There is something crucial that we have let go of, linking it with our proud democratic culture. Civic laws and rules, meant to make us “fall in line”, are rampantly violated. Enforcement is viewed as authoritarian – almost as if law-abidance is an inherent weakness of democracy, and flouting them has become a norm that bloats our pride over challenging the authorities.
We see this behaviour everywhere in the public domain, reflecting “total freedom” in the face of feeble enforcement, or even the lack of it. We live with an innate feeling that freedom comes without limits. The freedom to swing your arms does not end where your neighbour’s nose (or any part of the other’s body) begins. Just go ahead and complete that swing, no matter what the consequences. This innateness is the seed from which our anarchic behaviour has sprouted, based on the flawed assumption that democracy comes with no limits on our freedom.
The attitude among the citizens seems to scream out: “If the government is not interested in enforcement, what goes of ours?” And then, what do you have as a result? Rampant violation of traffic rules; unauthorised constructions flouting the by-laws; encroachments of lakes, roads and footpaths (wherever they do exist); littering in public places; and seeking vacant plots nearby to dump garbage. Well, these are only a few examples of violations carried out as benefits of lack of enforcement. The citizens know where to look and what to do for their own convenience, while the government does what it does best in terms of enforcement: look away.
The shining example of a product of this is Bengaluru – now at the centre of a slew of decisions and plans to give her a face-lift, riding on infrastructure development initiatives with an eye on enhancing her global potential and improving the quality of life of her citizens – in two words, “Brand Bengaluru”.
But will that dream ever be realised? What kind of Bengaluru of the future are we looking at when we end up with a larger mess despite achieving all the grand infra plans pertaining to ‘Brand Bengaluru’? We are headed that way because of lack of enforcement and failed awareness programmes on improving civic behaviour. What about better quality of life for Bengaluru’s citizens in the future when more people with much more disregard for laws of the land end up resorting to more violations only because there is no proper enforcement?
The symptoms are already showing. Which is why, somewhere in this anarchic melee of the present-day Bengaluru, the authorities concerned – working in the shade of a new umbrella called Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) – are pushing back against the very anarchic behaviour that prevailed under its predecessor, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).
After implementing the plan to dump garbage at the doorsteps of those violating garbage disposal rules, the Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited (BSWML), under the aegis of the GBA, is now planning to penalise motorists littering the roads while on the go, just like how they are fined for other traffic violations under the Motor Vehicles Act. Also, Chief Commissioner of GBA, M Maheshwar Rao, has directed the officials to file complaints and impose fines against those responsible for pasting posters on trees and walls.
Can we truly be convinced that these measures will deter people from violating civic laws in the future, especially considering that despite more technologies applied for surveillance and monitoring, poor civic behaviour has only worsened due to poor enforcement?
Poor law enforcement is an extension of the political machinery’s weak-willed approach towards enforcing civic discipline. Political leaders, in the democracy that prevails here, are prone to believe that strict enforcement is authoritarian. Enforcing laws strictly is seen as working against their respective political ambitions, because the same people on whom laws are enforced will be standing in the queues to vote for them on the day of their political reckoning.
This works well to keep one fact under the wraps – that strict law enforcement in a healthy democracy is actually not authoritarian if it is balanced by robust civil liberties and institutional accountability. That should be in place first to ensure better quality of life for her citizens, which mere infrastructural boost will not. Going ahead without realising this is like putting the cart before the horse and trying to whip its rump.
Nirad Mudur
Deputy Resident Editor, Karnataka
niradgmudur@newindianexpress.com
