The cash-strapped BBMP has been orally directed to restart 1,970
“unnecessary works” worth Rs 522.96 crore  that were stopped following a
negative report by the Technical Vigilance Cell under Commissioner
(TVCC).

“I have directed the BBMP to take up these works, which 
are necessary. Many works were stopped as the BBMP officials had given
their report on them to the TVCC without even doing a spot inspection,”
District-in-Charge Minister R Ramalinga Reddy said.

“The BBMP is
yet to get orders officially from the Urban Development Department. Once
we get a nod in writing, we will take up the works in a phased manner,”
a BBMP official said.

The move has raised many eyebrows. A senior
BBMP official said, “The government seems to have given in to pressure
from councillors and contractors to restart the stalled works.”

He
contended that most of the 23,000 works going on across the city are
neither inspected nor verified. “If proper inspection is done, BBMP can
save up to Rs 2,000 crore,” the official added.

Reddy, however,
said most of the works that were claimed to have been stopped after the
TVCC report have, in fact, been completed. “Of the total Rs 522 crore,
some Rs 60 crore worth of works are pending. I have directed the
authorities concerned to release funds that were sanctioned under MLA
grants,” he said.

The decision is likely to snowball into a
controversy as the BJP is likely to take it up to corner the government.
“We will discuss with our MLAs and councillors and take a stand,”
former CM Jagadish Shettar told Express.

In April, the then BBMP
Commissioner Siddaiah directed TVCC to inspect all development works
sanctioned in 2012-13. Later, TVCC Chief Engineer Devraj and team found
most of them, though sanctioned, were not started. Then BBMP Special
Commissioner K R Niranjan noted that `762.51 crore has been sanctioned
to execute 2,756 works, of which 1,970 works worth Rs 522.96 crore had
not be started. “Every year, old wards get Rs 2 crore and new wards get
Rs 3 crore each for ward level works. What is the need to take up these
other works?” he said.

The decision angered councillors. In May,
during the BBMP Council meeting, councillors objected to Siddaiah’s
decision and took him, Niranjan and Devraj to task. Siddaiah has retired
from service, Devraj opted for VRS and Niranjan sought a transfer.The
issue was debated at a recent council meeting, where the new
commissioner M Lakshminarayan told members: “The works are not scrapped,
but only frozen.”