‘No corporate culture, only goals’

‘No corporate culture, only goals’
The Times of India



Bangalore: In a prophetic coincidence, a popular website had listed K Jairaj as the commissioner of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike six months ago! After a lucrative stint in Washington as World Bank consultant, he returns to the BMP as head honcho — at a time when its image is in a battered state. Jairaj and the BMP date back to 1999 and he says the staff need a huge dose of motivation — so that they may notch the success rate of corporates.
Since taking charge on Friday, he had a meeting with heads of departments, and directed an overhaul of the engineering department, among others. Full of ‘performance’ spirit, he promises to “bridge the gap between expectations and reality’’.

Excerpts:

Do you think you have returned at a rather troubled time?
The BMP’s image has taken a beating because of a gap between expectations and reality. I want to bridge that gap. There are three ways of doing it — I will make sure there is minimum mandatory performance from all departments; revamping storm water rains is an immediate short-term priority; we will also identify vulnerable wards. There is already a good response mechanism — with control rooms, SWORD. I am defining a response to a particular problem.

What are the biggest challenges staring you in the face?
My first task is ensuring there is no repeat of last year’s floods. I have reviewed road projects under progress. Under the World Bank projects, BMP has a Rs 177-crore project for 130 km of roads, work is slated to be completed by October. The Land Army Corporation tells me work on IT-BT roads should be done by May-end. In one of my previous assignments in Raichur, work was finished eight months ahead of schedule. There is cynicism that public sectors can’t deliver. Success stories are never well-known when they happen in the government. If an Infosys or Wipro finishes a project on time, they are lauded. My challenge is to bring in that success rate.

You want to bring in corporate culture in a civic body?
We are a government body with public considerations. The aim is not to create a Wipro or Infosys. They are all profit-oriented organisations. I don’t want to bring in corporate culture but goals for the staff here. For us the goals here are very fuzzy.

Having worked extensively on urban projects with the World Bank, are there projects you would like to emulate?
I want to emulate project exactness. There should be a monitoring and evaluation system to motivate people. Officers need a project goal. I have asked junior engineers to embark on Footpath Drive — walk on the footpaths and ensure that they are free from debris and garbage. It’s the methodology that I would like to emulate.
Will you revive public-private partnership, a concept that’s flagging off ?
Public-private-partnership is not an over-riding concern for me right now. My priorities are flood-free areas, clean storm water drains, decent sanitation... rest we will see.

How will you strike the balance — political pressure from corporators and MLAs, and a bureaucratic method of working?
It is natural for corporators to ask for funds and projects in their wards. There is a give and take policy which is fair. We must not play. I have dealt with corporators previously, just a few sleepless nights, that’s all!