Bangalore : The State government has formally appointed Siddaiah as the Commissioner of the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), as expected. He was the in-charge commissioner till now. Present Commissioner, Rajneesh Goel, has been transferred as the Principal Secretary, Higher Education.

Goel was sent on a compulsory leave for 15 days, before the appointment of Siddaiah. The decision was taken to avoid the ire of the Election Commission of India as the Commissioner cannot be transferred in the middle of the revision of electoral rolls in the City.

After the completion of Goel’s leave period, the government will bring back Siddaiah as Commissioner, who was shunted out unceremoniously a year ago for bringing to light the fake bills scam.

Speaking to Deccan Herald, Goel said he himself had sought to move out of the Palike on medical grounds. “I cannot run around due to cartilage damage while the job of the Commissioner is very hectic. This was the reason I had asked for my transfer,” he said.

Goel said he was content with the work he had done as the commissioner in the last four months as he took some crucial decisions that helped the City overcome the garbage crisis to an extent.-DH News