MCC on austerity spree withdraws mobile SIMs of corporators, officials

Move initiated after bills run into lakhs; Mayor wants order revoked

As a result of the state government’s order to maintain austerity, the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has withdrawn 200 mobile phone SIMs from 65 corporators and also officials.

The MCC withdrew the Common User Group (CUG) sims after the bills of a few corporators and also a few officials ran into lakhs of rupees.

Based on the directions issued by the state government, MCC Commissioner G Jagadeesha wrote a letter to the BSNL to discontinue the service on April 27, 2017. The mobile phone service extended to corporators had helped people in reaching their area corporators easily because the last two digits of the numbers allotted to each corporator was their respective ward number. Similar numbers were given to the officials as well but the MCC had to pay up Rs 8 lakh per month on an average and hence the service has been withdrawn.

The move has not gone down well with many officials in the MCC. An official, on condition of anonymity, said that instead of withdrawing the services, the MCC should have given a slot for additional recharge.

Corporator J S Jagadeesh said that it is an insult to the people’s representative as the MCC officials have withdrawn the services abruptly without even giving a notice. “The officials could have given a grace period till at least a list of the personal numbers of all the 65 corporators was published adequately. My SIM has not been functioning since Saturday afternoon. Last night, underground water had gushed into the house of an elderly couple due to heavy rains in the midnight. Most of the people in my ward know my official number and have been trying to call me. As they could not reach me, the couple had to suffer immensely,” he said.

When pointed out that the bills of a few numbers was exorbitant, he said people who were misusing the facility should have been pulled up. It is not proper to inconvenience all for the fault of a few errant users, he said.

 MCC Commissioner Jagadeesha was however, not available for comment.

Reconsider decision: Mayor
Mayor M J Ravikumar said the move of the government is inconveniencing both the corporators and people. “I will write to the government to reconsider its decision,” he said.
DH News Service