RTI trail reveals huge scam in mayor’s fund
BANGALORE: Controversies dogging the Rs 150-crore mayor’s fund never seem to end. Documents obtained under RTI have revealed that several works sanctioned and executed under the fund have vanished into thin air.
RTI activist BH Veeresh approached the BBMP a year ago seeking to know how the Rs 150-crore fund was utilized between April 1, 2010, and June 30, 2011.
“There was a delay in response from the BBMP. I moved the Karnataka Information Commission over the issue. After the appellate authority’s order, I got a response from the BBMP on March 26, 2012. The deputy controller of finance in the BBMP had to cough up Rs 5,000 as fine to KIC for the delay in responding to my query,” Veeresh said.
The response from deputy controller (finance) D Kanakaraj was a shocker. While the query had sought details on the utilization of the Rs 150-crore fund, the response referred to only about Rs 15.22 crore worth of works.
Veeresh examined the details of the works he had been provided. Seventeen of the 40 works were claimed to have been executed in Chokkasandra sub-division , near Dasarahalli. The Chokkasandra works pertained to roads and drains and were worth Rs 8.75 crore.
RTI activist BH Veeresh was baffled by the reply he got from the BBMP about 40 works executed in the Chokkasandra sub-division, near Dasarahalli. There is no sub-division in the BBMP called Chokkasandra! There is a ward by that name, in the Hegganahalli sub-division, he said.
The activist from the RTI Study Centre then filed another RTI query with the executive engineer of the Hegganahalli sub-division seeking details of works taken up in the Chokkasandra ward under the mayor’s funds. The executive engineer promptly replied that no work had been taken up undermayor’s fund in Chokkasandra.
“Bogus bills have been raised and money drawn from the Mayor’s fund without executing any work,” Veeresh alleged.
Speaking to TOI, K Kuberappa, executive engineer of Hegganahalli sub-division , confirmed: “No work was taken up in Chokkasandra under the mayor’s fund till now.”
Chokkasandra is in the neighbourhood of former mayor R Sharadamma’s ward, Shettyhalli. “I had not allotted any funds to Chokkasandra ward as mayor,” Sharadamma said.
Sharadamma was mayor for two of the 18 months for which the RTI query had sought details of fund utilization.
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