BENGALURU: Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) should focus not just on developing the city with civic facilities, but also on maintenance of the infrastructure. At the same time, many non-civic works like streetlights, BMTC bus shelters should be handed over to respective departments, instead of BBMP taking the burden.
Unlike Mumbai, in Bengaluru BBMP and BWSSB are different agencies. The water board, which looks after supply of water, laying and maintaining of sewage lines, should be merged with BBMP for better co-ordination. It will help citizens communicate better with officers.
BBMP should also hand over maintenance of streetlights to BESCOM. This will avoid confusion while delivering citizen services.
Similarly, traffic engineering including laying of scientific road humps, signages and other traffic-related issues should be handed over to Bengaluru Traffic Police.
BBMP is into constructing and maintaining bus shelters across the city. This has to be given to BMTC as they will have better idea on the location where shelters are needed.
BBMP’s roles and responsibilities should include the “orderly development of the city” — zoning and building regulations, health, hygiene, licensing, trade and education as well as quality of life issues such as lung spaces, water bodies, parks and greenery. There should also be yearly audit of these.
N Mukund, Joint Secretary, Citizens Action Forum
(As told to Ashwini M Sripad)