MLAs hindering development works in Bengaluru, blame corporators

Bengaluru: Cutting across the party affiliations, corporators alleged that their constituency MLAs have been putting spoke in the ward level development works leading to poor infrastructure and corporators being put on mat.

During the council meet held on Thursday, some of the corporators alleged that MLAs have been politicizing and preventing corporators from taking up road works and this is affecting the relationship between MLA and corporators.
Vannarpet corporator K. Shivakumar alleged that necessary preparations were made for two months for asphalting Nala Road in Vannarpet ward which falls under Shantinagar constituency.

Asphalting work was scheduled on December 22. Unfortunately, Shivakumar alleged that, the BBMP officials did not turn up for asphalt work following the directions from Shantinagar constituency MLA N. A. Harris.

Although the officials are employed by the BBMP they take orders from the legislators and ignore corporators,  Shivakumar said.

Echoing the non co-operation from their legislator, Manjula Narayanaswamy corporator from Laggere ward said that she too faced the similar problem in her ward. Legislator Munirathna alleged that asphalting work has been prevented by the MLA deliberately.

Former Mayor N. Shantakumar said that earlier both legislator and corporator functioned in co-ordination for the welfare of the wards but now the relation between the legislator and MLA has rotten. The other corporators in the house supported it by tapping the tables.

Encroachment near Lalbagh
Mayor G. Padmavathi directed BBMP town planning authorities to submit a report in the next fortnight on the alleged encroachment of buffer zone of the drain near Lalbagh by a reputed builder. Even as the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been cracking the whip and set a new increased buffer zone for construction activities, violation of buffer zones has been going on unabated, alleged Govindarajanagar corporator Umesh Shetty.

‘Make list of leased properties’
Mayor G. Padmavathi directed BBMP (Estate) officials to make a directory on BBMP properties leased and those properties whose lease period have expired. Earlier, opposition leader Padmanabha Reddy alleged that 1,450 sq. feet of BBMP property located on Kasturba Road was given to UB city in 1970 in exchange of land next to Ganesha temple.

Road block removed
Residents of Toobarahalli village were relieved when BBMP joint commissioner Venkatachalapathy and Doddanekkundi corporator Shwetha Vijaykumar ensured that the blockage on the road was removed. Earlier, corporator Shwetha broke down in the council stating that a few rowdy elements have blocked the 40 feet road by fencing the area and leaving just narrow eight feet. At least 3,000 people were finding it difficult to access their houses and apartments.