The Hindu 30.01.2014
Retired gardeners to maintain parks
BBMP to hire them on trial basis; 484 posts vacant in Horticulture Department
The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) will hire retired gardeners to maintain parks in the South zone on a trial basis, said Commissioner M. Lakshminarayan.
Yediyur councillor N.R. Ramesh said of the 1,058 parks, 771 are maintained by horticulture contractors. Though the BBMP spends nearly Rs. 15 crore annually, parks are not maintained by the contractors, he alleged. “If the BBMP hired retired gardeners, at least our parks will be well maintained. Of the sanctioned posts of 987, as many as 484 posts are vacant in the Horticulture Department,” he claimed.
Suspended
Nagapura councillor S. Harish said while the Commissioner had directed officials to float tenders for advertisement hoardings, an official had permitted a private agency to put up hoardings in Ramamurthinagar and Horamavu. Demanding the councillor’s suspension, Mr. Harish said this reflected BBMP’s administrative failure. While Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana wanted to issue a show-cause notice to the official, the Congress councillors stormed the well and demanded that the official be suspended. Mr. Laksminarayan then said the official would be suspended.
Hoarding
Objecting to the hoardings put up outside the BBMP’s head office, Opposition Leader B.N. Manjunath Reddy charged Yediyur councillor N.R. Ramesh of “politics” as the hoardings on the unveiling of thespian actor Rajkumar’s statue had photos of BJP leaders. “Rajkumar did not belong to any party. The hoardings should be removed immediately,” he said.
Earlier, Ruling Party Leader Ashwath Narayan Gowda suggested that all civic agencies — BWSSB, Bescom, BDA, KIADB and others — work with the BBMP for the city’s betterment. Mr. Reddy said Bescom was charging commercial rates even for connections in BBMP’s schools, colleges and crematoria. He urged Mr. Lakshminarayan to raise the issue with Bescom authorities.
