Trouble for BJP in Karnataka? Panel uncovers Rs 3,000 crore scam in now-dissolved BBMP: Report
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Bengaluru: An inquiry report has reportedly exposed massive irregularities amounting to Rs 3,049.35 crore under the now-dissolved Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) during the BJP-led administration between 2019 and 2022.
The Justice HN Nagmohan Das Commission, which was tasked with probing allegations of irregularities, found defects in all 761 works that it examined, as reported by Deccan Herald on Friday.
The Commission looked into four categories of works: solid waste management; road development; stormwater drains, plan sanction and occupancy certificates; and lake improvement, Smart City and ward-level works. "It is clear that huge illegalities occurred in these four divisions of work. Collusion between officials and some contractors cannot be ruled out," the Commission stated.
It has recommended both civil and criminal proceedings against those involved in the scams.
The Commission also raised concerns over government inaction, stating that successive governments sat on several inquiry reports on irregularities. “Any future report submitted by investigation agencies will lose its meaning,” the Commission mentioned, referencing the longstanding lack of action on previous probe findings.
The anomalies detected by the Commission included excess payments, remuneration to unauthorised persons, projects undertaken without administrative approvals, non-compliance with tender processes, and failure to ensure project quality.
The Congress government is reportedly under pressure to substantiate its earlier allegations of a “40% commission” during the BJP's tenure. However, a separate report by Justice Das, published earlier this year, did not find conclusive evidence to back the claim. “The ‘40% commission’ allegation may not be 100% true,” he concluded. Despite this, the latest BBMP inquiry report may provide the Congress with enough firepower to take further action against the BJP opposition, DH added.
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West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee moves SC against SIR
New Delhi (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in the state, sources said on Sunday.
The petition names the Election Commission (EC) and the chief electoral officer of West Bengal as respondents. It was filed before the apex court on January 28, the sources said.
Banerjee arrived in Delhi on Sunday. She is scheduled to meet Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at 4 pm on Monday to discuss the ongoing SIR exercise in West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo would be accompanied by a delegation of party leaders.
She is also likely to meet party MPs in the Parliament House on Monday.
Talking to reporters at the Kolkata airport before leaving for the national capital, Banerjee claimed that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre is resorting to the SIR exercise because it is certain of its imminent defeat in the West Bengal Assembly polls, due in a few months, and said the saffron party should contest the election politically and democratically.
The West Bengal chief minister has written several letters to the CEC, raising concerns over the conduct of the exercise.
In her most recent letter to the CEC on January 31, she alleged that the methodology and approach of the exercise went beyond the provisions of the Representation of the People Act and the relevant rules, causing "immense inconvenience and agony" to citizens.
Earlier, TMC leaders, including Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen, had moved the apex court, challenging certain aspects of how the SIR is being carried out in West Bengal.
