Bengaluru, Jul 18: Bringing a major change in the administration of Bengaluru, which has emerged as a Covid-19 hotspot, the state government on Saturday transferred B H Anil Kumar out of the BBMP and brought N Manjunath Prasad to take his place.
Manjunath Prasad, who headed the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) before being replaced by Kumar, will take over with immediate effect. The government has also placed him in concurrent charge of the Revenue Department as well as the Disaster Management, Bhoomi and UPOR.
Kumar, an Additional Chief Secretary, has been put in a place where earlier a secretary was posted. He now heads the Department of Public Enterprises. The posting would have brought him two spots down had it not been for the government upgrading it to the level of additional chief secretary.
Anil Kumar, who was earlier praised for his work to contain the coronavirus pandemic, had faced criticism by the High Court of Karnataka for the BBMP's failure to help people in containment zones as well as other issues on the spread of the pandemic.
Sources in the government said, pressure has been building up against Anil Kumar over the last two months after most of the Bengaluru MLAs complained to the chief minister's office.
"No MLA backed him. Everyone had a problem," a source said.
Things came to the head with regard to a Rs 436 crore project given to KRIDL. "The issue reached the chief minister's office as all the MLAs took an issue with the way the project was awarded," a source said.
Another source said that Kumar came under fire after a central team flagged the issue of failing Covid-19 surveillance measures in Bengaluru. The central team's criticism, it is widely believed in the government, came as the last straw.
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the party manifesto for the zilla and taluk panchayat polls, BJP?State president Pralhad Joshi said Mattu was giving “communal colour” to terrorism. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is yet to respond to the BJP’s?demand that he should clarify the State government’s stand on the issue.
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TERRORIST DNT HAVE ANY RELIGION....
Prahlad Joshi, a mastermind of all Hubli riots and Anjuman ground dispute talking about the statement given by Dinesh Amin a senior writer/Editor and CM's Media advisor is foolish allegation.
There are many examples of the Muslim youths arrests in the past are acquitted by the court in our state and through out India. Recently Mumbai Train blast is another example for this. Mr. Amin is right on his statement and Joshi claim must be ignored.
BJP is always trying to find pebbles in sour milk.
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