Mangalore : Mangalore City Corporation remained among the top performing urban local bodies in Sakala rankings despite the district staying at the bottom. The district administration conducted an investigation into the matter whichrevealed that the corporation was subverting the Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act, 2011 to ensure their applications were ‘not delayed’.

Takat Rao, Project Director of District Urban Development Centre, was asked by the Deputy Commissioner A.B. Ibrahim to probe the Mangalore City Corporation’s claims and he revealed the modus operandi of the corporation officials during a recent meeting to discuss the district’s Sakala performance.

After a probe that reviewed the five services of the corporation, Mr. Rao concluded: “Officials take the applications directly without placing it under Sakala. Then they take their own time processing it. Then they register it under Sakala, give receipts and then claim to have processed it in time.”

He said at least 40 such instances occurred for services such as building permission, water supply and Underground Drainage connection. “This is a violation of the Karnataka Guarantee of Services to Citizens Act. Action against officials can be taken,” said Mr. Rao.

Mr. Ibrahim called it an ‘unfair’ practice that ‘defeats’ the purpose of the Act and said that barely 25 out of nearly 150 Underground Drainage applications received by the Mangalore City Corporation reflected in the Sakala statistics.

Mangalore City Corporation Joint commissioner M.K. Pramila denied that the practice was widespread and was sceptical about the probe.

“Perhaps, only around 10 per cent of applications are not routed through Sakala. Compared to other cities, MCC takes thousands of applications a month with minimal delay,” she said.