properly.“We fear that it would not reach the real beneficiary,” he added.This is not the first time the BBMP has diverted funds to the KRIDL, which is already under a scanner for shoddy work incity.In fact, The BBMP diverted Nagarothana grants, released in 2013-14 to KRIDL for asphalting of roads. Earlier, in January, the mayor diverted Rs 99 crore; deputy mayor SPdiverted Rs 25 crore (allotted for remodeling of stormwater drains in Challaghatta, Hebbala andvalleya); while the standing committee onand Finance diverted Rs 30 crore allotted for maintenance of roads and flyovers, and maintenance of BBMP markets and special developments works in seven City) and one Town Municipal Council () areas.