It’s a confrontation that was waiting to happen. While the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) has gone about its job and pulled up those it believes are responsible for letting Bengaluru’s upkeep slide over the years, over 4000 BBMP engineers, revenue officers, contractors and pourakarmikas have ganged up in response and are calling for an indefinite strike, jeopardising the city’s upkeep even further.
Left with little choice in the aftermath of the flood of public complaints on poor garbage clearance, building deviations and delays in issuing of khatas, the BMTF proceeded to book criminal cases against several BBMP engineers, revenue staff and other officers for being indifferent to their duties. The backlash has been severe as BBMP officers argue they are being made scapegoats while the political bosses who actually call the shots, allowing illegal constructions to flourish in the city, are getting away scot free.
BMTF chief, R. P. Sharma, counters this saying that filing of cases against erring officers is a legitimate action against their illegitimate operations. “The BMTF has been given explicit permission from the court to register cases against them based on public complaints. By holding protests and dharnas the engineers and other BBMP staff are only questioning the sanctity of the court and its order,” he says, insisting that the BMTF is not on a witch-hunt. “We are not targeting anybody or any institution. Complaints have been registered under provisions of the law not only against BBMP staff, but also officers of the BDA and KIADB too for their lapses,” he adds, explaining that the BBMP commissioner had issued a circular in 2009 warning officers they could be prosecuted based on public complaints and the court had now taken cognisance of this .
The explanation, however, does not satisfy BBMP engineers, who say they are paying a price for satisfying the whims of politicians. “We are forced to look the other way sometimes and can do nothing despite the clear flouting of rules. For instance, a confirmatory (demolition) order issued against buildings built illegally was stalled after a few politicians intervened. Also, for a ward engineer or junior engineer it is impossible to keep tabs on all unauthorised constructions as the area under his jurisdiction is just too vast,” says one engineer.
But the argument does not cut any ice with Mr Sharma, who retorts, “If officers are subservient to somebody, that is not my problem. I have discharged my duties as required under the law. The erring officers can come up with any defence to safeguard their interests.”