Bangalore civic body staffers demand withdrawal of cases against fellow engineers

Bangalore, Aug.10 (ANI): A group of employees of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic body of Bangalore, staged a demonstration here on Friday.

Waving brooms, they danced to the beat of drums outside the headquarters of BBMP, demanding withdrawal of all the cases booked against certain engineers by the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).

The BMTF is an outfit of city police designated to tackle corruption by public servants.

Reportedly, some Bangaloreans had registered a complaint against these engineers with the BMTF over poor management of sanitation and hygiene across the city.

The BMTF registered a case against some BBMP Executive Engineers and their subordinates for constructing four public toilets and a library by covering a storm water drain that passes next to a school on Cambridge Road in the city's neighbourhood of Ulsoor.

This was brought to the notice of joint commissioner and the deputy director of town planning to initiate action against the erring officials.

However, instead of initiating action, the BBMP demolished the illegal structures to protect the concerned officials at which the local residents sought recourse of the BMTF.

Additional Commissioner (Administration) N Jairam said: "The BMTF, Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force, they have filed a case against some of the engineers, against complaints received by the BMTF, because BMTF has been declared as a police station. So, if the general public is filing any complaints with BMTF, then they have to take action as per the law."

He also added that the issue has been brought to the notice of the higher authorities and expressed hope of resolving the issue at the earliest.

In 1996, the Karnataka government issued a notification under which the BMTF was assigned as the status of a police station. (ANI)