In a disturbing case of official apathy, thousands of civic workers under the Belagavi City Corporation (BCC) were deprived of their government-mandated nutritious breakfast for nearly three years, from April 2022 to February 2025. The lapse has triggered a formal investigation, with notices issued to senior officials, and disciplinary action is now being pursued.
The matter came to light after local advocate and environmental activist Surendra Ugare filed a complaint on November 12, 2024, with the Directorate for Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE). His complaint highlighted the Corporation’s continued failure to implement a state government directive first issued in 2015, which ensures breakfast for all civic workers at Rs 20 per day — later revised to Rs 35, including an egg, from April 4, 2022. The directive explicitly states that cash payments cannot be made in lieu of meals.
Following the complaint, the DCRE launched an inquiry that confirmed the non-compliance. The investigation identified four successive BCC Commissioners — Rudresh Gali, Ashok Dudgunti, PN Lokesh, and current Commissioner Shubha B — as responsible for the failure to implement the nutrition program during their respective tenures.
In a letter dated July 1, 2025, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Civil Rights Enforcement, Bengaluru, directed the Urban Development Department to initiate disciplinary proceedings against the four officers for gross negligence and breach of official duty. The ADGP also emphasized that 82.39% of the affected civic workers belong to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, underscoring the serious civil rights implications of the lapse.
Amid mounting pressure and scrutiny, City Corporation eventually resumed the breakfast program by floating fresh tenders and restarting meal services in February 2025.