By Qamar ZJ
For years, Bellandur has been crying for more funds to better its weak infrastructure. However, BBMP has executed only 10% of the works approved for 2019-20. This was not the case in the previous years where the majority of the funds were utilised as the chart indicates below. What is damning is that when the residents approach the authorities, they cite lack of funds. Or execute works that are so sub-standard that the re-tarred road is back to square one within months.
15/117 projects were executed in 2019-20
Out of the 117 projects in 2019-2020, only 15 are shown to be executed on paper. A citizen audit needs to be done to check if these are done as per norms, or only exist on paper. According to Bengaluru Navanirmana Party’s citizen portal which has sourced its data from the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, Rs 69 crore worth of projects were to be executed by March 2020, but only Rs 6.7 crore were used. If we look at the unspent works in the last five years in Bellandur ward, only Rs 41 crore was used out of the approved Rs 111 crore.
No progress on ground leads to non-utilisation of funds
The resident welfare associations are quite aware about it. “The funds are announced, but not used with audit,” says Vishnu Prasad of Kasavanahalli Development Forum (KDF). “That’s always the case. Many of these would be due to lack of progress, among other things.”
Ward Committees are filled with political cronies
Citizen and political apathy are two other reasons for the complete mismanagement and non-utilisation of funds. “Most apartment dwellers are not bothered,” says Bellandur civic activist Valli Srinivasan. “In Kasavanahalli, we have many activists who directly raise development issues with the BBMP. I have also attended many Bellandur ward meetings and raised several issues. The problem is that most ward committee members are the corporator’s friends who agree with the politician on everything they say.”
BBMP Commissioner should directly appoint ward committee members
The issue of the composition of the ward committee was raised in May 2020 by CIVIC Bangalore, a non-profit citizens’ initiative for a better Bangalore. In her memorandum to chief minister BS Yedyyurappa, CIVIC’s executive trustee Kathyayini Chamaraj has stressed that the members of the ward committee should be directly appointed by the BBMP Commissioner, according to the KMC Act. The current practice of delegating this duty to the corporators goes against the spirit of the law.
All the unexecuted projects of BBMP in Bellandur in 2019-20
A ‘social audit’ is the need of the hour
A number of projects are hanging fire and our calls and messages to both former corporator Asha Suresh and BBMP nodal officer Valu Rathod went unanswered. We will update this story, if we hear from them. A ‘social audit’ either by the residents, using the data available on the citizen portal, or by BNP’s ward level coordinators would nail the people involved in the mismanagement of funds. Importantly, this would usher in some form of checks and balances that will result in more transparency and accountability in BBMP’s way of working.
