In less than a year, the Karnataka government on Monday has shunted out a key officer who headed the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike as commissioner of the city corporation. In this case, Mr M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda was removed from the key post and has been appointed principal secretary, horticulture department. Dr Rajneesh Goel, earlier managing director, Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation, takes over as the new BBMP commissioner.
The transfer of Mr Gowda was part of a major shuffle of senior bureaucrats effected for the first time after Jagadish Shettar took charge of the government but sources in the government said that the transfer was inevitable as Mr Gowda was being held responsible by Chief Minister Shettar and home minister R. Ashok — under whom, curiously, the BBMP and BDA fall - for failing to tackle the mounting garbage crisis. Mr. Gowda, was also seen as having erred over the handling of the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force chief R.P. Sharma episode when the latter embarrassed the government by filing cases against 180 errant engineers and chargesheeting 19 others for allowing building violations in areas that came under their jurisdiction.
While sources in the chief minister’s secretariat told Deccan Chronicle that Mr Gowda had requested a transfer six months ago, the government’s move to transfer him at this juncture shows Mr. Gowda has taken the fall for the government’s lackadaisical approach in tackling the crises.