Going by the momentum of the BBMP employees’ strike, it appears that the corporators, former mayors and city MLAs have thrown their weight behind the agitation to press the government to rid them of the ‘menace’ of the BMTF’s probing eyes.
Going by the momentum of the BBMP employees’ strike, it appears that the corporators, former mayors and city MLAs have thrown their weight behind the agitation to press the government to rid them of the ‘menace’ of the BMTF’s probing eyes.
They are demanding not only the shifting of the BMTF office from the BBMP headquarter’s premises, but also that the task force be brought under the purview of the city commissioner.
Four former mayors—Huchappa, Ramachandrappa, Ramesh and Lakkanna—have been vocal in their criticism of the BMTF. They have been making efforts to malign the BMTF chief RP Sharma on every available occasion. Once they had sent a press release to the offices of all the newspapers, accusing Sharma of violating building byelaws. They alleged that Sharma had constructed a huge building at Doddagubbi without permission from the civic authorities. They even asked the BDA if it had sanctioned the building plan. Recently, these former mayors once again became active. They organised a press briefing at the Press Club, making the same allegations.
Also, if the participation of pourakarmikas in the two-day strike is anything to go by, it seems that vested interests have taken all the measures to ensure that the BBMP administration comes to a grinding halt. Though there are no cases against pourakarmikas and most of them are contract employees engaged by garbage contractors, the BBMP Employees and Engineers’ Association allegedly compelled them to participate in the strike, with an intention to indulge in pressure tactics.
The BMTF office and the police station on the BBMP premises are considered as untouchable by BBMP staff and contractors. The BMTF employees complain of being alienated. One can imagine the plight of the BMTF staff when corporators and employees are shouting slogans from the platform just next to the BMTF police station, demanding to remove them from the BBMP premises.
“We do not want to continue here. We have already requested the state government to allocate a separate place for us. Even the intelligence sources have reported about the imminent security threat to the BMTF staff. We want to go not just because the corporators and BBMP employees are demanding that, but to function effectively without any hassles,” said Sharma.
The BMTF has filed more than 120 cases related to encroachment and other irregularities. Statistically speaking, it is dealing with cases to the tune of Rs1,500 crore. The BMTF has been demanding that the state government retain the status quo as far as its investigation and prosecution powers are concerned. If the government succumbs to the pressure tactics of the contractors’ and engineers’ lobby, the fate of the cases filed against the corrupt and negligent engineers and the will be a foregone conclusion.
Meanwhile, many prominent personalities have raised their voice against any move to divest the BMTF from its investigation and prosecution powers. Former Lokayukta Justice N Santosh Hegde had condemned the demand of BBMP engineers and employees that the BMTF should not be allowed to function under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
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