Over half a dozen BBMP engineers caught red-handed in bribery cases in just two weeks
The recent incident involves BBMP's Assistant Executive Engineer of CV Raman Nagar division, H.V. Yarappa Reddy, who was arrested by Lokayukta officials on June 18 while allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹10 lakh from a contractor for releasing pending bills. Reddy's bail plea was rejected by Judge KM Radhakrishna, who criticized the alarming spread of corruption in the civic body.
In a strongly worded observation, the judge stated, 'Corruption in the government system has reached uncontrollable levels, similar to a spreading plague. Common citizens suffer the most due to the greed of officials. If such cancerous behavior is not curbed, the next generation will lose faith in public institutions.'
The court also highlighted that despite orders and rules, BBMP appears to be engulfed in a bribe-for-work culture, making it nearly impossible to get work done without paying bribes. The judge emphasized that Reddy's continued custody is essential, as releasing him on bail could jeopardize ongoing investigations and lead to destruction of evidence.
According to the complaint, the accused engineer had demanded ₹10 lakh from contractor G.M. Hemant to release payments for civic works executed in CV Raman Nagar limits. Based on the complaint, Lokayukta officials laid a trap and arrested Reddy while accepting the bribe. He is currently lodged at Parappana Agrahara Central Jail.
Meanwhile, protesting various unmet demands, BBMP staff, along with employees of 10 other municipal corporations across the state, have planned a mass leave and protest on July 8 at Freedom Park. The Karnataka State Municipal Employees Federation president, A. Amrutraj, stated that essential services, including sanitation, would be suspended during the protest.
Their key demands include extension of the 7th Pay Commission benefits to municipal employees, direct grant release from the Finance Department, and amendments to cadre and recruitment rules. They are also demanding implementation of welfare schemes such as KGID, GPF, Jyothi, and Arogya Sanjeevini.
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