QUEEN’S ROAD:The Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is all set to clear the clutter in its offices and make some cash while at it.
Engineer-in-chief M R Venkatesh has sent letters to all department heads directing them to send a list of unwanted, reusable and recyclable materials in their offices. They have also been asked to visit all the ward offices and make an inventory of items they can do without. Many of these will be put up on auction at the sub-division and zonal levels.
“Apart from furniture, there are unwanted materials like asphalt barrels and push carts,” he told City Express. “We have asked our officials to dispose of them at the office level. Once they are done with the auctioning, they will have to send us a comprehensive report. There is no deadline but we have told them to complete the process as soon as possible.”
The move is the brainchild of former BBMP administrator T M Vijay Bhaskar, whose tenure of four-and-a-half months came to an end on September 10 after the elections to the corporation. He said he had, during inspections, noticed several unused items dumped in the offices. There is a provision that allows the government to auction such items once in a while.
According to Vijay Bhaskar, unused items take up a lot of space in the storerooms in BBMP offices, schools, colleges and hospitals. “If these materials are cleared out, space can be utilised better. In schools and colleges, the cleared space can be used to set up a laboratory, library or staff room,” he said.
He said auctioning the items would also generate some additional revenue for the Palike. “The money can be spent on works. I directed them (officials) to check if some of these materials can be recycled and used elsewhere in the BBMP. This will also help cut down expenses,” he said. He added that items that require expensive repair work will be auctioned.