The Deccan Herald 06.10.2010
BBMP reforms default: Centre holds up JnNURM funds
Sandeep Moudgal Bangalore, Oct 5, DHNS
Failure to implement mandatory reforms has cost the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike dearly. According to sources, the Union government has withheld its 35 per cent share of funds to the local body under the JnNURM scheme.
According to the BBMP officials, under the scheme, the Union government had demanded two categories of reforms - compulsory and optional.The former pertains to Palike’s duties towards citizens and the latter left to the discretion of the urban civic body.
Sources said as many as six automated systems of administration have been implemented in the past one year and few more were in the pipeline to meet the Centre’s demand of citzen-friendly governance.
Automated systems
“We have got the automated systems in place in the engineering section with the online tracking of project updates, the reforms in the property tax collection with the GIS and automated system for building plan approval by the Town Planning department. Many more reforms are in the pipeline,” a source said.
More reforms
The Centre’s resource allocation to the cash-starved BBMP has already been delayed by nearly one-and-half months. The Palike is now attempting to push in more reforms so as to get its share of funds.
The JnNURM scheme provides for 35 per cent of grants from the Union government, 15 percent from the State and 50 percent from the revenue accrual of the civic body.
The Palike, as of now, has received only 15 percent funds from the State.
The funds, coupled with the revenue accrual, total to Rs 350 crore.
Palike lacks Urban Planning Officer
G Manjusainath
Even as projects worth crores of rupees under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) are underway, the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike is reluctant to fill up the post of Urban Planning Officer (UPO).
According to JnNURM guidelines, the role of UPO is central to effective planning and implementation of infrastructure activities. A UPO has to coordinate all activities defined in the Comprehensive Development Plan and ensure timely, quality implementation of projects and reforms. The government had appointed Thirukanagoudru as UPO on April 3, last year. But two months later, the BBMP created a new post - Additional Director of Town Planning - and gave him the job of urban planner as an additional task. The arrangement went on for nearly six months. But it could not impress the BBMP top brass.
However, unhappy with the services of Thirukangoudru, the then BBMP Commissioner Bharatlal Meena wrote to the Urban Development Department to post some one else. The request, however, was dumped into the cold storage. The post is still lying vacant as revealed by an RTI query.
In addition, five of the eight posts required to be filled up under JnNURM are vacant. The eight posts are: IT Officer, Public Health Officer, Social and Community Development Officer, Urban Planning Officer, Human Resource Development officer, Environment Officer, Municipal Finance Officer and Procurement Officer. Recruitment has been done to fill up the vacancies of IT officer, HRD officer and Procurement Officer and the remaining five are vacant.
