Citizens Give Thumbs Down to Civic Agencies

Corrupt, useless, insensitive
Citizens Give Thumbs Down to Civic Agencies
The Times of India

Bangalore: One screams: “There’s really no cheese; they are all chalk’’, the other remarks: “Action taken, when it’s too late’’, and the third one opines: “It’s a bitter choice among rotten fruits. They should be ashamed to take their paychecks.’’

The bottomline is: they are “corrupt, inconsiderate, useless and insensitive.’’

This is how Bangaloreans have reacted to the performance of civic agencies when The Times of India sought their opinion. This initiative was taken after heavy rain brought the Silicon Capital to a standstill and exposed its crumbling infrastructure. As also, the lack of preparedness and apathy of the civic bodies. Citizens were asked to rate the agencies on five parameters.

The outcome is pathetic. None of the four agencies — BCC, BWSSB, BDA and Bescom — has performed up to the standards. Not even to the extent of citizens saying “OK.’’

Says Bobby Kovoor from Vidyaranyapura about the (in)action initiated for relief and repair: “The drains overflow. My TV blows off. Garbage is dumped all around. Inspite of repeated complaints, nobody responds.’’

Talk about the response towards the problems or the attitude of agencies, the result is negative. “I was secretary of the residents’ welfare association of my area for seven years and my interaction with these civic agencies has been sour. Only after numerous pleadings is your work ensured,’’ stressed M.N. Kesari from Vijaynagar.

As for the ratings — bad, poor, worse, whatever you would wish to call. Among a host of responses, a bulk of the ratings for BCC stands at a big zero. Only a few have been generous enough to give 2 to 3 marks on a scale of 10. Then comes Bescom and BWSSB with 0.2 to 5 marks. Though the majority feel that their interaction with BDA is limited, then again the officials “are never obliging.’’

Says Edwin Louis of Rajajinagar: “Civic authorities fail to respond to our complaints properly. They are corrupt, arrogant and insensitive.’’ He rates them at 0.1 to 2. Vijay Kishan of Kagaddaspura has lost faith in civic agencies. “Less said the better about roads here. Citizens are getting a raw deal in terms of the taxes they pay.’’

So, where do we go from here? Sriram Anand has a catchy suggestion: “Clueless and inefficient; most people are not clear about anything. They should take a cue from planners in foreign cities or outsource city planning and administration.’’

There’s a lone voice of praise though: Manoj Kumar from Millers Road feels “BCC, BDA and BWSSB can improve a lot. Bescom has good staff and is swift in action.’’ His rating ranges from 3 to 8.

WHAT THEY SAY

There’s really no cheese, they’re all chalk. One can’t differentiate between one civic agency and another. Essentially, they are like blood brothers. — S. Ram Kumar, J.P. Nagar.
None of the agencies seems to be working. Complaints and proposals are piled up.Where is the work? My rating is 0 for all.
— Maruthi Maharaj, Rajajinagar.