Bengaluru Congress MLAs are a happy lot, as they have received grants of Rs 40 crore each under a city development scheme. The funds allocated under the Chief Minister’s Amrutha Nagarothana scheme have been granted to eleven Congress MLAs and one BJP MLA. The lone BJP MLA who has also been allocated the grant is Yeshwantpur MLA ST Somashekar, who is rumoured to be joining the Congress soon. The amount has been allocated after scrapping 20 development works in various stages under the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike (BBMP).
An order to this effect has been issued by the Urban Development Department (UDD) on October 7. The allocation has thrilled the Congress MLAs who had complained that their share of the grants had decreased drastically under the previous BJP government. “In the last four years, we had received just 15% of the total funds for our constituencies, whereas 85% was taken by the BJP. We may still need a lot to make up for this,” Shivajinagar MLA Rizwan Arshad said.
While Congress MLAs across the state are a disgruntled lot as Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has closed the door on grants given to them outside of budget allocations, Bengaluru Congress MLAs have heaved a sigh of relief. The Amrutha Nagarothana scheme was started as a scheme to fix basic infrastructure like roads and other development works. A total of Rs 6,000 crore had been allocated to the scheme in 2021 for carrying out infrastructure and development works. Of this, Rs 2,149.27 crore had been allocated in June 2022 for various projects. Now, a total of 20 projects expected to cost Rs 486.06 crore are not being taken up and these are being diverted to various projects in 12 Bengaluru constituencies. The list of projects that have been scrapped includes the construction of an elevated corridor from Minerva Circle to Hudson Circle costing Rs 213 crore, CM discretionary grants, infrastructure and development works in Mahadevapura, Padmanabhanagara, Chickpete, Jayanagar and KR Pura. Among the amounts withdrawn is Rs 56 crore allocated to Rajarajeswarinagar and KR Pura constituencies in March 2023, and had not been spent.
The approval for the tender process at an additional amount of Rs 25 crore allocated to the Dasarahalli constituency for the construction and repair of roads in five villages, has also been withdrawn. Also withdrawn is a proposal to provide safety equipment and uniforms to 18,500 pourakarmikas at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
A Congress MLA said that BJP MLAs had received Rs 250 to Rs 300 crore, while Congress MLAs had received only Rs 30 to 50 crore during the previous three years. “It is only the unspent money that is being diverted. At least it is an equitable distribution. How can half a city survive on only 15% of the funds? It is no comparison to what was allotted to BJP MLAs earlier, but it will definitely help,” the MLA said.
Two days ago, Rajarajeswarinagar BJP MLA Munirathna, who is supposed to have received the highest allocation under BJP, staged a protest against Deputy Chief Minister Bengaluru Development Minister DK Shivakumar, alleging that the Bengaluru Development Minister and MP DK Suresh had diverted around Rs 126 crore meant for his constituency to other constituencies. The amount, he alleged, had been diverted to Pulakeshinagar, Yeshwantpur and Byatarayanapura constituencies.
Former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai also called the present government a ‘zero grant’ government, while claiming that the BJP government had released the grants to the MLAs of the then Opposition parties, and treated everyone equally.
The MLAs and their constituencies who have received Rs 40 crore each are: AC Srinivas (Pulakeshinagar), Byrathi Suresh (Hebbal), Dinesh Gundu Rao (Gandhinagar), KJ George (Sarvagnangar), NA Haris (Shantinagar), Krishna Byre Gowda (Byatarayanapura), M Krishnappa (Vijaynagar), Priya Krishna (Govindrarajanagar), Ramalinga Reddy (BTM Layout), ST Somashekar (Yeshwantpur) and Zameer Ahmed Khan (Chamarajapet). MLA B Shivanna’s Anekal constituency has been granted Rs 5 crore.