MLA’s task force to take up development

MLA’s task force to take up development

The Times of India


Bangalore: The BATF might be floundering but along its public-private partnership lines, 12 wards in the city are slated to take up development challenges themselves.

The Rajajinagar Agenda Task Force, a ‘watch-dog’ or ‘moral custodian’ covering 12 wards in Bangalore West, is slated to make its presence felt in a fortnight.

The brainchild of MLA N.L. Narendra Babu, the task force has a core committee of 10 members to concentrate on primary education, higher secondary education, SC/ST, finance among others, and another committee of 10 members to focus on grass roots activities.

Under this umbrella body, members have compartmentalised focus task force areas like Sports, Education, Infrastructure and Industrial Area. “My priority is the education task force which will oversee the working of government schools, aided and unaided, and BCC schools. There are some government schools with 100 per cent results but they are completely neglected and thought of as useless.

And so the Education Task Force has identified schools like the one in Police Colony 6th Block, Prakashnagar Government School, Dasarahalli School, all of which are housed in rented buildings, and have no water or power. Says an education member titled ‘block education officer’: “One government school at Dasarahalli has been in a rented building for 35 years and last year, they had a pass percentage of 78 per cent. Now a row of shops and eateries have come up at the entrance claiming they have BDA permission. What kind of learning atmosphere is this for students?’’ The Infrastructure and Projects Force looks into stepping up work on grade separators, storm water drains and claims credit for speeding up work on the Rajajinagar Entrance. The Sports Task Force has beefed up the Ambedkar stadium, Parents School grounds, KLE College ground, Ram Mandir ground.

The wards include Rajajinagar, Mahalakshmipuram, Nagapura, Subramanyanagar, Gayathrinagar, Prakashnagar, Srirama Mandir, Nandini Layout, Kamakshipalya ward, Peenya Industrial area, Rajajinagar industrial area and Manjunathanagar.