The Karnataka government has acted at lightning speed to sanction Rs 350 crore to the BBMP for carrying out works to flood-proof Bengaluru. The Urban Development Department sanctioned the funds on Sept 28, just 10 days after the civic body made a request.
A chunk (Rs 317 crore) of this will be spent on restoring the missing links between the city’s lake network. Once known as the city of a thousand lakes, Bengaluru has witnessed urban flooding in recent years. This is mainly due to encroachments onlakes and stormwater drains that connect them. Mahadevapura, the Assembly constituency worst hit by flooding, has received Rs 160 crore. While sanctioning the funds, the UDD noted that all the works should be carried out as per the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements Act. It also directed the BBMP to conduct a third-party audit once the works are completed to assess their quality. No work shall be packaged under Rs 10 crore while inviting tenders, the order states. DH has seen a copy of the order. A large number of works proposed in the Mahadevapura constituency are in places where the BBMP is currently removing encroachments from stormwater drains.
Source: deccanherald.com