This beggars belief: BBMP relief fund also looted
Close on the heels of a series of scams being unearthed in the BBMP, it has now come to light that those in the Palike misused funds reserved for emergency works.
Information obtained by RTI activists revealed that Rs 223 crore under the Central Relief Fund (CRF) had been siphoned off.
The RTI Study Centre, which went into the details, says despite an allocation of only Rs 174.10 crore since 2006 for the fund, the expenditure had touched Rs 397.48 crore. It appears that an amount of Rs 223 crore, which was unaccounted for, has been spent.
S Amaresh, Managing Trustee of the Study Centre, blamed the last five commissioners of the BBMP for allowing such a huge scam.
Inquiring into scam
“The CRF comes under the Commissioner and the State government has no control under this head. We are asking the government to inquire into this scam through an independent body.”
It has asked the government to hold an inquiry against the Chief Accounts Officers and Deputy Controller of Finance, who are also responsible for the irregularities.
The Study Centre claims that the amount has not been utilised for the said purpose. Amaresh alleged BBMP had released excess money from the CRF for works that had not been executed.
“We had sought the list of works executed, but BBMP is not ready to give it.”
B H Veeresh, a trustee of the RTI Study Centre, demanded that the Palike re-instate the disbanded Vigilance Squad to keep a tab on its future expenses.
The Study Centre says it is contemplating to file a writ petition in the High Court of Karnataka with regard to the Rs 223-crore scam. Amaresh demanded that the chief minister, who holds the urban development portfolio for Bangalore, should look into the scam and order an investigation into the role of the previous five commissioners.
“Apart from this, the government should publish the list of works taken up under CRF,” he said.
The trail
Commissioner Year Amount Amount
released spent
under CRF
Jyothiramalingam 2006-07 Rs 5 cr Rs 26 cr
K Jairaj 2007-08 Rs 25.76 cr Rs 43.83 cr
Dr S Subramanya 2008-09 Rs 30 cr Rs 107.78 cr
Bharath Lal Meena 2009-10 Rs 50 cr Rs 178.08 cr
Meena/Siddaiah 2010-11 Rs 63.34 cr Rs 40.82 cr (Works till Dec 2010)
