Cash-starved Palike spends Rs 23L for four-minute theme song

The financially ‘ailing’ Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has spent a whopping Rs 23.6 lakh on the making of a 4-minute theme song and a short documentary film to promote Namma Bengaluru, Nanna Koduge (My contribution to our Bangalore), a public-private partnership initiative.

 Namma Bengaluru, Nanna Koduge (NBNK), a brainchild of the Palike, was designed to generate funds from private firms, NGOs and other social organisations and involve them in building and protecting infrastructure in the City.

Though NBNK is a good initiative, the manner in which the fund-raiser was kick-started gives a clear idea about the root cause of Palike’s woeful financial management.

Documents available with Deccan Herald show that the Palike spent Rs 23.6 lakh on the project. Palike gave the contract to make the film and the theme song to Marketing Consultants and Agencies Limited (MCAL), which did it in association with Maya, a video production company, owned by Maya Chandra.

The theme song and the short  film was directed by Ajay Kumar. Vijay Prakash of ‘Jai Ho’ fame, Vasu Dixit, Ritisha Padmanabh, Shashank and Manojava have lent their voice for the song.

The documentary film showcases the history of the City and its transformation into a metropolitan.

The short film also claims Bangalore as a City of  ‘clean lakes’.

The Palike had awarded contract to the MCAL in February 2013. The MCAL was paid Rs 10 lakh as first installment on February 7, 2013. The balance amount of Rs 13.6 lakh was paid only this month.

While awarding the contract, the Palike had categorically told the MCAL about its content. The Palike said that the video does not detail the facts of the initiative but would only give a momentum to the cause of involving corporates, businesses and others.