The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : A costly decoration

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Tuesday, Mar 04, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

A costly decoration

Staff Reporter

BBMP pays
Rs. 78,409 for decorative plants
No documents found on the team’s visit

Bangalore: What could be the cost of decorating the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office premises with decorative plants for a day? If the BBMP is to be believed, it is a whopping Rs 78,409.

Yes, the BBMP claimed to have paid this amount to the Nurserymen Cooperative Society for decorating the palike premises when a delegation of Reno City commission visited the city on September 26, 2004.

No documents were found in to indicate that the delegation visited the BBMP on that particular day, revealed the report of the Chief Auditor for the financial year 2004-05 which was submitted on December 31, 2007. Strangely, the order for the supply of flower pots was issued on the same day on which the delegation is said to have visited the BBMP, the report revealed.

Meanwhile, the Horticulture Department of the BBMP, responding to a query from the auditor on why the department could not supply decorative flower pots, has stated that decorative plants were obtained from the society in addition to those in the possession of the department. The authorities were, however, unable to provide the number of flower pots with decorative plants that were used for decoration on that day, the report stated.

While raising his objection for payment of the said amount, Chief Auditor K.G. Haleshappa also stated in the report that though the order of supply was issued on September 26, 2004, the bill for the payment was submitted on January 13, 2005.

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