Democratic Capital

In all of my years of living in a Democratic India it has been rare for me to see democracy really tested by people like you and me. On 19th March I was part of the rare meeting of residents with the Local MLA. So what is great in residents meeting their Local MLA? - For one it was not Election time and second it was not even Republic Day. Residents Associations of 20 apartments in the Mahadevpura area of Bangalore gathered to address basic issues of BSP (Bijli, Sadak, Paani) to the MLA whose entourage included all the local officers of the Mahadevpura area. 

 

Seated on the podium are the Political party members and the District Commissioner of Bangalore East along with Mahadevpura MLA - Arvind Limbawani. Along the sides were seated officers of BBMP, BESCOM, BDA, BWSSB, Land Army, Revenue, Traffic and Police. Mahadevpura constituency is newly created constituency from the region belonging to Krishnarajpuram (KR Puram) and runs till the Sarjapur Road and beyond. Arvind Limbavalli has been the Minster of Primary and Higher  Education in the BSY Government. Most of the Mahadevpura area was  village land and was merged into the Bangalore Urban Agglomeration on the creation of the BBMP. It is not surprising that it does not have basic Drainage facility, Water Supply, Roads, Parks, Public Spaces etc. 

 There were high expectations and long list of demands which each of the resident association had come up with. The issues were basic, having chosen to take up residences in private layouts (BDA mired in legal battles and inefficiency has not been able to open up enough zones and private builders and SEZs are a quick answer) The layout were allowed provided they had to create their own infrastructure for sewage. Water comes from the fast depleting ground water bore-wells (where ever it is there) and the self built Electrical infrastructure backed up with Diesel Sets draws power from BESCOM. Since the Outer Ring Road cuts through the region this most basic issue transportation issue is resolved after you slug through the 500 - 2km from your apartment. So now what did the residents want. The area is home to the highest concentration of commercial space built in the last 5 years and rumours go that there are 1 lakh apartments in the region. (That is 5 lakh voters - deposits get countermanded if someone gets 3 lakh votes).

 Water - The Cauvery IV Phase 2 scheme, the only water lifeline for Bangaloreans, passes through the region however the villages were not part of the scheme. Therefore they cannot get water from this Scheme. The immediate solution was to get tankers, which BBMP promised promptly. There were wiser elements within the group and one association had been successful in recharging their ground-water through rain water harvesting. The water table has risen in their region. The MLA had also contributed to recharging of a lake which was earlier depleted. Enthusiasts of this association offered to provide free advise to others who were planning rain water recharge.

 Sewage - The area does not have a sewage system and with the explosive growth of apartments a lot of untreated sewage finds its way in the storm water drainage. This goes into the water bodies and is ultimately contaminating the ground water. This is when the Waste Water Treatment plant of Kadbeshanhalli does not function for lack of waste and not having a distribution system. This would be criminal waste of tax payers money in any system. This issue could sidetracked with seemingly bigger issue of a sewage line being blocked as the land belonged to a private party (alledged to be encroached) and whole region suffering health issues due to drinking contaminated water. BWSSB came out with some impressive timelines and answers on how they are going to solve the issue. 

Roads - Problems familiar to all Bangaloreans, slow pace of flyovers, neglect of service roads, narrow lanes, inability to prevent encroachment, digging after making of road. It was impressive to see all the departments serving the area on one platform. I know despite my best wishes this could not be the platform where they could sit and coordinate their plans so that the Utilities digs before the road comes, shifts it poles before widening, etc. Only if wishes could come true. Anyways the BBMP promised to have the flyovers of ORR completed  by July 2011 (only if wishes .....).

Electricity - I was surprised no one complained about the frequent power cuts in the region. The sub-division is the richest sub-division for BESCOM thanks to the large commercial SEZs. The complaints were more of poles falling over, street-lights not being serviced etc. which were meant for BBMP and not BESCOM. Having worked on the reform of KEB and then KPTCL it felt good that they seemed slightly more responsive than the others.

So lots of promises came through, would love to revisit this blog to see how many get fulfilled
1. Water through tankers in the summer reason in case of ground water short fall
2. Resident Association to get their own Rain Water Harvesting Schemes built as this seems to be only lasting solution
3.  Cauvery IV next phase will supply water to the areas not covered in the current scheme
4. BWSSB will extend the Sewage lines and funds under a World Bank scheme are earmarked
5. BBMP Khata mela will be organised for all the apartment owners who were issued these by the village panchayats
6. Sewage affecting the drinking water in Sarjapura Road will be pumped immediately and a permanent drain will be built by the Karnataka Land Army on an emergency basis.
7. Government land (where ever there) will be identified in the area and converted to Civic Amenity centres and parks
8. The Flyovers in the area will be completed in the next 4-5 months. Let us give this 4-5 +12 months.

I could add a dozen more but these were not of such a wide appeal to the entire community of the region.The title said Democratic Capital which I come to now  - Democratic Capital is the most important ingredient (more than roads, bridges etc) of building a vibrant city - the City Administration that is responsive to the demands of its citizens and the citizen can exercise democratic power over them. While we can whine about how the City Governance lacks the accountability, City Administration being dysfunctional and a result voters being disenchanted, this show of the Mahadevpura MLA convinces me that even if half the promises are achieved then we have created true Democratic Capital. Irrespective of the color his party he would get my vote and my support in making this area a model for making Bangalore a City for the Future.