Will the Government bail BBMP out?

BANGALORE:  While Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) is optimistic that it will receive the financial assistance it seeks from the State Government, the Opposition in BBMP claims that the broke Corporation is highly unlikely to receive any money from the State.“We have sought Rs 1,500 crore, as financial assistance and we are sure that the chief minister will sanction it,” said Manjunath Raju, Chairman, Standing Committee on Finance, BBMP. Officials from the Palike met Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda before the release of the budget on August 18. It is believed that this meeting has delayed the budget.The Opposition’s versionCriticising the consistent delay in the presentation of the budget by the Corporation, Opposition Leader M Udayashankar, claims that the Corporation, in fact, has sought close to Rs 3,000 crore and says that it is not going to receive any money from the state budget. He explains that the Palike has been unsuccessful in implementing the projects from the previous year’s budget, which discredits its  efficiency. This, he says, makes it difficult for the Palike to receive any  financial help from the Government.He adds that the former chief minister, BS Yeddyurappa had announced a sanction of Rs 1,300 crore, as funds allocated for the Palike’s budget for the year 2010-2011. He further clarifies that the corporation has still not received this money.Conflicting versionsChief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had called for another meeting on Thursday, to review the activities of the Palike. This meeting, however has been put off for a later date. While the Palike claims that the chief minister only wants to discuss the Palike’s projects, the Opposition claims, that this second meeting will be another attempt at presenting its case.The BBMP is entitled to some money from the State’s budget but whether the Palike will receive the amount it seeks remains unclear. The Corporation has also come under severe censure for not sticking to the timeline specified in the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act. Opposition claims that since tenders for many projects that were supposed to be completed by 2011 are now being offered, the budget will have an unrealistic goal.Manjunath Raju has said that the focus is on infrastructure projects and that the estimate for the budget has been prepared carefully. He also adds  that once the State Government sanctions the money, there will be no problem with the budget.When asked about the second meeting with the chief minister, he said that the meeting was only being called to get a sense of the Palike’s activities.