Mayor D Venkatesh Murthy on Saturday appealed to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to allot more funds for the cash-starved Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) so as to take up development works, which the CM promised to consider.
Siddaramaiah visited the BBMP for the first time after taking over as CM to out give the Kempegowda awards to 103 individuals on Saturday.
Venkatesh Murthy said Bangalore is facing many problems including water supply, garbage disposal, infrastructure and other issues. He also told the CM that BBMP does not have sufficient funds to pay contractor’s bills. “Though we were able to get 500 MLD of water to some of the newly added areas, we were not able to give the better roads and drainage facilities. We also need funds to repay our loans. You (Siddaramiah) have presented many budgets before and know the needs of Bangalore. We have proposed for grants of Rs 4,000 crore. We hope the State government will listen to our woes and grant funds,” he appealed.
The mayor also appealed to the CM to bring all civic agencies including BESCOM, BDA, BBMP and BWSSB under one umbrella for better administration. Murthy also urged the CM to bring in the Mayor-in-Council system in BBMP, where there will be one mayor for all five years. “Otherwise, divide BBMP into two or three Corporations similar to Mumbai and Delhi city corporations,” he said.
In his reply, Siddaramaiah said that when Kempegowda built Bangalore, he had a vision. But he would not have thought that Bangalore will grow to this size. On garbage disposal, the CM said, “BBMP has faced wrath from High Court, governor and even the public for not clearing garbage. Bangalore is not just the capital city of Karnataka, it is also a national city. There is a need to bring back the glory of the garden city. If we do not, we will suffer. The city needs funds for various development works. The government will try to provide the required funds for BBMP.”
Further, the CM said, “It is our responsibility to provide water, electricity, transport system and security to people in Bangalore. I have already directed the police to provide better security,” he said.
Stressing on the water problem, the CM said the State did not get justice from the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal. “At present, the city is getting 19 tmcft of water for a population of one crore. We need at least 30 tmcft of water. Every country gives priority to water. We will do our best to get justice from the Supreme Court in the Cauvery issue,” he said.