Karnataka - Bangalore   

Allotment of work to contractor irks corporators

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, FEB. 3. The Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council witnessed a heated debate on Tuesday over whether a contractor had been barred from being allotted work through a resolution adopted on October 31, 2003.

Members of the Janata Dal and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted the Mayor, P.R. Ramesh, to play the audiotape recording of the proceedings of the meeting on October 31, 2003 as they felt that the resolution approved on that day was allegedly tampered with by BMP officials and Congress leaders in the council. (The BMP records section preserves audiotapes of proceedings of council meetings.)

They wanted the recording to be played to find out whether the resolution had not barred a contractor, S. Jayarama Reddy, from being allotted road and drain works under 30 packages of the 1,000 km. road-asphalting project approved on that day. The council witnessed noisy scenes and members staged a dharna.

Members of the Janata Dal alleged that irregularities had been committed in the award of contracts. They said that the council's objections to giving work to Mr. Reddy, owner of SJR Constructions, had been ignored. Corporators alleged that he had often done substandard work.

The Mayor told the members that the resolution approving the packages "did not exclude" any contractor by name. However, members said the council had decided to exclude Mr. Reddy from the list of contractors who were to be allotted works under the project, and this was recorded in the resolution.

The Mayor replied that the resolution had been sent to the Government in the same form as it was approved in the council. The members disagreed, and amidst the pandemonium, the Mayor, who rejected the demand for playing the tape, adjourned the meeting to Wednesday.

Earlier, the BMP Commissioner, M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy, announced that works under the road-asphalting project would commence on February 5. He was replying to an issue raised by the Kachakaranahalli corporator, Padmanabha Reddy, who pointed out that most contractors who were awarded work were yet to get orders from the BMP. "If the Assembly election dates are announced, the work will never take off," Mr. Reddy said.

Mr. Ramesh replied that elections would not affect BMP work. "Over 22 contractors have been given work orders. They have been asked to execute good quality work," he said.

Mr. Sreenivasa Murthy said the BMP had appointed technical consultants to monitor the project. The contractors had been asked to submit video clippings of roads before and after asphalting.

This would help address complaints about the condition of roads not improving after completion of work, he added.

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