Months after launching a massive raid on the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Friday launched a city-wide raid on the civic body. Raids on the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) were still on at the time of going to press.
A team of over 200 ACB sleuths descended on the BBMP offices across the city — all eight zonal offices and the headquarters at N.R. Square around 11.30 a.m. Simultaneous raids were conducted on 27 premises across the city, the ACB said in a press statement. Raids were conducted at the Revenue Department, Town Planning Department, the personal section of the Special Commissioner (Finance), Health, Storm Water Drains, Roads and Infrastructure, Technical Vigilance Cell under the Commissioner, Transferable Development Rights Department, among others, at the headquarters. Raids were also conducted at all the zonal offices of the civic body.
A press statement from the ACB said the agency had received several oral and written complaints alleging that the officials in these departments had colluded with middlemen and private individuals, and allowed the civic body’s assets to be misused causing losses to the government. The ACB registered a suo motu case under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and conducted the raids.
Sources in the BBMP said ACB officials asked for several specific files, based on the complaints they had received. The ACB sleuths have seized a huge volume of incriminating documents, sources said. Those civic officials, who had not yet reached their offices when the raids began, stayed away through the day, sources said.
The bureau had conducted a similar all-encompassing raid on BDA in November 2021, which the Bharatiya Janata Party said was Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s initiative to clean up the agency. Mr. Bommai also holds charge of Bengaluru development and the BJP is gearing up to hold the much-delayed civic polls in May 2022.
Chief Civic Commissioner Gaurav Gupta told The Hindu that the civic body will cooperate with the probe. “Once the probe agency submits its report on its findings, we will take necessary disciplinary action and corrective measures,” he said.
