The Hindu : Karnataka News : Civic bodies' failure to muster funds delays projects

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 13, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Civic bodies' failure to muster funds delays projects

By T.S. Ranganna

BANGALORE, NOV. 12. The Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) is unable to speed up the work of laying drinking water pipelines and underground drainage (UGD) system in areas coming under seven city municipal councils (CMCs) and one town municipal council (TMC), as the local bodies have failed to collect contributions from the user-residents.

The CMCs of Rajarajeswari (Pattanagere), Mahadevpura, Bommanahalli, Yelahanka, Byatarayanapura, Dasarahalli and Krishnarajapuram and the TMC of Kengeri were to collect Rs. 119.44 crores, but up to August 20 last, they collected only Rs. 17.76 crores.

Funds

The Rs. 658.65-crore project involves the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), the BWSSB, the Directorate of Municipal Administration and the Urban Development Department. Under the scheme, a local body with a population of 75,000 and above is entitled to 23.3 per cent grant from the Government (Rs. 74.28 crores). Of the balance, 10 per cent is to be met from contributions from the local body and 66.7 per cent by raising loans from financial institutions, including the International Cooperative Bank (Japan) and the Asian Development Bank which together account for Rs. 229.01 crores, the Union Government's additional grant towards the UGD (Rs. 89.10 crores) and the loan obtained by the local bodies (Rs. 100 crores from the market and Rs. 46.82 crores greater city loan).

Under the scheme, the user-beneficiaries of the local bodies are required to pay Rs. 8,500 for domestic use and Rs. 17,000 for non-domestic utilisation. Even if 50 per cent of the beneficiaries pay their contribution, a sum of Rs.119.44 crores could be mobilised.

Panel formed

A steering committee, under the chairmanship of the Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, has been constituted to guide and monitor the implementation by the BWSSB. But, there is not much progress in the collection of contributions.

The Principal Secretary, Department of Public Grievance (Janaspandana), R. Suresh, who is also in-charge Secretary of Bangalore Urban district has directed the Commissioners of the seven CMCs and the Administrative Officer of the Kengeri Town Municipal Council to expedite the collection of the charges.

While the water supply scheme would be completed in the first phase, the underground drainage project would be taken up as and when the financial commitments were met by the agencies concerned. The role of the CMCs was crucial as far as the underground drainage system was concerned, he said.

Disposal

Owing to various reasons, the people shifting to the CMC areas from other parts of Bangalore or elsewhere are finding it difficult to dispose of sewage. Most of them have dug pits in the absence of underground drainage facility.

The BMP has stopped recruiting pourakarmikas, but has given on contract the work of removing garbage. Garbage collectors are being paid lower wages to collect the garbage, which includes dangerous substances such as hospital waste. They are not given masks, gloves and clothing to replace the dirty ones.

More serious is the problem of pourakarmikas, who carry night soil on their heads in most of the CMC areas. Of course, it is prevalent all over the State.

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