The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : BJP opposes move to sell Public Utility Building

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 29, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

BJP opposes move to sell Public Utility Building

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, JULY 28. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is the principal Opposition party in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council, has opposed the civic body's plans to sell the Public Utility Building on Mahatma Gandhi Road and the Jayanagar Shopping Complex in the city.

The BJP floor leader, Venkatesh Murthy, told presspersons here on Wednesday that the Congress "was making all efforts to auction the civic body and its assets." "It's ridiculous for the Mayor to say that the complexes will be sold to mobilise resources. The ruling party is responsible for the severe financial crunch that the civic body is facing," he said.

"The Mayor has said the BMP is not earning good revenues from the shopping complexes in Rajajinagar, Jayanagar, Mahatma Gandhi Road, and Kempe Gowda Road. This indicates the extent of corruption in the BMP's administration," he said. Asserting that the BJP would not allow sale of these complexes, Mr. Murthy said the issue would be taken up at the council meeting on Thursday.

Wrong priorities

He alleged that the ruling party had given importance to projects that benefited the contractors more than the citizens or the BMP. Several projects such as junction improvement, upgradation of footpaths, asphalting of sub-arterial roads, concrete roads in old areas, Madivala Complex, Siddaiah Road Complex, and the Hanumanthnagar Sports Complex had been executed for Rs. 518 crore by taking loans from several agencies, he said. He alleged misappropriation of funds in these projects.

Mr. Murthy said the Congress had failed to utilise the BMP's resources. The proposal to sell the Public Utility Building was "another means of making money for the Mayor," he alleged.

White Paper sought

The BJP city unit spokesperson, S. Prakash, demanded a White Paper on BMP's finances. "We want details of the amount spent on each of the projects executed in the last five years," he said. If the proposal to sell the BMP complexes was not dropped, the BJP would launch an agitation in the city, he added.

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