Jairaj flaunts Suvarna Bangalore plan

Jairaj flaunts Suvarna Bangalore plan
The Times of India

Bangalore: If the state government has a Suvarna Karnataka plan drawn out, K Jairaj, as BMP commissioner, is not the person to be left behind. He too has his Suvarna Bangalore plan ready.

Addressing the Returned Non-Resident Indians Association (RNRI) on Saturday, Jairaj urged the returned NRI population as stake holders of the city to become model citizens by voluntarily complying with the law.

“You could also adopt parks, any of the 110 corporation schools or hospitals. Schools and hospitals do not need your charity or money, but active involvement and inputs to better standards,’’ he said.

“Unlike any other developed western city, Bangalore is not planned and we face immense challenges in administration,’’ said Jairaj. He admitted that the performance of corporations like BMC, BMP, BDA etc was not excellent. “We are not geared up to face the city’s demands. We are in need of an organisational transformation. We don’t even have an urban planning unit,’’ he said.

SHORT-TERM PLANS (BY 2007)
l No flooding, not just on the outskirts of the city, but in all low-lying areas.
l Launch of programmes:
a) Clear footpaths
b) Open the mouths of storm water drains
c) Clearing of debris
d) Clearing out hawkers
l Improve not just arterial, but also small roads.
l Launch a full-fledged storm water drain programme.
l Improve the city’s beauty and protect the 350-odd parks.
l A major traffic improvement programme with better planned routes, increased frequency and more bus bays.

LONG-TERM PRIORITIES
l Rejuvenation of old areas like Cottonpet, Chikpet, by giving good infrastructure,drains.
l Redevelopment of markets like K R Market, Johnson Market, Gandhi Bazaar etc. This includes better sanitation and discipline. The BMP is also considering converting scattered markets into large complexes.
l Make administration more citizen centric, which would improve public interface.