We’re to blame for city’s woes

We’re to blame for city’s woes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK


Bangalore: Bangalore’s ills are seen to be the consequence of a combination of poor governance, inadequate accountability and citizen cynicism.
A survey conducted by global consultancy firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) finds majority of Bangaloreans admitting that they are themselves to blame for some of the city’s problems. An overwhelming majority of 80% admitted they commonly exhibit disrespect for civic laws and violate them, while 76% accepted they show apathy towards public property.
While 65% endorsed the need for citizen participation in preparation of ward-level plan, 77% saw a significant role for resident welfare associations and NGOs in delivering basic services. A significant 56% were also willing to pay higher user charges for higher levels of services.
“It’s not just about infrastructure and building flyovers and high-rises, it’s about how to improve the quality of participation of people from different strata of society,” said Vedamoorthy Namasivayam, executive director, PwC.
The survey is part of PwC’s urban leadership development programme. The month-long survey covered 450 respondents across the city from various income, gender and age groups.
It also highlights people’s dissatisfaction with the governance structures. A majority of 70% felt systems to ensure accountability were inadequate.
While half the respondents were satisfied with the quality of infrastructure projects executed, 72% perceived delays and cost over-runs were endemic to all such projects in the city.
The majority (61%) felt appropriate ward-level information on financial and other aspects of projects were not accessible, while 76% said projects were plagued by corruption.
The survey showed more people from lower-income groups intended to vote in the next municipal polls compared to higher-income groups. “This reflects that the elections are the only medium by which these people can mainly exert their influence on governance processes,” the survey said.