PROOF needs to interact with BMP politicians

PROOF needs to interact with BMP politicians
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The ninth meeting of Public Record of Operations and Finance (PROOF) spearheaded by the exemplary citizens’ movement Janaagraha concluded recently and the budget of Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) was put to ruthless analysis by the members of civil society.

Perhaps for the first time the meeting was attended by a politician - Union Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy. PROOF initiative is four-year old and it has caught the attention of Union Government. But curiously city mayors and MLAs continue to stay away from these deliberations.

There seems to be a lack of trust between the civil society and the political class. As a result the suggestions and recommendations made by PROOF would not be implemented at a politically led BMP. Though the officials attend the meetings regularly and face all the criticism from the citizens, they cannot use their learnings in their work.

Jaipal Reddy said in a lighter vein that the best way to attract a politician to PROOF meeting was to make the sessions attractive in a political sense - by making elected representatives see electoral benefits.

Actually, the PROOF team members can be seen often at the offices of joint commissioners and commissioners but never in the chambers of the mayor or MLAs. In fact, many councilors know nothing about PROOF though many urban local bodies (ULBs) in the country are replicating it.

On the other hand, PROOF doesn’t cover much of operational aspects of the civic body though it has to focus both operations and finance.

Most of the problems in BMP or any other local body emanate from operational difficulties. And it is the constitutionally elected councilors and MLAs that lead its operations. If PROOF concentrates on review of operations along with civic finances, it would be imperative to get the politicians take part in the deliberations.

Further, the mayors and MLAs represent even the civic society and it would be mutually benificial for PROOF to have political leaders present at its sessions. Or else the entire exercise might end up an elitists’ pastime.