BENGALURU: The urban poor, and especially women from poor financial background, waiting to avail benefits of schemes announced by the BBMP in the current financial year may now have to wait.
Reason: BBMP budget is still pending before the government for approval and is expected to be delayed
until after the general election results.
The irony is that the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike which had managed to complete the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of many a major project like white topping, TenderSure and Smart City to bypass the Election’s Model Code of Conduct, appears to have forgotten to get the approval for the BBMP Budget 2019-20, referred to as ‘Pink Budget’ for being aimed at women’s welfare.
BBMP officials believe the work progress and implementation of projects announced in the budget may be delayed by at least six months now. They say it may be possible only after the General Elections scheduled to be completed in May third week.
The BBMP had announced its 2019-20 budget for a total amount of `10,688 crore on February 18.
A senior BBMP official said, “We have already sent the budget to the state government for approval. Later, the model code of conduct was announced by the Election Commission on March 10, which has now hampered the works. We believe the budget can be approved by the government one or two months after the elections — which means July or August.
Later, the BBMP will have to conduct Detailed Project Report (DPR) and then the work tenders. Then it will also have to get the approval of finalized bidder by BBMP’s Council and then the cabinet. The entire procedure involved in it may take at least six months. Thus we can expect the works announced in this budget starting only next year.”