Bengaluru, Jul 22: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday directed the suspension of Bengaluru South tahsildar S M Shivakumar and ordered issue of show-cause notice to Bengaluru regional commissioner M V Jayanthi for obstructing the construction of the state government’s flagship programme Indira Canteen at one of the locations in the city.
Siddaramaiah was reviewing the Indira Canteen project that offers meals and tiffin at subsidised rates to the urban poor. The government had set a deadline of August 15 to kick-start the canteens in all the 198 wards. However, the project has been facing numerous challenges, especially in obtaining land.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials apprised the chief minister that they had identified a location near PES College but Jayanthi and Shivakumar were obstructing it. It is learnt that the revenue department wanted to have its building on the piece of land. About two years ago, Bengaluru Urban district authorities had cleared encroachment from the land.
Sources said Siddaramaiah called the principal secretary in the revenue department Ramana Reddy and directed him to suspend Shivakumar and serve a show-cause notice on Jayanthi.
Palike officials apprised the chief minister that they have identified 182 sites to set up Indira Canteens while the search is on for the remaining 16 locations. Construction work has started at 72 places. They said by August 15, they will be able to set up only 125 canteens. The rest will be ready by October 2.
Officers informed the chief minister that 87 locations identified for the canteens belong to the 23 government departments. So far, 36 sites have been transferred to the BBMP while the remaining 51 sites will be handed over to the BBMP by Monday.
The Palike officers told the chief minister that preliminary work has started on 91 sites while construction is in full swing at 72 locations.
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