The Karnataka High Court on Monday sent a summons to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahangara Palike (BBMP) commissioner and the Additional Chief Secretary of the State Urban Development Department to court over a video conference. The summons is with regard to the BBMP not following the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in containment zones.
The Karnataka High Court took BBMP to task over not identifying the needy in the containment zones and the disregard in repeated failure on this front. The bench led by Cheif Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Alok Aradhe heard petitions on COVID-19 on Monday.
BBMP commissioner and ACS of State Urban Development Department summoned by HC
The Karnataka High Court earlier this month had pulled up BBMP for its failure to follow orders in containment zones and careless handling of the situation amid the pandemic. This was with regard to complaints of food delivery and groceries availability in containment zones. The BBMP's disregard for SOP in these zones had made the high court ask the BBMP commissioner to submit an affidavit with regard to the case.
Following the affidavit, the court has said that there has been a 'complete failure' of the BBMP in following rules and regulations in containment zones. The court had ordered the civic body to identify families in need of food and make arrangements for delivery. The advocate representing the BBMP had said that one kit had been delivered per family according to the affidavit. The bench has observed the BBMP's affidavit to be 'insensitive'.
The division bench of CJ Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Alok Aradhe observed, "If it is read as a whole, it is an affidavit for non-compliance. This insensitivity cannot go on. Is one carton of food sufficient for a family of 4-5 persons? They (BBMP) are so brazen that they do not follow any instructions."
Therefore, the BBMP Commissioner and the ACS of the State Urban Development Department have now been called to court via video conferencing on Tuesday. The court firmly suggested that "It will pass a writ of mamdus directing the state to take over the management of BBMP as it has completely failed in meeting its statutory duty."
