Bengaluru's troubles will have to wait; the BBMP is broke
- Bengaluru's governing municipal corporation, the BBMP, has no funds.
- The corporation has missed its projected revenue targets by some 50%
- It seems unlikely that developmental projects within the city will occur.
FollowBengaluru's civic issues like potholes, bad roads and footpath and others will probably never be solved in this financial year, as the BBMP has no budget.
While the BBMP certainly had plenty of ideas for the many civic issues plaguing the city, its poor show in tax collection is a damper on all ideas. The BBMP has collected only Rs 4,163 crore out of the projected Rs 9,355 crore in tax revenue.
Poor tax collection on properties and hoardings, plus a shortage of grants from the state government is having a cascading effect on the city's development.
Umesh Shetty, BJP and Opposition leader in the BBMP council, says that the BBMP administration failed in generating revenue.
"The budget presented by BBMP was for Rs 9,355 crore. But it failed to collect not even 50 percent of that. With no money, development activity like maintenance of roads, keeping them free of potholes, road asphalting, good footpath, maintenance of street lights, etc., all will take a hit," said Shetty.
He accused a contractors lobby within the BBMP, who were affecting development works.
"The announced budget for the development of roads and stormwater drains is taken over big contractors, who grease the palms of politicians and officials and do the works slowly to escalate the bills," he added.
V Ravichandar, an urban expert, says that grants from the state government to help the BBMP were below targets.
"Your roads, street lights and all the development will suffer as the collection from the municipal administration will go towards salaries of its employees and repayment on the borrowing and interest," said Ravichandar.
The ruling Congress and JD(S) alliance in BBMP, however, had earlier presented a rosy picture of good tax collection - despite issues like the note ban.
MK Gunashekhar, Chairman Tax and Finance Committee, BBMP said, "The BBMP collected Rs 1,847 crore through property tax collection and from advertisements it got Rs 20 crore. The government also assisted with Rs 1,300 crore - out of Rs 7,300 crore it promised. The financial year is not over. We have two more months, and we will collect more revenue,"
Although the chairman assured better tax collection, going by its track record of lax financial discipline and a lack of concern towards public issues like potholes, faulty street lights, bad roads, illegal hoardings and banners, it seems Bengaluru shall indeed suffer in the coming days.
