Mysore/Mysuru: Even as the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) decided to cancel the tender of the breakfast scheme for over 2,000 Pourakarmikas attached to the Corporation in the last Council meeting held on Jan. 30, the MCC in its second Council meeting of the year held at its Nalwadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar Hall on Feb. 27, approved to clear breakfast allowance totalling Rs.5.4 crore that has been pending for the period 2015-18.

The Council meeting, chaired by Mayor Tasneem, also resolved to provide breakfast allowance to  civic workers out of the 24.10 percent Pourakarmika Grants, unspent, during 2018-19 and 2019-20.

MCC Additional Commissioner Shashikumar, addressing the  meeting, said that there is provision for crediting the allowance directly to the accounts of 518 regular Pourakarmikas, while 1,648 contract Pourakarmikas can get the allowance through their respective contractors.

Compensation 

The meeting approved payment of Rs. 5 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased contract Pourakarmika B. Suresh, who died while on duty on Jan.10, 2020.

Corporator SBM Manju wanted the MCC authorities to make periodic checks on whether the contractors are extending  statutory benefits such as PF and ESI to outsourced civic workers.

The meeting approved the resolutions  passed by Taxation, Finance and Appeals Standing Committee and Public Health,  Education and Social Justice Standing Committee. Some Corporators alleged that illegal permissions were being given for construction of private buildings, following which the Mayor said that the members of the Works Standing Committee will visit all such spots for an inspection.

Laptops 

Independent Corporator M.V. Ramprasad alleged that 113 beneficiaries were yet to get laptops, which the MCC had promised. Hitting out at official apathy, Ramprasad urged the Mayor to take measures for distributing laptops to the beneficiaries out of the MCC funds.

Mayor seeks report on laying of UG cables

Following several complaints of haphazard laying of Underground  power cables (UG cables) across the city, Mayor Tasneem directed the officials to submit a report on the issue within a week.

Opposition leader M.U. Subbaiah who raised the issue, alleged that the CESC which had been granted permission for laying UG power cables by Horizontal Directional Drilling method, was indulged in indiscreet digging of roads and other spaces. Also, CESC has not bothered to cover up the dug-up portions and has continued with its unscientific works, he argued. 

Maintaining that haphazard digging poses a serious threat to pedestrians and motorists, Subbaiah, who was supported by his fellow BJP Corporators, said that the MCC was paying CESC for relocation of Control Boxes installed on footpaths and as such, the MCC authorities, in return, must ask CESC officials to execute the works sought by the MCC, free of cost. 

Seeking distribution of soft copies of the blue-print of the UG cable system to all the MCC Zonal offices, Subbaiah wanted the MCC officials to ensure that no mishaps take place due to the unscientific digging of roads and footpaths for laying of these UG cables.

MCC Commissioner Gurudatta Hegde instructed CESC officials to carry out works only after bringing it to the notice of the respective area Corporators and MCC officials.

Mayor Tasneem, who spoke after hearing the views of the Corporators on the issue, directed the MCC Superintending Engineer to ask all Zonal Development Officers to carry out an inspection of the UG cable works in their respective jurisdiction and submit a report within a week. 

Deputy Mayor C. Sridhar, Corporators B.V. Manjunath, K.V. Sridhar,  Ayub Khan, Arif Hussain, Pramila Bharath, V. Ramesh and other officials were present at the meeting.