Yediyur ward corporator NR Ramesh, who unearthed the scam, asked mayor Sharadamma what action was taken against the service providers who had laid 1,700 km OFC in sewage lines.
On the second day of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council meeting, discussions got entangled in optical fibre cables (OFC) running in sewage lines.
Initiating the talks, Yediyur ward corporator NR Ramesh, who unearthed the scam, asked mayor Sharadamma what action was taken against the service providers who had laid 1,700 km OFC in sewage lines.
“BBMP officials say of the 18 OFC operators, 12 had submitted details the OFC laid on July 31 2011. But no one has given details. BBMP says it is up to the BWSSB to take action against the service providers,” Ramesh said.
He said that in Yediyur ward, the cables were running 17km in sewage lines. Although the BBMP promised to remove them in December, no action had been taken. To prove his point, he showed photos of OFC found in manhole chambers on 4th main and 7th cross road of Shastry Nagar.
“Since BBMP did not cut the illegal cable, I along with BWSSB cut the OFCs,” he said.
Due to the BBMP’s negligence, the BWSSB had to spend `250 crore for restoration of pipes damaged due to OFC, he said.
BBMP commissioner MK Shankarlinge Gowda said the BWSSB should protect their properties. Although service providers claimed 6,061 km of authorised OFC, a BBMP survey had found 9,000 km of illegal cables. The disconnection drive would be decided after a court hearing on January 24, he said.
There were heated arguments over allegation of misuse of funds. Hanumanthanagar ward corporator K Chandrashekar alleged on Thursday that Rs483 crore was misappropriated when the BBMP gave works to Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited (KRIDL) without floating tenders.
However, Gowda, on Friday, denied the allegations. He said all the works given to KRIDL were exempted under the 4 (G).
The KRIDL, apart from taking up works of building schools, colleges, anganawadis, hostel rooms, housing for weaker sections, primary health centres and rural water supply and sanitation, was authorised to take up infrastructure works, he said.
Chandrashekar found the commissioner’s reply misleading and demanded a clarification. When the opposition backed him, BJP corporators protested saying the subject should not be discussed further.
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