BENGALURU: The 16 people, whose names MP Tejaswi Surya read out and who were termed terrorists by his uncle and MLA Ravi Subramanya on May 4, would be reinstated, but not at the south zone war room. According to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials, the 16 staffers would be posted at other places.
They were called to the BBMP south zone war room on Saturday night and were told to sign a letter. "They did not let us read the letter, but it was read out aloud. It said, 'We have been hurt and severely affected by being accused as terrorists. However, in the wake of the financial crisis we would want to get back and work with the BBMP'," said one of the 16 affected employees, who were accused of being part of a bed booking scam.
Another employee said, "After we signed the letter, we were told that the agency that has contracted us and a BBMP manager will call us and tell us about our new assignments. But we have not been told anything so far. I heard that we would be posted to other places. Whether they call me back or not, my shift timings were 8 am to 4 pm. I will go at that time and see what is in store. I need the job, not just for the money, but for the service I wanted to do."
A senior BBMP official said, "The joint commissioner was handling the issue and we were kept out of this. It is said that these employees would be posted to assembly constituencies as data entry operators."
Members of Crystal Agency, which hires for the BBMP south zone war room, said, "The decision on posting these employees would be taken by the company owner. We were told to ensure that there is no staff crunch at the war room and to replace these 16 employees, which we did."
Agency owner Vijay Kumar was not available for comments.
BBMP South Zone Commissioner Tulasi Maddineni said that some of the 16 employees had written to the Palike saying they had no other means of livelihood and they should be taken back. "They will be posted wherever the agency deploys them, ensuring that their jobs are safe. The requirement at the war room was filled by the agency."
BBMP Commissioner Gaurav Gupta said that he cannot confirm whether the 16 employees were being reinstated as the decision was taken by the joint commissioner. "I am told that they made some representation. They were deployed by the agency and these are not government or BBMP employees. They were taken on contract basis," he said.
Despite repeated attempts, BBMP South Zone Joint Commissioner Veerabhadraswamy did not respond to calls.
Beds booked illegally in three hospitals
BENGALURU: The Central Crime Branch (CCB) investigating the alleged irregularities in bed allotment for COVID-19 patients have found that the beds were booked illegally in three private hospitals. A senior police officer said, "We are questioning hospital staff, Arogyamitra volunteers, and others in connection with this case. We will initiate legal action based on the findings of the investigation."
Meanwhile, a case has been registered at Jeevan Bheema Nagar police station for booking a bed for Covid patients from other districts.