Hundreds of BBMP employees had gathered at the Gayathri Vihar at Palace Grounds to enjoy the lunch. Several vehicles of the BBMP officials had lined up at the venue by the afternoon. Inside the marquee the feast was on with a number of dishes on the menu.
The entire stretch from Bellary Road to Sagar Party Hall at Palace Grounds was full of posters, announcing the BBMP's meeting inside the Gayathri Vihar. However, there were no signs of meeting inside. BBMP Administrator Dilip Rau, BBMP Commissioner Dr S Subramanya, Deputy Commissioner U A Vasanth Rao were also present with some senior officials.
The size of the party can be gauged from the fact that Rs 20 lakh were spent on it.
Nearly 2,000 employees enjoyed the grand feast. It was learnt that the Sagar Caterers had got the contract. Besides the BBMP employees, officials from some other departments were also the invitees.
When contacted, a member of the BBMP Employees’ Association claimed that his organisation had arranged it. “Our association is quite strong. We had organised the party,” the officer said. The reason he gave was that the tax collection was more than the expectation so the association decided to celebrate it. Why did the association spend such a huge amount for the BBMP's achievement? There was no reply.
Commissioner’s reply
“We did not sponsor the feast. The officers of the tax collection department had organised it. They had invited me for the feast so I came here," said BBMP Commissioner Dr S Subramanya. He further added that the tax collection department has done a tremendous job and the BBMP wanted to host such a party looking into their performance but law never permits any government department to hold such a party.
However, a BBMP employee revealed that the message was circulated through the BBMP Control Room inviting all the employees for the lunch. The message reportedly said the party is from the BBMP Commissioner. “You are all invited for the party organised by the BBMP Commissioner, the message said,” the employee told Deccan Herald.
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