BMTC officials in trouble over forged signatures, seals

Team Udayavani, Jan 28, 2023, 12:48 PM IST

Bengaluru:  An official and a few employees of the commercial division of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are accused of forging the seals and signatures of the IAS officers  to illegally extend the license period for shops owned by the corporation,.

Based on a complaint made by CK Ramya, an assistant security and vigilance officer at BMTC, Wilson Garden police filed a forgery and cheating case against the then-chief of the commercial division,Sriram Mulkavan and a few unnamed employees on January 23.

As per the complaint, the criminals forged the signatures of current MD Satyavati G, IPS officer Radhika G, director of security and vigilance, and IFS officer Surya Sen, director of information technology. They also allegedly forged the signatures of former BMTC managing directors Shikha C and Anbu Kumar.

Scams in installing advertisements on buses, parking vehicles in TTMCs, forging signatures in commercial files pertaining to other commercial outlets, renewing tender licenses, or extending tenders have been going on for years. As a result, it was revealed that the organization had lost crores of rupees.

According to the inquiry into this claim, additional junior officials also assisted Sriram Mulkavan. Hence, a total of five people were named in the FIR. The names of the final four were abruptly removed, sources told “Udayavani.”

Details

• The accused forged the contract and prolonged it for a further two years even after the business hired to display advertisements on the bus had reached the end of its tender period. The cost of placing an advertisement on one bus is Rs 5,000. Around a thousand buses have been rented by a company and the monthly payment will be around 50 lakhs.
• The temporary tender at Shantinagar TTMC was extended for years without authorization even though the parking tender had ended. However, the lessee has not paid the rent. A security deposit of 32 lakhs and rent of Rs 68 lakhs has still not been collected.
• Also, the suspects extended the license terms for two restrooms in Shivajinagar bus station and shop nos. 10, 15, and 16 at Kempegowda bus station using fraudulent signatures.
• Additionally, they caused trouble when spaces for retailers in the BTM Layout and Vijayanagar traffic transit management centers were assigned.

A case has been registered and further investigations are underway.