BDA board.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: Close to 750 BBMP and BDA files are languishing at the Urban Development Department for over a month, documents sourced from UDD show.
Of these, over 550 files sit ignored for two months, even though standing instructions exist, and higher-ups regularly review pendency reports. Standard protocol dictates that authorities must either approve or reject the files in 10 days.
The file typically moves from casework to the additional chief secretary’s desk in nine days before landing on the minister’s table for the final approval. The fact that they are held for more than 30 days only indicates undue demands.
The BBMP and BDA submitted a total of 1,138 files, including the recent ones. Most pertain to approvals for land use changes, contracts, and new grants.
The secretariat manual stipulates a secretary to clear a file in a day, failing which the higher-up calls for an explanation. Insiders said the delay cannot be blamed on secretariat staff, saying: "It is always the IAS officers. And more than that, the ministers sit on the files."