JOIN USA workshop organised by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) to enlighten BBMP administrative officers and engineers on provisions of certain laws, had only two participants on Day One.
Only BBMP Special Commissioner (Project) B G Nanda Kumar and the BBMP East Zone Chief Engineer K S Krishnaswamy attended the event organised on Thursday, to enlighten the BBMP administrative officers and engineers about the provisions of various laws which warrant them to act upon complaints by the individuals and failure to deliver justice to aggrieved persons could land them in legal hassle.
“It was too short a notice to respond. We should have been told about this workshop at least seven days in advance,” said Nanda Kumar.
But, BMTF Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) R P Sharma said the message was given well in advance. “The engineers did not require any prior notice to stage dharna against the BMTF on the BBMP premises,” Sharma quipped.
Misconceptions
In his presentation, the BMTF Chief blamed the jurisdictional officers who had failed to provide justice to the aggrieved parties.
He also pointed out that the previous BBMP Commissioner Bharat Lal Meena had issued a circular asking the engineers to curb building plan violations but no one complied with his order.The aggrieved people present there aired their grievances at the meeting.
Gopal Rao, an office-bearer of the Malleswaram Residents’ Welfare Association said that the BBMP gave a chunk of land in Malleswaram for Veda Patashala, but the beneficiary in turn built a temple, a marriage hall and a commercial complex with shops. Despite several complaints, no one acted on it, which made him lodge complaint with the BMTF.
The BMTF ADGP told the gathering that the Task Force had twice organised similar meetings in the past to resolve matter between the complaining parties and the engineers. He said the BMTF has so far registered 28 cases out of 48 complaints it received. Within a span of two months the charge sheets against the engineers who did not act would be filed before court, he said.
Special Commissioner Nanda Kumar admitted that the complaints given by the individuals are genuine and the engineers should have acted upon them. He said he would discuss the matter with the commissioner. Chief Engineer Krishnaswamy blamed the builders for building plan violations. “We work under tremendous political pressure, so we cannot act tough. The onus to ensure violation-free buildings lie only on the builders and not the engineers,” he said.
Nanda Kumar snubbed the Chief Engineer in the meeting for his statement and reminded him that no one is supposed to buckle under any pressure and give statements in the public that only expose their inadequacy.