BJP. Development. Authority!!

                 Well planned layouts with streamlined water & power network, structured roads system and distinctive flyover designs. These were what BDA used to be identified by. Few of the most revered residential layouts of the city such as RMV, Koramangala, JP Nagar etc. are feathers to its cap. While most state Government run bodies including BBMP & even the state government itself is being caught pants down on corruption & for failing to fulfill owned responsibilities, BDA was one which bore the torch of hope to public. But little did we realize it wasn’t too far behind in the line. It is now in the league & with such high velocity! Starting with Arkavathy layout mess & now pouring even deeper in Kempegowda Layout goof-up.

                You might have already read in the papers about the new soup BDA is in. Here is a quick recap. For the new ‘NadaPrabhu Kempegowda Layout’ it had notified & was ready to acquire about 4K acres of land. And with all the infamous ‘Denotifications’ games our ministers have played, this process of acquiring land was on snail’s pace. Funnily enough though, BDA has now reached the stage of calling in for tenders & giving out contracts for developmental work. Even better ingredient in the drama is that the land hasn’t yet been acquired at all! Not even half! It only has about 1.3K acres of land in its name and there are about 50 pending cases in the court for rest of the land. The act doesn’t stop here, like icing on the cake and something that concerns we the citizens even more, is the amount BDA wanted to spend to make roads in this yet to exist layout!.

                A tender was called for, to make roads, and the estimate drawn was about 1000 Crores (950 odd). This by itself, most of us would argue, is an inflated figure & would include all the ‘Under the table’ feedings too. But now when the contract is being given out (BTW, for making roads on land that doesn’t yet exist!) the project cost has been restated to 2200 Crores! Yeah 2.2K Crores, doesn’t your heart skip a beat? Within a matter of few months inflation has acted 120% plus on road building costs! This is moving towards being mother of all scams in the state. Given the fact, that the state government has poked its nose & even transferred the engineer who opposed the deal, would one be pushed to agree to the voice that BDA is trying to pull in more money to fund the soon coming state elections?

                Sushma Swaraj had recently called CBI as Congress Bachao Institution since it had done stuff that favored the Congress government. I am not being any party supporter here, but by the principle of Sushma Aunty, shouldn’t we now call BDA as BJP Development Authority for trying to loot our money & fund the party for elections?

I am too scared now to even say ‘God save our country’. If I am loud a new layout plan will be made & more money pulled off to bribe GOD, to not save our country & to stockup more money for the CBIs & BDAs. Or for all you know, I might be banned from using internet or put to jail for voicing.