Complaint alleges BBMP spends close to Rs 100 crore on consultants

Bengaluru: Close to Rs 100 crore of the BBMP’s annual budget is spent on project management consultants, a complaint filed before the civic body’s top brass has revealed. The complaint also alleges that some chief engineers are misusing the allocation by engaging agencies who are either their family members or close friends. Some say there is no need to engage private consultants for minor works such as resurfacing the roads or de-silting the drains. 

In his complaint to BBMP’s administrator, SR Umashankar and chief commissioner Tushar Girinath, ex-councillor and BJP leader NR Ramesh said the civic body sets aside 2 per cent of the project cost for the project management consultancy. “In a year, the BBMP spends about Rs 5,000 for various projects. Of this, up to Rs 100 crore is spent on consultancy works,” he said. 

Retired engineers noted that only large projects need project management consultants but the civic body has been engaging the services of private firms even for minor works. They wondered what role the BBMP’s in-house staff play if they want all the work to be outsourced to private professionals. 

NR Ramesh said the rule mandates floating of tenders for consultancy work estimated over Rs 5 lakh and quotation-based process for work that is less than Rs 5 lakh. “Both the processes are rigged to help the chief engineers,” he said, adding there are four to five honest chief engineers in the BBMP who do not indulge in this.

To bring greater financial discipline and transparency in the payment of work bills, the PMC concept came into existence in August 2018. The system is, however, costing the BBMP heavily even though the complaints of shoddy workmanship or substandard use of materials has not come down. 

A senior BBMP official said the PMC system exists across all departments spread all over the state and the country. “We will review these rules and its misuse in the BBMP,” he assured.