Mayor blames govt for failures during term

I did not get grants for new projects, says Nataraj

“I cannot say that I am satisfied with my tenure as the Mayor of BBMP. Simply because I could not achieve everything that I had envisaged,” said S K Nataraj, who will demit office next month at the end of his one-year tenure, at an interaction with the media at the Press Club of Bangalore.

 A volley of queries were posed to Nataraj from the rumours of extending his tenure to that of road widening in the City by the media. He avoided most questions by pointing fingers at the State government, saying it was the ‘final’ authority. However, Nataraj did clarify that he was no “dummy” Mayor.

“I have been given a free hand with regard to decisions related to the BBMP,” he said.

On why, despite several attempts, the funds-starved BBMP had received no grants from the State government, Nataraj said the Palike was not seeking any fresh allocations for projects.

“We are asking the State government grants for projects undertaken by the MLAs in the City. The support we are asking for is towards the unpaid bills that have piled up since we were elected to power,” he countered.

However, Nataraj expressed hopes of receiving the funds in the near future.

“Even the Chief Minister was keen on providing us the grants. However, the timing was not proper and hence there has been an indefinite delay,” he said.  With regard to  the extension of of his tenure or even the truncated tenures of the Chairmen of 11 Standing Committee who were elected in October 2010, the Mayor stated that it was up to the State government to decided.

“I have not petitioned the chief minister for the extension of my tenure. With regard to the tenure of chairmen of the Standing Committees, the government will take a call,” he said.