Bengaluru Mayor, G Padmavathi cracks the whip on municipal officers

BENGALURU: City Mayor G Padmavathi has ordered municipal officers to meet elected representatives every month to discuss public grievances and submit reports.

The Mayor held a review meeting of the Bengaluru East municipal zone on Tuesday, taking to task zonal commissioner KC Yatish Kumar and others for not working together with elected representatives. “How can you solve problems without coordinating with councillors," the Mayor asked.

“I see elected representatives come out as early as 7am to hear public grievances. Officials should be present with them to help address problems. Here on, I don’t want officials to neglect representatives,” she said.

Padmavathi, a Congress councillor representing the Prakash Nagar ward, was elected as Bengaluru mayor on September 28. Ever since, Padmavathi has focused on getting officials to work alongside elected representatives.

Last week, she warned disciplinary action against municipal engineers if they fail to utilize budgetary allocation for civic works. “You haven’t drawn up a single plan to use the funds,” the Mayor told engineers at a review meeting recently. The Rs 9,000-crore municipal budget for 2016-17 has allocation for filling up potholes, horticulture, street lighting among others. “Work with your councillors and come up with plans to use the funds.”