With the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) unable to clear the dues of a garbage contractor, a city civil court has ordered seizure of three vehicles allotted to the civic body’s top brass.
The City Civil Court recently issued a warrant based on a petition by Harish, a garbage contractor who had approached the court after the BBMP failed to pay him ₹66 lakh for services rendered. After hearing the case, the civil court issued a seizure warrant for three vehicles registered under the commissioner's name. The three vehicles – KA01 ME 3809, KA 01 MN 9930, and KA 01 MN 8424 – are used by BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad, Special Commissioner (Solid Waste Management) D. Randeep and Joint Commissioner (SWM) Sarfaraz Khan.
Mr. Prasad said he would discuss the issue with the BBMP's Legal Cell. “There are certain conditions and time limits before pending bills are cleared. We have never claimed anywhere that the bills will not be cleared,” he said.
‘Medical negligence’
Meanwhile, at the BBMP council meet on Wednesday, several councillors demanded action against a private hospital in Frazer Town whose alleged negligence during an operation led to the death of a 40-year-old councillor.
Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said the BBMP had written to the Karnataka Medical Council about the issue. She said the council had taken cognisance of the BBMP's letter and had summoned authorities of the hospital for an enquiry.
White paper on BBMP
Political mud-slinging over the civic body’s budget followed the adjournment of the council meeting.
Padmanabha Reddy, Opposition Leader in the BBMP council, claimed just 5% of the ₹10,129 crore outlay had been spent, and demanded a white paper on implementation of the budget proposals.
He told reporters that he said several schemes remain on paper, particularly listing out welfare schemes which had been allotted ₹769 crore. “Just three months remain in the current financial year. The administration has not implemented anything that was announced in the budget,” he said.
Countering the charges, Ruling Party Leader M. Shivaraju claimed 65% implementation so far. “The highest allocation of various grants have gone to wards with BJP councillors. That apart, even for construction of homes under 'Onti Maney' scheme, allocation of funds has been the highest in the wards with BJP councillors,” he said.
Pink Baby scheme extended
The BBMP has decided to extend the ‘Pink Baby’ scheme, which would give financial assistance to those born in their hospitals on the first day of the new year, this year as well.
Under the scheme, the civic body will deposit ₹5 lakh in the name of each girl baby born through natural delivery at any of the BBMP's 24 hospitals in the city on January 1.
The scheme was announced last year by former mayor R. Sampath Raj. The interest from the deposit account is to be used for the child's education. One girl baby was born in a BBMP hospital on January 1, 2018.
Mayor Gangambike Mallikarjun said ₹1.20 crore had been set aside for the scheme this year.