Redundant works draining BBMP funds

Bangalore: With the BBMP’s finances in doldrums, experts suggest it is time it curbed its wasteful expenditure and  stopped building unwanted infrastructure for the city.

Pointing out that the underpass at Tagore Junction was built despite strong opposition from the public, a former top officer of the civic body  says such civil works are draining BBMP’s  funds  “About 30 per cent of the works taken up in wards is unwanted or redundant,” he says.

Former opposition leader in the BBMP council,  M. K. Gunashekar too stresses that  wasteful expenditure must be curbed.  “The administration must be streamlined as the BBMP has created more  posts than it needs and  is paying a  hefty salary to these officers. The cars and mobile phones given to low rung engineers must be withdrawn and  procuring of new vehicles stopped.

Officials and corporators must stop going on foreign junkets until the BBMP becomes financially stable,”  he underlines, also suggesting that  the agency reassess its properties given on lease and its joint ventures to make sure that it collects rent or lease on par with the market fee.

“Lack of financial discipline is glaring in the absence of auditing over the last three years and the BBMP has not taken any measures to recover  Rs. 750 crore as suggested by  the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG),”  he regrets.