BENGALURU: The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike has circulated 200 telephone numbers for people to reach out for food assistance during the lockdown, but callers to these numbers face huge challenges in being heard, aggrieved citizens have told The New Indian Express.The BBMP recently circulated the names and numbers of one official from each of the 198 wards so people could reach out for food and ration. However, when The New Indian Express did a reality check, most of the numbers either do not connect, do not exist, or go unanswered. Some numbers connect to individuals associated with NGOs or volunteers or to people who are in no way connected to government efforts to provide assistance.
On calling some of the numbers circulated by BBMP, Hebbal resident Rani Venkataraman was shocked to find a lawyer on the other end of line clueless about how her number ended up on the list.With even the hunger help line numbers launched by the state labour department (155214) and the BBMP (9480685888 and 9480685873) busy or not reachable, the BBMP control room (080-22660000) is getting nearly 350 calls a day from people across Bengaluru asking for food or ration.
“The government is supposed to cater to the poor. They are not disbursing food in all eight zones properly which is why the control room gets hundreds of calls each day from people begging for food. Migrant labourers tell us they were denied ration because they do not have ration cards in some places,” said a source in the BBMP’s control room. They have also received complaints about one litre free milk to be provided by the BBMP being distributed selectively.
Callers to the control room complain that joint commissioners and health officers wash their hands off all responsibility. The same people call back each week, repeating their complaints and asking for food, another control room source said.
BBMP Commissioner B H Anil Kumar said: “There is a hunger helpline- BBMP mobile number and WhatsApp number. They get a lot of calls which is why the helplines must be busy. Joint Commissioners are also responsible for ensuring food and ration reaches the needy. They will not shrug off responsibility. It is not possible.”