BBMP dilly-dallying with Rs 1,300 crore?

BBMP's budget for 2010-11 is Rs 8,848 crore and over Rs 1,300 crore was allocated to three important departments, but crucial projects undertaken have not moved forward

BBMP dilly-dallying with Rs 1,300 crore?

BBMP's budget for 2010-11 is Rs 8,848 crore and over Rs 1,300 crore was allocated to three important departments, but crucial projects undertaken have not moved forward
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The failure on BBMP's part in implementing various projects taken up by them has yet again resulted in a huge loss to the state exchequer. Of the Rs 8,848 crore budget of the BBMP for the year 2010-11, over Rs 1,300 crore was allocated to the three important departments.

Fully loaded? Around Rs 500 crore wasu00a0 allocated to the health
department, Rs 600 crore to the forest and horticulture department and
Rs 200 crore to the welfare department

Around Rs 500 crore were allocated to the health department, Rs 600 crore to the forest and horticulture department and Rs 200 crore to the Welfare department. With neither of these departments implementing the crucial projects undertaken by them last year, the state exchequer continues to bear the loss caused.

"Each department has over 15 employees, who are expected to follow a plan charted out for each project taken up by them. Most of these departments have vacant positions and the department heads do not ask for a daily report from the employees. This is why by the end of the month, there is very little work that can be shown in the monthly report to the commissioner," said an insider from the BBMP.

Shield bearer?
The commissioner and the mayor are battling the opposition to safeguard their positions, instead of cracking the whip on their own departments. While Mayor R Sharadamma continues to make statements against criticism she has been garnering for her loose tongue, Deputy Mayor S Harish is trying hard to shield her from the media.
BBMP Commissioner H Siddhaiah is busy working on damage control overall. When questioned about this huge loss caused, he blamed the almost empty bank balance of the BBMP. "We have no funds right now. We will have to first find out if these projects are even necessary and based on our resource position, we will try to implement them," he said.

No nod yet
An insider from the health wing of the BBMP revealed that the department has not been regular in submitting their monthly report. An official from the welfare department claims that they have not received a nod from the panel to go ahead with the projects announced late last year. The town-planning cell had a deadline for implementing two important projects, which lapsed two months ago. The lake development department remains vacant for almost 15 days of the month and the authorities have not yet used the Rs 150 crore allocated to them for cleaning up lakes in the city. The Welfare department was allocated Rs 1.24 crore to implement projects in various areas, but although the projects were implemented, there has been no follow up.

Rethinking
"We are trying hard to find out why the projects have not been implemented, but we will have to rethink some of these projects first," argues the commissioner. Losses have reached a new high in just six months this year and with the figure growing with each passing year, it seems like the BBMP is landing itself in more soup with each passing day.