Corporator alleges misuse of Palike funds

Yediyur Corporator N R Ramesh (BJP), on Monday, alleged large-scale embezzlement of funds in the name of road repairs. 

Briefing reporters, he said, despite the Palike spending a whopping Rs 17,802 crore over the last decade, on City roads, their condition remain as pathetic and poor as ever. 

“If we put together all the roads in Karnataka and Kerala, the total money required to develop them is merely Rs 15,000 crore whereas between April 1, 2003 and March 31, 2013, the BBMP spent Rs 17,802 crore on Bangalore roads,” Ramesh said.

Ramesh stressed on the need for Road History Register (RHR) to avoid duplication of works, job code scam and fake bill menace. He emphasised there was an urgent need for online mechanism and computerisation of works to check forgery.

He claimed that the municipal corporation of Bangalore had 1,534 properties in City, which have now reduced to 598. The successive governments and the municipal bodies sold out 936 properties, said Ramesh. 

‘Property sold for a song’

Yediyur corporator N R Ramesh on Monday brought to light a “flaw” by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), which resulted in a property being sold at a price much below its actual value.

A BBMP building on a piece of land measuring 91,160 sq ft in Langford Town was sold at Rs 1.2 crore in 2007, when the property, in fact, was worth over Rs 200 crore. 

According to Ramesh, BBMP had in 1993 entered into an agreement with an individual named Shyamaraju (of Company India Private Limited), according to which, upon completion, 40 per cent of the property would be owned by BBMP and 60 per cent by the developers. Once the work was completed, the Palike decided to sell the property to Shyamaraju. However, the sale deed was not executed for 12 years. 

On March 21, 2007, BBMP and Shyamaraju sold the property to Indus Entrepreneurs, in violation of certain rules. The sale deed was executed without the permission of the then Commissioner K Jayaraj. The present value of the property is estimated at Rs 300 crore, Ramesh alleged.

He demanded that Palike Commissioner M Lakshminarayana initiate action against those involved in this scam and recover the property. Lakshminarayana said he had directed the estates division of the Palike to look into the matter. “If there is any illegality, we will not spare anyone,” he said.