JOIN USCitizens’ fears about the draft zoning regulations allowing commercial activities in residential areas echoed in the BBMP council on Monday.
Raising the matter, opposition BJP leader Padmanabha Reddy questioned the state government’s move of bringing out the draft regulations on zonal reclassification and building byelaws for Bengaluru ignoring the council of elected representatives in the municipal corporations.
“Such draft regulations are illegal because they have not been prepared in consultation with the local body of elected representatives and metropolitan planning committees,” said Reddy.
Reddy said, “Such an important matter was not discussed in the council.”
In his reply, BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad said the draft regulations do not apply to Bengaluru because the city is governed by the BDA Master Plan. He explained that discussions are on to bring a separate law to govern the BBMP.
Prasad added that building byelaws for Bengaluru are different from those for other cities.
Waving transparent cloths provided to BBMP school girls to stitch their frocks, Nandini Layout corporator K V Rajendra Kumar asked if this was the transparency in the Palike’s administration. “These substandard cloths have been given to girls to stitch their frocks. For the past two years, no new shoes have been given to students in Palike schools,” said Kumar.
Former Mayor N Shanthakumari questioned why school uniforms were not distributed at the beginning of the academic session.
Shanthakumari pointed out that the Palike had outsourced teachers to an organisation called Crystal. The primary and secondary school teachers hired by Crystal on contract are paid Rs 8,333 whereas college teachers are paid Rs 16,900. Crystal charges 4,854 as service charge from these college teachers.
BJP leader in the council Padmanabha Reddy pointed out that school teachers are paid less than Pourakarmikas
Corporators accused the health wing of the Palike of not taking adequate measures to check the spread of dengue.
DJ Halli corporator Sampathraj said enough fogging and spraying was not happening.
BBMP chief medical officer Dr Lokesh said there were 1,300 cases of dengue in the city, which could be only 10% of the total number of cases.
Lokesh said contractors have been assigned to do fogging and spraying. Corporators countered him saying that there was no fogging happening in their areas. Lokesh said he had proposed using GPS fitted autorickshaws engaged in spraying and fogging but the contractors went to court, where the matter is now pending.
Attur corporator Nethra Pallavi narrated the trauma her mother underwent when she was diagnosed with dengue. She said she spent Rs 5 lakh on her mother’s treatment.
BBMP commissioner N Manjunath Prasad apprised the House that the Palike will provide platelets to patients and that fogging will be intensified.