Come what may, let’s adopt PPP

Come what may, let’s adopt PPP
The Times of India


When you get corporate honchos in a single room, you are bound to be given solutions for every problem. Even though Bangalore is facing one of its toughest infrastructural crisis, the captains of industry had ready answers for helping Bangalore come out of the current mess. And the consensus was: the future belongs to public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Harish Bijoor is clear that the future lies in PPP, but
warns that it should be completely insulated from the government. "No government should be able to undo the work of the previous dispensation," is his piece of advice.
In fact, Bangalore has already made a beginning with corporate professionals partnering the government for implementation of projects through task forces.
As T V Mohandas Pai points out, IT companies cannot be expected to take up maintenance of roads when they are big contributors to the exchequer. In fact, Som Mittal feels the government should stop passing the begging bowl around for collection of funds.
Incidentally, Electronics City Industries' Association (ELCIA) collects money from KIADB (Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board), set aside for development of Electronics City, and the association contributes the balance money, required for infrastr ucture maintenance.
Even commerce and industry secretary Mahendra Jain backs PPP model and has urged other industrial associations like Peenya Industrial Estate Association to follow the ELCIA model.
He feels the model could be used to create talent pool in other cities of Karnataka, which are starved of attention.
But Bijoor believes that PPP should also focus on improving the relationship between people and the government. "PPP should be used for bringing the politician to city management.''
In fact, city management should comprise a wider group of people, ranging from member of parliaments to the judiciary.
Though a beginning has been made at the micro-level with resident associations and NGOs taking active interest in civic management, the feeling is that a greater push is needed to wake up the slumbering citizen. While citizens' associations have always been active while tacking their problems, the enthusiasm has often disappeared in the long run, resulting in cynicism.
IN SHORT
PPP should be insulated from the government Let PPP build a bridge between people and government City management should comprise wider groups of people, from MPs to the judiciary