BENGALURU: The state government is planning to constitute a special task force, comprising various experts and stakeholders, for the overall development of Bengaluru. The Global Bengaluru Advisory Committee will look into all issues, including traffic, water supply and other amenities, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar said.
Stressing the need to make ‘Brand Bengaluru’ a better Bengaluru, he said they will meet stakeholders like former CM SM Krishna, who used to hold similar meetings.
At a meeting of Bengaluru legislators on Monday, Shivakumar urged MLAs, cutting across party lines, to join hands with the state government to develop the capital. They discussed various issues, including drinking water, garbage disposal, traffic master plan and encroachment of stormwater drains.
He suggested that officials maintain a separate file for each ward of Bengaluru, where officials record ongoing and completed works. “They need to stress accountability and transparency,” he said. They should also have a record of garbage disposal, to track where garbage is sent and till it is disposed of. There were also suggestions for remodelling BDA complexes.
Shivakumar urged legislators to cooperate for Bengaluru’s development and put politics behind them. “Now that elections are over, let us not talk politics. Let us keep our ideologies aside and work for the city together. If you have any suggestions, send them to me,” he told them. “You (MLAs) might be from any party, let us not mix politics here. If you really wish to bring in politics, I am ready for it. I don’t believe in hate politics,” he added.
Recalling that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had stressed the importance of putting Bengaluru on the global map, Shivakumar said the same had been emphasised by present Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “This is also why we need to work together to maintain Bengaluru’s dignity,” he said.
People in Bengaluru are deprived of basic amenities and also suffer from corruption. “We need to resolve this, it is our duty too,” he said.
On water supply, Shivakumar directed officials to give him data on assembly-wise water supply. “I want to know if water is supplied as per population,” Shivakumar said.
Bengaluru makes a major contribution to the country’s economic development, in the form of taxes like GST, cess and other levies paid to the Central government. “We need to bring our share and use it for Bengaluru’s development,” he said.