The Hindu 15.10.2010
Civic body accused of disobeying HC
Special Correspondent
| Sangha threatens to launch an agitation against corporation |
Case relates to maintenance of pay and use toilet at Supermarket
‘Contract assigned to Bihar-based individual overruling court order’
GULBARGA: Members of the Jai Bhim Safai Karmikara Sangha have threatened to launch an agitation in front of the administrative office of the city corporation here by smearing night soil on their bodies if the Commissioner of the corporation fails to implement the direction of the Circuit Bench of the Karnataka High Court on allowing them to maintain the pay and use toilet in the busy Supermarket area here.
President of the sangha Rakesh and secretary Ajit Kumar, who were present at a press conference addressed by Hyderabad Karnataka Yuva Horata Samiti president Raju Kulageri here on Thursday, alleged that the city corporation was deliberately not implementing the directions of the High Court.
Dr. Kulageri said that the sangha and the samiti would be filing a contempt of court petition against the corporation Commissioner, Manoj Jain, for disobeying the directions of the court.
The sangha had been maintaining the toilet for the past year. At the end of the contract period, Mayor Sunanda Rajaram and the Standing Committee on Health had asked the Commissioner to extend it by one more year.
However, according to Dr. Kulageri, the Commissioner rejected this recommendation and decided to call for fresh tenders.
Challenging the Commissioner’s decision, the sangha approached the High Court seeking a direction to continue their contract. After hearing the petitioners’ plea, the court directed the Commissioner not to open the tender applications till the disposal of the case. However, the corporation authorities opened the tenders and decided to award the maintenance work to a Bihar-based person for five years. Dr. Kulageri said that the sangha again went to the court and pointed out the violations of the city corporation.
Taking a serious view of the violations, the High Court passed another order directing the corporation to cancel the award of the contract to the Bihar-based person and call for fresh tenders. Till the fresh tender is finalised and the work awarded to another contractor, the maintenance of the pay and use toilet should remain with the sangha, the court said. However, even this direction had not been implemented, Dr. Kulageri said and added that the city corporation had locked the pay and use toilet now. “We have no alternative but to file a contempt petition against the city corporation authorities,” he said.
