CID to probe into BMTF fire

The Rs1,539-crore BBMP bills scam and the fire that gutted sensitive files said to be related to it are causing tremors in the state administration.

The state government has shunted out BBMP commissioner Siddaiah and ordered a CID probe into the alleged scam and fire incident.

The CID would probe into financial irregularities that have taken place in the BBMP to ensure transparency in administration, chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda said.

Recently, Siddaiah had lodged a complaint with Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF) police asking it to investigate into the Rs1,539-crore scam in the BBMP wards coming under Gandhinagar, Malleswaram and Rajarajeshwari Nagar assembly constituencies.

The decision had evoked protests from BBMP corporators and even from some ruling party MLAs, but the opposition Congress and JD (S) demanded a thorough probe into the financial irregularities in all the 198 wards. Rajarajeshwari Nagar MLA M Srinivas condemned the move and challenged the commissioner to prove the misappropriation.

BJP corporators’ contention was how the case could be given to the BMTF when the mayor was not in town — she was in New York to attend a summit.

While BJP corporators were hoping to kill the probe through the house committee plan, BMTF inspector general of police RP Sharma dropped a bombshell by saying that the investigation would not be restricted to the three constituencies alone but could be expanded to other areas as well.

BBMP officials faced accusations of misuse of funds and payment of bills to unexecuted works, among others. Soon after Siddaiah sought a police probe, a fire broke out in one of the rooms in BBMP where records of the corporation had been stored.

According to Siddaiah, the files pertaining to the financial scam were not damaged in the fire mishap. But those who thought otherwise regarded it as godsend for those involved in the multi-crore bogus bill scam.

Documents that were stored in the BMTF office in the BBMP headquarters compound were gutted.  Reacting to the incident, Siddaiah has said it could be an insider’s handiwork. BMTF had gathered 153 files pertaining to the irregularities in three assembly constituencies- Rajarajeshwarinagar, Gandhinagar and Malleswaram.  The scam was unearthed by the Technical Vigilance Committee under Commissioner (TVCC).