BENGALURU: Despite clear direction from the Chief Minister asking Vidhana Soudha secretariat officials not to get involved with any kind of construction or repair work at the Legislators House (LH), the secretariat issued a tender notification for renovation work at LH worth Rs 8 crore.As per the directions issued by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in August 2017, all repair works at Vidhana Soudha, LH, Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi and other residential quarters of secretariat staff located near Lal Bagh in Bengaluru should be monitored only by the Public Works Department (PWD).
The CM’s direction, a copy of which is available with Express, reads: “In reply to the proposal submitted by the Assembly secretariat to take over LH, Suvarna Soudha and other staff residences located in Bengaluru, it is directed to continue with the existing system where the maintenance and construction, renovation or repair works at these buildings will be looked after by PWD.”However, violating this direction, the secretariat officials have issued a newspaper notification calling for tenders for several repair works at Vidhana Soudha and LH.
Senior PWD department officials raised objections to the tender called and one of them said, “When you look at the details of repair and renovation works called by them, PWD has done works at the same locations a few months ago. What is the need in doing the same again?”A senior official of the PWD department said this will be brought to the notice of the minister as well as the CM.
Not the first time
In December 2016, the Assembly secretariat had tried to take over the Legislators House, Suvarna Soudha and other staff residential quarters which are under PWD. These buildings have been under PWD for the last five decades. In 2016, the Assembly secretariat officials wrote a letter to the Revenue Department to handover these buildings to them. Speaker K B Koliwad discussed this with PWD and Revenue Department officials. But PWD officials did not agree to this and brought this to the Chief Minister’s notice.