Deccan Herald 23.09.2013
BBMP takes up Vasanthapura temple tank cleaning
The citizens’ initiative finally ‘ashamed’ the
Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, who, on Saturday, undertook cleaning
of Vasanthapura temple tank (kalyani).
The Palike
engineers had squandered Rs 50 lakh meant for the temple tank, which
Deccan Herald had exposed last year in November. A few months later, a
probe by BBMP’s Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner
substantiated the report.
Perturbed by the annoying report, some local residents demanded BBMP to restore the temple tank but to no avail.
banner of NGOs, Youth for Seva and SUNLIT, took up the cleaning of the
tank, much to the humiliation of BBMP engineers. Yet nothing changed.
The
local residents decided to clean up the tank on Sunday again and
informed the BBMP engineers about their plan. Before the matter could
snowball into a major controversy, BBMP engineers finally swung into
action.
They appealed to residents to give up their work as the
BBMP would now clean it. On Saturday, the engineers deployed a earth
remover, two tractors and about 50 labourers to clean the tank.
The
residents alleged that even after a day’s labour, only 25 per cent of
the kalyani was cleaned. They said the Palike engineers have assured
them that they would clean it every Saturday under the ‘intensive
cleaning drive,’ started by BBMP.
Political interference
As
the work began, some local politicians arrived at the location,
demanding that the BBMP stop the work, alleging that they have already
‘restored’ the tank, if not on the ground, then at least on paper with
an expenditure of Rs 50 lakh.
Members of SUNLIT later issued a
press note, demanding that BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana release
funds for the restoration and rejuvenation of the temple tank. They said
that restoration is necessary before land sharks in the area encroached
the tank.
