BENGALURU: Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar held the third meeting of ‘Government at your Doorstep’ at Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) East Zone, where he launched the mobile applications Hasiru Rakshak, Udyana Mitra and Kere Mitra, with the sole intention of protecting parks and lakes in the city.
He told the media that the initiative was to rope in and enthuse schoolchildren to plant saplings to increase the green cover in the city. In 2023-24, 1 lakh saplings were planted by 52,015 children in partnership with 224 schools and colleges. Students who manage to take care of the plant for three years will be rewarded, he added. Parks in the city will be handed over to residents to manage through the Udyan Mitra Yojana. With this, 1,200 parks in the city will be taken care of and the public will be further encouraged to maintain them.
DKS receives pleas
At the event, he received several petitions from the public. Shweta, who runs Jyoti Seva School for Blind Children on Tannery Road, petitioned Shivakumar about BBMP’s high taxation, to which the DCM responded positively.
He said the government would amend rules after discussing them with officials. Penalties have been slapped on people, who have built commercial properties in residential plots. Residents said penalties are too high and deadlines too short. Shivakumar promised to extend deadlines for payment of penalties and simplify the process, he added. While the government will bring in reforms, it is important that people also pay taxes promptly as per properties they own, he added. Asked about the demand of families for the release of those arrested in KJ Halli and DJ Halli riots, he said every decision should be within the legal framework.
“As the BJP government has pressed certain specific charges, they are not released. The guilty must be punished and the innocent spared. The MLAs concerned have also spoken to me about it. We will come to a decision after talking to our legal team.”