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CM Siddaramaiah discusses civic polls, city projects with MLAs
The CM’s meeting with Bengaluru ministers, MLAs, and MPs comes at a time when several MLAs had expressed their frustration against some ministers and the lack of area development funds.
Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah convened a meeting of Congress party MLAs from Bengaluru City district on Wednesday.
The meeting took place at the chief minister’s office and was also attended by deputy chief minister DK Shivakumar.
“The chief deputy chief ministers shared their views on granting funds for the area’s development works and party coordination,” a statement from the CMO said.
Transport minister Ramalinga Reddy, following his participation in a meeting with CM Siddaramaiah to address matters concerning Bengaluru’s progress, indicated that the elections for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) might be scheduled for December.
Reddy further conveyed that given the upcoming elections, Bengaluru’s MLAs had urged the chief minister to expedite approvals for projects related to the city. “BBMP elections are likely to be held in December, so we have asked the CM to clear pending projects related to the city. We discussed drinking water and solid waste management issues,” Ramalinga Reddy said.
The minister also added that the government had formed four teams to investigate alleged irregularities in BBMP projects carried out during the previous BJP government. The BBMP Contractors’ Association has halted work, demanding the clearance of their pending bills.
When asked about the issue of BBMP contractors, the minister stated that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) would soon submit the report. “The government had formed an SIT to investigate irregularities in BBMP projects. The SIT was asked to submit the report within 30 days, and it has already been 10 days. We will receive the report in the next 20 days. Once the report is submitted, contractors who have genuinely worked will receive their payment,” Reddy said.
This statement on election follows the recent issuance of a revised ward delimitation notification by the state government for the urban local body. The previous notification of 243 wards was withdrawn, and a new one was issued by the Urban Development Department (UDD) under the BBMP Act of 2020, reducing the number of wards to 225.
The earlier delimitation was initiated by the previous BJP government, which the Congress government strongly opposed, alleging it was designed to favour the saffron party. The BJP government increased the number of wards from 198 to 243. Following a High Court order, the government was given about 12 weeks to redo the delimitation process.
The notification cites Section 7 of the BBMP Act of 2020, which empowers the government to revise the number of ward boundaries. Based on the government’s order, the delimitation committee – led by BBMP’s chief commissioner Tushar Girinath – is expected to commence the fresh process of delimiting wards based on the 2011 Census.
The CM’s meeting with Bengaluru ministers, MLAs, and MPs comes at a time when several MLAs had expressed their frustration against some ministers and the lack of area development funds.
In addition to the meeting with Bengaluru ministers, a meeting was held under the leadership of chief minister Siddaramaiah with legislators from Kolar district. “During the gathering, the legislators expressed their opinions regarding developmental works in the region, grants, coordination with the government party, and the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. All the legislators unanimously voiced their confidence and assured their commitment towards achieving victory for Congress by supporting the Lok Sabha candidate through the ballot,” the statement from the CMO said.
