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BBMP to finally digitise employee records

Friday, 07 July 2017 06:14 administrator
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The Hindu          07.07.2017  

BBMP to finally digitise employee records

How many Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials got promoted/transferred/suspended last year? It seems even the civic body does not know.

While employee names and payment records were centralised a while ago, details on employee transfers and promotions continue to be maintained separately in each zone by the respective drawing and disbursing officers. For citizens, this becomes evident while trying to contact officials based on the information provided on the BBMP website. Many officials would have been transferred or retired but this information is rarely updated.

BBMP has finally woken up to this lacunae and has decided to bring in computerisation of all employee records. “Sometimes, we do not get to know if an officer has been transferred or promoted as there was no information coming to the head office,” said V. Manjunath, an official working for the BBMP Establishment and Administrative Reforms Standing Committee, who is part of the digitisation programme.

According to G.R. Harishilpa, Assistant Commissioner (Administration), the software for centralisation of records is ready and officials are waiting for approval from the Finance Department to start the system in a month or so. As the records of 9,000 employees will need to be entered, she expects that the system will be running in another three to four months.

“Currently, employee service registrars are being handled by the 140 drawing and disbursing officers working under BBMP, and there is a delay in updating records,” she said.

The database will also include permanent pourakarmikas employed directly by the civic body.

 

Ward committees to be finalised next week: BBMP Commissioner

Monday, 12 June 2017 10:52 administrator
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The Hindu         12.06.2017    

Ward committees to be finalised next week: BBMP Commissioner

The one-month deadline given by HC to set up these committees ended in May

As citizen activists raise their pitch to get more people to enrol in ward committees, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has said that the list for all 198 wards will be finalised next week. The one-month deadline given by the High Court of Karnataka to set up these committees ended in May.

With allegations that councillors are misusing powers to pick and choose people for the committees, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Pasad said citizens can send in their nominations directly to him. In fact, activists had alleged that in many cases, councillors were thwarting nominations of residents who were more likely to question them. In addition, there are misgivings about the kind of work involved and the time they need to put in, they said.

The Palike had recently informed the High Court of Karnataka that ward committees have been constituted in 68 wards. Of these, around 27 have been functioning even before the High Court’s intervention. Kathyayini Chamraj from CIVIC Bangalore said, with the Commissioner enabling nominations to be filed through him, residents, who had hesitated to file their nominations fearing interference from councillors, could also now apply.

“It is necessary for serious-minded citizens to become part of it to break the nexus. Or else, people chosen by the councillors will hold constitutional positions,” she said. So far, various civic groups have managed to get 350 people nominated to the ward committees. A similar campaign to get more citizens to volunteer was held by the Citizens for Bengaluru (CfB) on Saturday as well. Srinivas Alavilli from CfB said, “We need 1,980 people to stand up and be counted as members of the 198 wards. However, a very few people signed up owing to a variety of reasons. This is an opportunity for people to get into governance.”

 

Liquor shops: Local bodies to have no say

Thursday, 01 June 2017 00:00 administrator
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The New Indian Express        01.06.2017  

Liquor shops: Local bodies to have no say

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Local bodies will no longer have a say in allowing liquor shops in their limits. The Cabinet on Wednesday decided to issue an ordinance amending the relevant clauses of the Kerala Municipalities Act and the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act in this regard.

According to the government, the amendments are being made to enable the uniform implementation of the Abkari Act across the state and to end the discrimination between existing liquor licencees and new applicants.

The government move is intended to enable the Kerala State Beverages Corporation to open outlets shut along highways following the Supreme Court verdict in new locations. In many locations, the local bodies concerned have also said a big ‘no’ to new bars and beer and wine parlours. The state government plans to declare the new liquor policy by June 30.

Bevco’s attempts to relocate the liquor shops had triggered stiff opposition in local communities. Bevco was forced to shift 179 of its 270 outlets following SC order. Even now, Bevco is struggling to open 90 of the shut-down outlets in new locations.

This is what the Municipalities Act says: ‘’A municipality may notify by publication in the Gazette or in any other manner as may be prescribed that no place within the municipal area shall be used for any one or more of the purposes specified 24 (in the rules made in this behalf) or for any other trade without licence and except in accordance with the conditions specified therein and where the licence is for running hostels, restaurants, eating houses, coffee houses, Abkari shop, laundries, travel agency or barber saloons, the licence shall always contain and be deemed to contain a condition that admission or service therein shall be available to the public.’’

Cabinet Appointments

Raju Narayana Swamy, who was removed as Agriculture Secretary last week following an open feud with Biju Prabhakar, appointed Principal Secretary of P&ARD.  
Finance Resources Secretary Minhaj Alam given additional charge of Tax Department.
Housing Commissioner K N Satheesh made director of Industries and Commerce Dept.


Chengannoor sub-collector S Chandrasekhar appointed Thalassery sub collector.
Fisheries Dept Additional Chief Secretary James Varghese given additional charge of Forest and Wildlife department and Tax (Excise) department.
 
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