BENGALURU: Bengalureans have given a thumbs down to the government’s initiative to seek suggestions and inputs on the delimitation draft to increase the number of wards in Bengaluru from 198 to 225. This is because the citizens did not have the option of expressing their opinions online, but had to visit Vikas Soudha personally to submit their feedback. Officials at the Additional Chief Secretary’s office at the Urban Development Department said that so far, only 100 responses have been received. They are yet to assess how many are suggestions, complaints and letters of appreciation.
The state government had released the draft of delimitation of wards on August 18 and had given 15 days from the date of announcement of the draft to give suggestions. The draft had said that all submissions should be given in writing to the ACS, UDD, at Room Number 436 in Vikas Soudha.
Citizens and experts said that in this era of digital communication and Bengaluru being the tech hub of the country, the state government sought the feedback in writing, instead of going digital.
“Today, everything is online from paying bills to posting grievances on social media platforms. But the government is still using the age-old method, which shows that they are not interested. The exercise of seeking suggestions has been done just to follow the rule book. Citizens do not have the time to go to Vikas Soudha, wait for the visiting hours to enter the government premises, meet the official when he is available and then submit the response. Everyone cannot access Vikas Soudha, like a Bescom or a revenue office to pay bills,” said an agitated Narendra M, a resident of Thanisandra.
A senior Congress leader said the BJP government too had taken a similar route when it had sought suggestions on the draft to divide the number of wards from 198 to 243. “The Congress government cannot be criticised. Also, it is easier to verify and document submissions made offline at a government office,” he tried to justify.
He, however, could not explain how the government would go paperless if it continues to seek letters.
Vikram Rai, Secretary, Bengaluru Apartment Federation, said, “When the state government was seeking suggestions for Brand Bengaluru, they had opened all platforms of communication, including social media. Suggestions were taken online, including WhatsApp. The same channel of seeking feedback could have been used in this case too.”
Rupesh L, a resident of Jakkur, said the government is boasting of receiving over 70,000 suggestions on Brand Bengaluru. That is because they used all platforms of communication. But even this seemingly big number is less. The number of responses was less as there were server issues. But on denotification draft, it is very less. This shows that the government is not technologically advanced, as claimed while dealing with Brand Bengaluru responses. There is also no coordination to share expertise.” UDD ACS Rakesh Singh said there is still time and people can give their suggestions.