The gimmicks have started, News - City - Bangalore Mirror,Bangalore Mirror

The gimmicks have started, News - City - Bangalore Mirror,Bangalore Mirror

The gimmicks have started

Niranjan Kaggere and Suchith Kidiyoor
Posted On Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 02:05:34 AM
Medical camps in full swing

Don’t be surprised if goons in the neighbourhood or a small-time netas suddenly start acting like saints. Because they have decided to shun argument for appeasement, with the countdown for the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) polls having begun.



While some aspiring corporators have tied up with social services organisations and are doling out freebies to win the goodwill of the voters, others have begun to unleash development projects in their areas. With the poll code of conduct coming into effect on Jan 15, aspiring corporators are going full throttle to make themselves highly visible. All this even before the political parties could commence the candidate selection process. Political circles are expecting the campaign expenditure for the BBMP polls to touch the Rs 800-1,000 crore mark this time. A trailer of the same was out this weekend when some former corporators and those wanting to enter the BBMP council organised free health check-up camps.

On Sunday, members of the H D Kumaraswamy Fans Club had organised a free health check up camp for residents of KHB Colony off Magadi road at Kamakshipalya. The residents could go in for heart check-up and get their eyes tested, besides obtaining free medicines for general health problems. Several NGOs and reputed hospitals were part of the programme for which the main sponsor-cum-organiser was former corporator K Gopalaiah. As Kamakshipalya and adjoining areas are home for the middle-class and lower middle-class families, free health check-up camps is termed as one strategy to woo voters.

Same was the case in Byatarayanapura off Mysore Road. Here, a free medical camp was organised by Sneha Seva Samithi with a poster of former deputy mayor M Lakshminarayanato woo the residents of Gali Anjaneyaswamy ward. In other constituteuncies, the respective MLAs have taken the lead in trying to bond with the voters. While Congress MLA Krishna Byre Gowda organised ‘Hasiru Santhe’ (a programme to promote greenery) at Sahakarnagar recently, other netas have put up posters wishing people a ‘Happy Sankranthi.’

Here MLAs are smart and superfast!

It is the government department concerned that usually arranges foundation laying ceremony for any of the projects approved, but surprisingly, two opposition party MLAs of the city have voluntarily come forward to lay thefoundation for a water supply project worth Rs 6.15 crore as the BBMP election is nearing.

Followers of Vijayanagar MLA M Krishnappa and Priya Krishna, MLA of Govindaraj Nagar, were busy distributing pamphlets requesting people of K P Agrahara, Magadi road, Manjunathnagar, Cholurapalya, Vidyaranyanagar, Goplapur, Gangappa garden, Cheluvappa garden and Telecom garden to attend the programme organised at Magadi road and make it a grand success.

The MLAs’ followers have erected banners of their leaders, giving a grand welcome for them to inaugurate the project. Though the opposition party MLAs are ready with all the arrangements, the department concerned, Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), is clueless about the arrangements made by the elected representatives to lay the foundation stone for the approved project.

Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, P B Ramamurthy, chairman of BWSSB said, “It is true that a project to supply water through Ground Level Reservoir (GLR) was approved. But the department has not arranged any foundation laying ceremony. As per the rules, we should inform elected representatives about officially arranged programmes and we will do that. But at this moment, our department has not arranged any programmes.”

But M Krishnappa, who has taken the initiative to arrange the programme, told Bangalore Mirror that the programme has been arranged with the knowledge of BWSSB officials. “GLR was built long back, but the water supply from the Reservoir was delayed for many years. The project will benefit for Vijayanagar as well as Gandhi Nagar constituency. The officials of BWSSB are also going to participate in the programme and everything done with their knowledge,” he said.