Spat between IPS officer D Roopa and Namma Bengaluru Foundation turns ugly

BENGALURU: IPS officer Roopa D Moudgil's refusal to accept the Namma Bengaluru award ahead of the announcement of winners on Sunday has now resulted in an all-out war between the foundation and the officer. Both the sides put out statements on Monday accusing the other of meddling with the selection of winners. 

While Namma Bengaluru Foundation has accused the officer of relentlessly lobbying to get the award, Roopa has questioned the basis of selecting the jury members who happen to be members of political parties and businessmen involved in government projects.

In a statement, NBF said the officer had lobbied to be given the award for an outstanding government official of the year. The statement said, "There were multiple communications by this nominee to lobby to the jury, NBF team and the trustees. This person had engaged with jury extensively and did not mention a word of these newly discovered 'views' at any stage of her interaction." The foundation clarified that Roopa had not been offered the award at any point of time and that her letter was written only after she realised that the award was not going to be given to her.

However, the officer issued a point by point rebuttal saying that there was no way that she could be aware that the award was not given to her. "The NBF by saying that I knew the results have admitted that the whole process was rigged. Their rules state that the awardees are not announced till the last moment," she said.

Roopa added that she had participated in the process at a time when the foundation was not affiliated to any political party. "It is only recently that the MD has joined a political party and my move came after this development," she said.  Roopa also questioned the composition of the jury and said that some of the members bore a grudge against the government. “Some projects have not been awarded to them by the Government and they bear a grudge against the Government. Why should a government servant be party to all this?,” she questioned. 

According to Roopa, the Foundation challenged the views of the government with regard to several projects like the steel flyover, maintenance of lakes and other issues which made it ‘improper’ for a government servant to receive the award from the foundation.

The award, announced on Sunday, was presented to Dipika Bajpai, an Indian Forest Service officer posted as a Deputy Conservator of Forests.