Any takers for this BCC jaunt?

Any takers for this BCC jaunt?
The Times of India

Bangalore: It is the call of the Orient for corporators. Next month, they are supposed to travel to China. And in typical babudom style, the very people whose names figure in the ‘travelling abroad’ list don’t even know about it.

An MoU was signed in 2004 between the BCC and Xuzhou, a province in China, for exchange of best practices. When a Chinese delegation visited the BCC two months ago, an invitation was extended to mayor Narayanswamy for the ‘All Mayor’s Conference’ to be held later this month.

But the mayor refuses to travel. For the proposed trip to China, the following names are doing the rounds — deputy mayor Shantakumari, Congress leader B.T. Srinivas Murthy, BJP floor leader B.M. Mangala, JD(S) leader B.R. Nanjundappa and corporator G. Padmavathi. Mangala says, “I didn’t even know that my name figures in the list, I don’t even have a passport, how can I go next month?’’

Explains mayor Narayanswamy, “I don’t want to go to any trip abroad and squander BCC money, so I suggested the deputy mayor’s name. And she, in turn, suggested some party leaders. I’m not going to spend anything and go anywhere. Even my recent Delhi trips, were from my personal funds.’’

A trend of recent years in the BCC has been going on ‘study tours’, ‘education tours’ et al. It has taken corporators, mayors and officials to Shanghai, Singapore, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Reno, among others. Last year, a study tour for corporators, of major metros in the country, for which budgetary provisions had been made, was stalled by the government. But they had their way and members of the education standing committee are currently touring Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Meanwhile, trek this up for perspective: Former mayor C.M. Nagaraj during his tenure in 2003 had travelled
to Sri Lanka for an ‘industrial development award programme ’ along with corporators M. Nagaraj, Syed Jameel Ahmed, B.S. Satyanarayana, Padmanabha Reddy and former DC, Kongwad. Former mayor P.R. Ramesh had travelled to Shanghai last year and returned with ideas of ‘drain harvesting’.

Another MoU was signed last year between the BCC and Reno City in the US. And this, by consensus, has been a fruitful one. Two commissioners have visited Reno in the past — former commissioner M.R. Sreenivasa Murthy and commissioner K. Jothiramalingam.

Says a senior BCC official, “The MoU has resulted in exchange of best practices in civic issues. We have been able to take cues in a major way with regards to road maintenance, GIS, complaints handling centre.’’