BENGALURU: “Traditionally, global leaders first visit Delhi and then go to other cities. However, many leaders, including the British PM and German Chancellor, came to Bengaluru first before visiting Delhi. In a way, SM Krishna was instrumental in bringing in that change,” said V Ravichander, who was part of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), the brainchild of former Karnataka CM SM Krishna.
Recalling his association with Krishna, Ravichander said that BATF was a collaborative initiative.“He brought together a group of individuals who were not part of the government to work on city issues alongside the government.
During the same period, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu was striving to attract investments to Hyderabad. It was a healthy competition, and the results of that period showed that Bengaluru performed better. Krishna showed what was possible in building the cities of tomorrow,” Ravichander remarked.
According to Ravichander, no other Chief Minister took as much interest in Bengaluru city as Krishna did. He would actively review various issues concerning the city, including the Outer Ring Road project. “He was a city visionary.
Many key developments took place during his tenure, such as the introduction of the self-assessment property tax system. The Outer Ring Road, Dairy Circle Flyover, and Old Airport Road Flyover were all completed during his rule. Additionally, the first set of public Nirmala toilets came up under his administration,” Ravichander added.
Former CFO and Board Member at Infosys, Mohandas Pai, highlighted Krishna’s unique approach as a Chief Minister. “He was global in his thinking. He understood that Bengaluru was crucial for Karnataka’s development and worked to make it a global city with good infrastructure.
As a first step, he initiated measures to involve the community and citizens in developing the city. He realized early on the importance of putting Bengaluru on the global map. Initiating BATF was probably the first such initiative in the country, where citizens came together to plan and improve the city and its governance mechanisms,” Pai said, describing Krishna as multifaceted.
“Krishna was modern and outspoken. He gave us the vision of the future. He understood that the city would grow rapidly and prepared for it. He led the way. Karnataka is among the top states today, but we need forward-thinking Chief Ministers. Unfortunately, our leaders focus on distributing 5 kg of rice, assuming that’s the biggest issue.
The real challenge for Karnataka is to create high-quality jobs for its youth, and this won’t happen without substantial investment in infrastructure. This is why people are increasingly looking to invest outside Bengaluru and Karnataka,” Pai added.
Environmentalist Suresh Heblikar, who was also part of BATF, emphasized Krishna’s efforts to ensure better coordination among various civic agencies. “When I explained to him that green cover was equally important along with infrastructure, he stressed the need for urban forests,” Heblikar said.
