BBMP chief ousted as Covid response falls apart in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Effecting a major reshuffle as the city reels under the Covid crisis, the Karnataka government shunted out BBMP commissioner BH Anil Kumar on Saturday and brought in his predecessor, N Manjunatha Prasad, currently principal secretary in the revenue department. Bengaluru is now among the worst-affected cities in the country, with more than 22,000 active cases.
Official sources said the state government’s failure to contain the Covid-19 situation in Bengaluru accelerated Kumar’s exit. The 1987-batch IAS officer, considered the blueeyed boy of CM BS Yediyurappa and revenue minister R Ashoka, is now being seen as the poster boy for administrative failures, especially the tottering response to the pandemic in the city. Kumar has been moved to the department of public enterprises as additional chief secretary.

The fall from favour — which many blamed for the failings in the city’s pandemic response and the resulting health crisis — was evident as the government and BBMP chief expressed conflicting views on extending the lockdown in Bengaluru. “In my personal opinion, the lockdown should be there for at least 15 days to break the cycle,” Kumar had said on Friday. An embarrassed Yediyurappa was later forced to clarify that the government has no plan to extend the lockdown since it is not a solution to contain the spread and would only add to the economic distress and fund crunch in the state.
Another sign of faltering virus fight
However, Kumar’s transfer only adds to the rapidly mounting tales of Covid mismanagement, marked even in the initial days by ego clashes between senior ministers.
Kumar was recently pulled up for his decision to rent bedsets at a whopping Rs 800 a day each for the Covid Care Centre at Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre (BIEC). The decision gave the opposition a handle to accuse the government of trying to profiteer from the health crisis. Facing flak and loss of face, Yediyurappa intervened and scrapped the earlier order, opting instead for a hire-purchase scheme to reduce the burden on the exchequer.
Kumar, who was in the initial days praised for his work in containing the virus spread, faced criticism from the Karnataka high court for BBMP’s failure to help people in containment zones, among other lapses. Sources in the government said pressure had been building against Kumar over the past two months after most Bengaluru MLAs complained to the CM’s office. “No MLA liked him. Everyone had a problem,” an officer said.
Another officer said Kumar also came under fire after a central team, which recently visited the state, flagged failing Covid surveillance in Bengaluru. Based on their findings, the Union home ministry reportedly pulled up Yediyurappa, forcing him to appoint ministers for Covid management in every zone in the city. Kumar replaced V Rashmi Mahesh, who has now been moved as secretary in the Kannada and culture department. Prasad will continue to hold charge of the revenue department, which includes disaster management, Bhoomi and UPOR.