BBMP officials could not remove even a single illegal flex at Kengeri highlighting the Congress party’s Mekedatu rally for drinking water for Bengaluru
Civic chief Gaurav Gupta gets an earful from Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai for ‘civic ineptitude’; Gupta tells his staff and police department to book FIRs over any illegal flex disfiguring the city
BENGALURU:
With both the BBMP elections and the 2023 Karnataka assembly elections not far off, flex banners highlighting the achievements of our ‘netas’ are back with a vengeance in parts of the city. And the politicos’ minions are so emboldened that they have dared even the police and BBMP officials to touch even a single illegal banner. This was the scene on Sunday when neither civic officials nor the police dared to pull down even a single flex banner belonging to the state’s Congress party, which has renewed its Mekedatu padayatra demanding a drinking water project for Bengaluru.
Several BBMP officials had to face the wrath of Congress workers in the Kengeri area when they went to remove the illegal flexes. The party workers reportedly dared the civic staff to touch even a single banner, and the hapless civic staff had to back off, said an officer on condition of anonymity.
Subsequently, on Monday morning, BBMP Chief Commissioner Gaurav Gupta came in the line of fire after Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai complained about the ‘ineffectiveness’ of BBMP staff in pulling down the illegal banners.
It is reportedly alleged that BBMP officials had not dared to file a single FIR against Congress party leaders for disfiguring parts of Bengaluru city; mainly Kengeri and a few areas falling under assembly constituency of Rajarajeshwari Nagar.
CM’s fiat to civic chief
For his part, the Chief Minister, who holds the Bengaluru portfolio, has directed action against BBMP officials who fail to execute orders. The CM directed the Chief Commissioner to also take action against officials who do not follow directions, said an official source. .
Soon after the CM’s directions, Gupta chaired a video conference with City Police Commissioner Kamal Pant and BBMP’s zonal Joint Commissioners, directing them to book FIRs against whosoever erects illegal flexes in the city.
“Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has taken a serious note of it and we cannot show our lethargy over the disfigurement of the city. Hence, book FIRs on priority. The local police headed by the DCPs concerned should help BBMP officials headed by the Chief Engineer to registers FIRs,” Gupta reportedly told Police Commissioner Pant at the video conference.
Rally resumes
On Sunday, the state Congress under the leadership of KPCC president DK Shivkumar resumed the campaign, popularly dubbed ‘Mekedatu Padayatra 2.0’, demanding the implementation of a drinking water project for Bengaluru city. The earlier march was stopped after a state government directive banning rallies and processions in January this year when the third Covid-19 wave was at its peak.
