The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: As many as 314 engineers of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) are likely to face disciplinary action for their involvement in the misappropriation of funds amounting to Rs 1,539 crore more than a decade ago.
The state government is reviewing the investigation report prepared by the then one-man commission of retired High Court Judge H N Nagamohan Das, which had confirmed significant irregularities in the approval of bills pertaining to civil works carried out between 2008 and 2010. The BBMP did not have an elected body during this period.
For the past four months, the Urban Development Department (UDD) and the BBMP have been holding weekly meetings to follow up on the one-man commission report, which was submitted in 2018 but had remained largely ignored due to a shift in state leadership. The commission had found instances of fake billing, double billing, etc. on civil works in constituencies such as RR Nagar, Gandhinagar and Malleswaram.
Notably, approximately 250 pages of the report — specifically related to engineers in RR Nagar who were charged — are 'missing'. This became evident after the UDD wrote a formal request to the BBMP on September 23, seeking these files. Interestingly, the BBMP has not provided the same yet.
The report, which spans an estimated 6,000 pages, is back on the table for discussion after members of the Legislative Council raised concerns about the lack of action against the wrongdoers, even after investigations by multiple agencies, including the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF), uncovered irregularities. An assurance committee of the Legislative Council was tasked with following up on the matter.
Citing a directive from the assurance committee, the UDD has started the inquiry by seeking a full list of all 314 engineers involved in the irregularity, categorised by their current postings, retirement status, and whether they are deceased.
Initially, the BBMP provided only partial information, prompting the department to issue another letter demanding comprehensive details. In response, the BBMP has formed special investigation teams to liaise with the government.
UDD's additional chief secretary SR Umashankar and BBMP's chief commissioner Tushar Girinath did not respond to calls.