HC to govt: Take a call on dissolving BBMP

Pulling up BBMP on Tuesday, the high court suggested the govern ment take a call on dissolving the civic agency and appoint an administrator to run its affairs instead. A division bench headed by acting Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee made this suggestion while wondering how was it that the Palike was maintaining private accounts. The bench, which was hearing a PIL filed by the Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Member of Parliament Rajeev Chandrashekar, ordered notices to the finance ministry , state government, BBMP and the CAG before adjourning the hearing by a week. Appearing on behalf of the petitioner, senior counsel Sajan Poovayya informed the court that BBMP hasn't been conducting regular audits for years, as a result of which Bengaluru doesn't qualify to be a smart city . "No separate cash register is maintained and there's no internal accounting system in place. Several private accounts, having varying amounts running into crores of rupees, have been found, including one in Tu cluding one in Tumakuru, which is outside BBMP limits.If a private company's accounts are not audited even for one year, they are liable for action. Here, the accounts of BBMP aren't at all audited. Even the one done isn't certified as stated in a CAG report," he argued. At this juncture, V Sreenidhi, counsel for BBMP, informed the court that auditing has been completed up to 201314, and that for 2014-15 is in progress.He said the civic agency is ready to place the reports before the court. The petitioners have sought for a direction to CAG to conduct a complete and comprehensive financial audit of BBMP for financial years 2011-12, 201213, 2013-14 and 2014-15. In addition, a direction has been sought to the chief secretary to initiate appropriate legal proceedings, including criminal prosecution against erring officers whose actionsinactions have resulted in non-conduct of financial audit of the Palike. -TOI