Bengaluru: BJP corporators are up in arms against a Congress MLA who is not permitting the corporators to carry out any sort of civil work in their respective wards. The reason for this is best known to the MLA.
Corporators allege that in Govindraj Nagar constituency, Congress MLA Priyakrishna is worried that the corporators would get the credit for the civil work and eventually would ‘grow’ above him.
Govindraj Nagar ward corporator Umesh Shetty wanted to improve the roads in MC Layout, especially 16th Cross where Chief Minister Siddharamaiah owns a house.
“The roads have not been developed over the last 15 to 20 years and we have been requesting the MLA to at least lend support for the civil works that we carry out. I somehow managed to procure a grant of Rs 1 crore for the development of roads in my ward from the 14th Finance Commission from the Centre,” said Umesh Shetty.
“The grant was allocated around 7 to 8 months ago and we need to carry out the work and submit the report by the end of this financial year,” Mr. Shetty added.
On Tuesday, when the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Ltd. (KRDL), land army turned up for the road inspection in MC Layout, Mr. Shetty alleged that the local MLA Priyakrishna and his men turned up at the spot and created a commotion, preventing them from carrying out any work.
Mr. Shetty also alleged that the MLA warned the workers not to carry out any work without work orders. “The grant of '1 crore needs to be utilized for the stated purpose before March next year, or else the grant will be taken back by the ministry,” Mr. Shetty said, adding, “the MLA is not only targeting me alone, but all other corporators in the constituency as well.”
He is not the only one with complaints. Ward no. 128, Nagarbhavi corporator Mohan Kumar too has similar issues with the MLA, and so does ward no. 105, Agrahara Dasarahalli corporator Shilpa G. Sridhar, who has similar grievances against Priyakrishna.
Meanwhile, MLA Priyakrishna said, “Who am I to stop his work in his ward? We both are elected representatives of the people and will focus on the welfare of the people. I did not stop anybody from carrying out civil works. The project has been entrusted to the KRDL and they should execute the work. When the corporator’s personal assistant was supervising the work, it was agency officials who had created a ruckus against the corporator and not me,” said Priyakrishna to Deccan Chronicle.
