Cunningham Road bus shelter was not stolen, it was seized by BBMP official

BENGALURU: In a curious twist to the case where a bus shelter on Cunningham Road had surprisingly gone missing, it has now come to light that an BBMP official had seized all the material since the bus shelter was unauthorised. The BBMP is also planning to lodge a complaint against the private firm which had put up the bus shelter unauthorisedly.

The material was brought to Cunningham Road on August 25 to erect the bus shelter.

After the bus shelter, behind the police commissioner’s office, went missing, Ravi Reddy, an employee of a private firm which was erecting the bus shelter, had lodged a complaint with the High Grounds police. During investigation, the police found that the private firm which was erecting the bus shelter had not taken any sort of permission from the authorities concerned.

The firm started work on August 21, but left the work incomplete on the first day itself and had dumped the remaining material at the site, which was causing a hindrance to pedestrian movement. After getting numerous complaints, the BBMP Assistant Executive Engineer of Vasanthnagar inspected the spot and recorded a video.

After confirming that no permission had been given to erect the bus shelter, the officer seized the material and shifted it to the godown. Ravi Reddy, who noticed the material missing on August 28, lodged a complaint only on September 30.

Police Commissioner B Dayananda said, “The bus shelter had not been stolen, but was removed by BBMP officials due to substandard work. The private firm Sign Post had lodged a complaint alleging theft, but when we inquired with the AEE, it was revealed that the material had been seized. The AEE had issued a notice to Sign Post and when there was no response, a complaint was filed”.