Minister conducts second inspection
District in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy and Mayor Manjunath Reddy during their inspection across the city on
Tuesday (Photo: DC)
Bengaluru: District-in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy’s second inspection to find potholes in East division turned out to be a city tour. And despite taking a tour across Ulsoor, Murphy Town, Hoysala Nagar, Old Madras Road, BEML Junction and NGEF, the minister could spot only two potholes. While he spotted a pothole at Vijayanagar arch in BEML Junction, another was seen in C.V Raman Nagar.
Justifying why potholes still existed in many parts of the city, he blamed the past week’s rains. “Though I had set a deadline for BBMP officials to fill all the potholes due to the continuous rainfall they are unable to meet the deadline. Pothole repair works are in progress across the city, and no matter how difficult, the city will be pothole free in the next few weeks,” he assured.
When informed that asphalt was wearing out from potholes, he maintained it was a result of the heavy rains as the asphalt needs time to set inside pothole but the rain was washing it away. During the inspection, Mr Reddy also monitored garbage management and conditions of roads in Ulsoor ward, Hoysala Nagar ward and BEML Junction. Noticing that piles of garbage were dumped on main road and was also burnt in a storm water drain in Ulsoor Road, the Minister suspended Srinivas, an assistant engineer (ward no 99) and levied Rs 50,000 fine on the ward contractor. Later, he directed Chief Engineer Prasad to go on punishment leave for 10 days and asked him to monitor works. Broken footpath slabs, open sewage chambers and hanging cable wires were also noticed in Ulsoor Road.
In BEML Junction too, the Minister noticed that garbage was not cleared regularly and he suspended AEE Vijaykumar on the spot. He levied Rs 50,000 on the garbage contractor.
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer Noor-Ul-Ameen was directed to go on punishment leave for 15 days and submit report on solid management and road infrastructure in Ulsoor ward.
For these women corporators, it was just a jolly trip!
As district-in-charge minister Ramalinga Reddy walked from road to road looking for potholes, broken footpaths, rotting garbage and overflowing drains, most of the newly-elected women corporators sat in an AC bus, relaxing. While there was a lot to learn for them and understand administration and garbage management, at every stop they only asked, “Should we get down? But what for!?”
This ‘gang of women’ unanimously decided that there was no point in getting down to see what the minister was inspecting or directing the BBMP officials. While one woman corporator said it was not her ward and it was not her concern her, another said, “What are we supposed to go do there?” Funnily, she didn’t even make an attempt to find out what a corporator was supposed to do during such inspections!
There were more excuses too. Another corporator felt that she would not get a chance to speak as the minister and mayor would hog the limelight. “The media will only want to talk to the minister or Mayor Manjunath Reddy. We won’t get a chance to speak. Let’s stay back in the bus.” One corporator even went on to say that it was hot outside and the minister’s unplanned inspection wasted her day. “I don’t think the minister will visit my ward. I should have been informed about the plan earlier, at least then I wouldn’t have wasted my day.”
Most of these women corporators got inside the bus when the inspection started and got down only when the ‘jolly city tour’ ended. Most of these corporators were from Sarvagna Nagar constituency.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
Next Story
