Several Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) councillors have alleged that health kits containing essential medicine, pulse oximeters, thermometers, sanitisers, etc. for citizens who have tested COVID-19 positive but have chosen to isolate themselves at home - have not been distributed in their wards.
Former Mayor and Madiwala councillor B.N. Manjunath Reddy alleged that barely 10% of the wards have received these kits, and that the BBMP, without prior intimation, had given away ₹25 lakh set aside for COVID-19 to the Chief Minister’s Fund. “We have now earmarked ₹25 lakh from our ward grants. In my case, the file is yet to be approved,” he said.
M. Shivaraju, Shankar Math councillor, also made similar allegations. He claimed that oximeters that had been donated to the BBMP by philanthropic organisations had been distributed to its hospitals and primary health centres. “We have used the Disaster Management Fund allocation to distribute ration kits to the poor and needy in containment zones in our wards,” he said, and added that the funds were yet to be released to the contractors who had supplied these materials.
BJP leader K.A. Muneendra Kumar said that he had procured oximeters using funds allocated under Disaster Management for his ward. They are being used by ASHA workers and volunteers for door-to-door surveys, and will be later distributed to PHCs.
When asked about the disparity in distribution of the health kits, BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad said some wards had taken the initiative to distribute the kits after discussion in the committees. The BBMP had received around 6,000 oximeters from Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives and Lions Club, which have been distributed to some wards, he said.
Laptops and tabs
Several councillors want to utilise funds earmarked for various projects, such as school development, rainwater harvesting of school etc., to distribute laptops and tabs to students in their wards.
Mr. Prasad, however, said there was no provision to allow this. “Government approval is required to utilise funds earmarked for some other purpose. We will not be able to approve this change without government’s approval, despite approval by the standing committee,” he added.
