BENGALURU: Around 17,000 students in the city, studying in schools run by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), have been caught in a tussle between the BBMP education committee and the Special Commissioner in charge of these schools.
On Monday, the standing committee meeting was held and the education committee chairman Gangamma Rajanna issued a statement that some BBMP schools had not received shoes, notebooks, socks and school bags. She heaped allegations over SG Raveendra saying that he was unfit to be a Special Commissioner of Education in the Palike and sought his transfer.
Rajanna accused officers of red tape and of not moving files, causing a delay in providing bags to 17,000 odd school children. However, the Special Commissioner alleged that the committee wanted him to award the tender to people who’ve not bid the lowest amount, in contravention of rules, because the committee had taken bribes from the bidders.
Rajanna told The New Indian Express, “The committee has nothing to do with the administration. Files that were cleared by us weren’t cleared by the Special Commissioner and he is sitting on them,” Gangamma said.
In his defence, Raveendra said, “Only two-three schools are yet to receive notebooks and five-six schools need shoes. Three schools are yet to receive their uniforms. Almost 98 per cent have received everything. Two-three per cent of the schools haven’t received supplies due to various reasons like size of shoes and uniforms.”
Raveendra said the panel had taken bribes from the bidders and was putting pressure on him to violate the rules of Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement Act and award the tender to a bidder of the panel’s choice. “Around 17,412 students are supposed to get bags which will be done soon,” he said.