Big cable mafia in Bengaluru, says House Committee

The Committee recommended avoiding misuse of funds meant for Bescom's ambitious project

Wary of a 'mafia', the Legislature Committee on Government Assurances has warned of irregularities worth hundreds of crores in projects taken up by Bescom to lay high tension/low tension (HT/LT) cables underground or as aerial bunches.

The project is being implemented in four phases in Bengaluru city limits at a cost of Rs 5,325 crore.

The Committee, in its report tabled in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, recommended setting up a coordination committee to implement the scheme and to avoid misuse of funds meant for the ambitious project.

"There is a big mafia behind the installation of cables and underground drainage systems in Bengaluru," the Committee under BJP MLA K Raghupathy Bhat noted.

It recommended entrusting the maintenance of underground or aerial bunches of HT/LT cables for a period of five years to the same contractor who installed them.

Along with that, a coordination committee will also be formed within BBMP limits so as to avoid misuse of funds worth hundreds of crores during the implementation of the project.

According to a report submitted by the Committee, the project, as per officials will be completed within the next three years.

Under the first phase of the project, underground or aerial bunches of HT/LT will be installed in 15 sub-divisions of Bescom in the first phase, 14 in the second, 10 in third and 13 in the fourth. While works of the first and second phases are in progress, the tender process for phase three was complete and works are expected to be taken up shortly. The tender for the fourth phase of the project is yet to be floated.