Latest news with #non-SC
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
BBMP suspends 10 civic officials after QR-coded caste census stickers found on bikes, tea stalls
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Monday suspended 10 civic officials for purported negligence in conducting the caste census ordered by the state government. The exercise to collect information regarding members of 101 communities falling under the Scheduled Caste category has been mired in controversy since it was launched in Bengaluru on June 23. Several citizens have alleged that QR-coded stickers marking Scheduled Caste (SC) households have been pasted on buildings, vehicles, and even tea stalls in a random manner. In 2015, the Congress government spent ₹170 Cr on a caste census in Karnataka, then blamed dogs for its flaws. Now in Bengaluru, BBMP is pasting caste stickers without collecting any data. From dogs to data-less drama, Congress's idea of social justice is a comedy of errors. — P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) July 3, 2025 Suralkar Vikas Kishore, Special Commissioner (Welfare), BBMP, admitted to gaps in carrying out the census. He, however, said, 'If the sticker is pasted on a non-SC house, they can just ignore it and if the house occupants belong to the SC community, then they can call the helpline number, and the field officers will visit them. Or they can participate in the survey online by using the QR-coded sticker.' 'We have suspended 10 officials for their shoddy work, and we will initiate action against them. But these stickers don't indicate that the survey is completed,' he added. Meanwhile, several Bengaluru residents flagged issues relating to the survey on social media. 'Please let me know the caste of HONDA ACTIVA!' one social media user sarcastically posted on X after he spotted the sticker on his two-wheeler. In another case, BBMP officials allegedly tried to paste the QR-coded sticker on a building in Chikkalasandra without speaking to the residents. Shashank, son of the house owner, said, 'We were inside the house when they (BBMP officials) arrived. They did not ask for any details and failed to show their ID cards. When we told them that they could not paste the sticker without collecting the details, the BBMP officials assaulted us. We went to the Subramanyapura police station to file a complaint. The civic officials, thereafter, apologised to us, so we returned without filing a complaint.' Medha S, a resident of Puttenahalli, said, 'These people are pasting the stickers like how product sales executives throw pamphlets inside houses. They are doing this despite knowing that there are occupants in the house.' Reacting to the controversy, Karnataka BJP president B Y Vijayendra said on X, 'The so-called Caste Survey is nothing more than a hollow spectacle, orchestrated by CM Siddaramaiah with no real political will to implement it meaningfully. This exercise – born out of the Congress government's continued apathy towards internal reservation – has now become a subject of public mockery. Media reports and citizen accounts point to a farcical execution, where enumerators merely paste stickers and leave without any genuine engagement with residents.' 'Let's not forget: the Kantharaj Commission report was submitted in 2015. Yet, during his full five-year term as Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah chose not to act on it. CM Siddaramaiah must stop misleading marginalised communities with half-hearted theatrics. The people of Karnataka don't need empty promises – they deserve results,' he added. The BBMP has claimed that it has till now identified over 6.7 lakh SC individuals after covering more than 1.8 lakh SC households in the city.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Scheduled Caste survey: Here's why Bengalureans are upset
1 2 Bengaluru: Confusion and anger continue to mount over Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Scheduled Castes Comprehensive Survey 2025, with residents questioning its methods, intent, and execution. What began as a data-gathering exercise has drawn criticism for appearing hurried, opaque, and error-ridden — prompting the suspension of at least eight officials. BBMP, on its part, has also tried to clarify. But first, let's look at the criticism. Criticism You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The main point of contention is BBMP's practice of affixing stickers outside homes declaring them "surveyed", often without any interaction with the residents. Numerous individuals have reported that these stickers were placed even when no one was home, and no questions were asked. The stickers carry a QR code that allows self-reporting, but this nuance has largely gone unexplained to the public. Residents from various neighbourhoods — including Jayanagar, Sulthanpalya, and Chickpet — have expressed concern that surveyors are bypassing verification altogether. In one Brahmin-majority area, advocate Gururaj Kulkarni reported stickers placed on homes of over 80 families without any interaction. "Officials are supposed to collect data on SC/ST households, but they're randomly pasting labels instead," he said. Criticism has also poured in online. Users on social media have questioned the logic behind stickering without surveying, with one resident calling it a "waste of crores of taxpayers' money". Prominent Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar labelled the survey as "bogus" and posted on X: "What kind of legitimate survey involves secretly pasting notices on homes without speaking to the residents or collecting any actual information?" Tagging Lok Sabha leader of the opposition Rahul Gandhi and chief minister Siddaramiah, he asked, "Why are you planning to cheat the Scheduled Castes?" What BBMP says "The stickering was only to ensure that in our first round, the particular family was visited and no SC family goes without coverage." While SC households can get themselves self-surveyed through the QR code in the sticker, he also stated that non-SC households should not bother about it. "If you are non-SC, this is not for you," BBMP special commissioner (welfare), Suralkar Vikas Kishor, clarified. He also admitted to poor execution of the process with stickers being pasted randomly. "What has happened is our team has passed the sticker without interacting with the household, which is wrong, and for that, we have suspended officials across BBMP in different zones. We'll be continuing that action if we find these kinds of things are happening," he told TOI. Eight suspensions TOI had earlier reported that BBMP had suspended two officials over the matter. Now, the total number is up to eight. The suspended officials are Ramesh, revenue collector (East zone), Peddaraju, revenue inspector (East zone), Sendil Kumar, revenue inspector (RR Nagar), Kavita, revenue inspector (East), Ramanjeyalu, assessor (West), Praveen Kumar, assessor (RR Nagar), Hanumanta Raju CT, assessor (West), and Subhashini, revenue collector (South). The survey, which began on May 5, is part of a statewide drive to gather data on SC households. But BBMP's execution has cast doubt on its credibility. Officials say corrective measures are being taken — but public trust, at least for now, appears in short supply.
The Hindu
04-07-2025
- The Hindu
Four revenue officials suspended over lapses in SC survey
Following many complaints about lapses in the ongoing Scheduled Castes (SC) survey in the city, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has suspended four revenue officials. Three officials — revenue inspector Ramesh and tax collector Peddaraju, working in HBR sub-division, and tax collector C. Sentil Kumar of Kengeri sub-division — were suspended on Thursday for not contacting residents, but pasting stickers on their houses that the survey of these houses was completed. On Friday, the BBMP suspended revenue inspector Kavita, working in the Vasanthnagar sub-division, for erroneous survey in ward no. 62, Vasathnagar. In her suspension order, the BBMP said when the head office called up residents to cross-check on the survey in the ward, they found that surveyors had marked SC families from neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu as 'non-SC households' during the survey, but included them as 'SC households' and uploaded their details on the app, when they went to paste stickers, creating discrepancies in the survey.
India Today
03-07-2025
- Politics
- India Today
Bengaluru civic body suspends official after CCTV shows lapses in SC survey
The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has suspended a Revenue Collector in the East Zone after CCTV footage revealed serious lapses in the ongoing door-to-door survey of Scheduled Caste (SC) households in Collector for Ward No. 24 (HBR Layout), Peddaraju, was suspended on Wednesday for dereliction of duty as supervisor of the survey in his ward. The BBMP said he was suspended for 'carelessness, irresponsibility, and lack of interest in executing assigned duties.'advertisementAccording to the suspension order issued by the East Zone Commissioner, enumerators under his supervision were seen 'randomly affixing stickers without confirming with household members,' which is a 'clear breach of procedure.' The incident, captured on CCTV on June 27 and widely circulated on social media, prompted disciplinary action. The door-to-door campaign, part of a statewide exercise ordered by the government to collect comprehensive data on SC households, requires enumerators to 'confirm the residents' details before affixing stickers and uploading data via the mobile app.'The order further noted that Peddaraju 'failed to ensure proper execution of the task' despite instructions from senior officials, adding that as a government employee 'entrusted with public responsibility,' he 'failed to comply with the government/BBMP/superior authority's orders' and did not monitor enumerators has been reassigned to a vacant post of Revenue Collector in Malleshwaram Division and 'permitted to draw subsistence allowance as per Rule 98 of the KCSR Rules, 1958 during the suspension period.'advertisementThe controversy over the survey comes amid growing criticism from the opposition BJP, which has alleged that the enumeration is flawed and politically leaders cited the same footage to claim that stickers were being pasted even on homes of non-SC families, calling the process 'bogus' and 'deceptive.'Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, however, downplayed the issue, noting that households could also register online if they were missed during door-to-door visits. 'You can enrol online or when they come home. There are so many ways to enrol; we accept it,' he said in response to the criticism.- EndsTrending Reel IN THIS STORY#Karnataka#Bengaluru
The Hindu
27-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
BBMP to accelerate SC survey with additional enumerators in key areas
To fast-track the ongoing Scheduled Caste (SC) survey, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike's (BBMP) Chief Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao has instructed officials to deploy additional enumerators in SC-dominated areas, during a meeting held on Tuesday. The BBMP chief stressed the need for quicker completion of the comprehensive survey and directed officials to work closely with community leaders to identify key localities and assign more personnel accordingly. As of Tuesday, the BBMP had appointed 8,215 enumerators across its eight zones. They have visited 1,31,730 SC households and identified 5,11,594 SC individuals. Data has also been collected from over 28 lakh non-SC households. Among all zones, the East zone has recorded the highest number of SC families covered (30,734) and SC members (1,22,494), supported by 1,505 enumerators. The South zone follows closely in general family coverage, reporting 5,65,178 general families. Meanwhile, Yelahanka has the fewest SC families covered (10,422) and the fewest enumerators assigned (537). Mr. Rao said that some people were still hesitant to participate in the survey. In this regard, he emphasised the importance of community leaders' support and urged them to raise awareness among their people about participating in the survey. He added that special camps are being organised by the BBMP to ensure successful completion of the survey.
