General Administration

BBMP to stop installation of new telecom towers

Thursday, 19 February 2015 06:15 administrator

The Hindu 19.02.2015

BBMP to stop installation of new telecom towers

State government to come up with guidelines to regulate towers

Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has decided to stop installation of new telecom towers till the State government comes up with guidelines for their regulation. The decision was taken in a review meeting chaired by district in-charge Minister R. Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday.

However, it is to be seen as to how successful BBMP would be in its endeavour as its earlier attempts to regulate telecom towers in the city were a failure. An attempt was made in 2011 to levy tax of Rs. 12,000 on each telecom tower. High Court struck down the move saying that law did not have such a provision.

Presently, telecom companies erecting towers do not seek permission from BBMP. BBMP Commissioner M. Lakshminarayana said that the Karnataka Municipality Act, 1964 under which BBMP is governed is yet to factor in the new development of telecom towers and thus they had no authority to control them.

At the moment, telecom companies seek an approval from the Department of Telecommunication (DoT) for erecting towers. Though a government order directs telecom companies to seek a no-objection from the local body, it is being followed only in the breach. The issue was recently raised in the Assembly and Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra said the government would come up with guidelines. BBMP has now decided to stop any new towers from being erected till the guidelines are notified.

Power to BBMP office cut due to non-payment

Thursday, 29 January 2015 06:06 administrator

The Hindu 29.01.2015

Power to BBMP office cut due to non-payment

Bescom officials cut power supply to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) head office on Wednesday morning as the civic body had allegedly failed to pay power bills amounting to Rs. 10 lakh for the November–December period.

Bangalore Electronic Supply Company (Bescom) officials disconnected supply around 10.30 a.m. when a BBMP council meeting was scheduled.

BBMP authorities immediately prepared a Demand Draft (DD) for Rs. 10 lakh following which power was restored 90 minutes later.

This is not the first time that the civic body has been in the news for the wrong reasons. Recently, telecom company BSNL had cut outgoing calls of nearly 750 official mobile numbers of the BBMP after the civic body failed to pay telephone bills for four months amounting Rs. 16 lakh.

Civic body allegedly failed to pay bills of Rs. 10 lakh for the November–December period

Street vendors protest delay in issuing licence

Wednesday, 21 January 2015 09:34 administrator

The Hindu 21.01.2015

Street vendors protest delay in issuing licence

Street vendors say in the absence of legal documents they have to pay bribes to operate. —File photo

Street vendors from across the Capital on Tuesday protested outside the offices of the municipal bodies against the delay in issuing licences to hawkers.

The three municipal corporations and the New Delhi Municipal Council were supposed to conduct a survey before allotting vending licences as per the Street Vendors Bill, 2014.

The National Association of Street Vendors of India (NASVI) that organised the protests, said that the vendors had to pay bribes to be able to operate in the absence of legal documents.

NASVI national coordinator Arbind Singh said the corporations had set up town vending committees, but “not a single vendor was given a licence in the past 10 years”.

The street vendors handed over a memorandum to the three municipal commissioners and the chairperson of the NDMC.

According to the NASVI, the officials assured the vendors that challans would not be issued till the surveys were completed.

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