WHAT THEY WANT

WHAT THEY WANT


Samuel Paul, founder, Public Affairs Centre: If a minister is appointed for Bangalore, he should not decide how Bangalore should be developed. There should be a directly elected mayor who’ll govern Bangalore. The minister should not be seen as somebody who can directly manage the affairs of the city. That will be a false idea. The minister should only facilitate the city’s development - like urging the state government to provide funds for projects which might need support. The minister should be a catalyst or facilitator, but not be the local government itself... The elected people, starting with the mayor, should govern the city, it’s not the job of the state government.
Especially after the 74th Amendment and the Kasturirangan report, the state government should explore how a minister for Bangalore can support the development programmes of the city’s elected body or the city government as facilitator... The minister is a member of the state government. If he is given a direct role, it’ll lead into a conflict between a directly elected mayor and the state government. Clarification of the role of the minister is very crucial.


D Muralidhar, president-elect, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry:
Bangalore is so important for Karnataka that the chief minister himself should hold the city portfolio. He should have a team of experts advising him on how to take the city forward. The city’s biggest problems are traffic congestion, power shortage and environment issues. The government has to find ways to get more people to use public transport.


Pradeep Kar, MD, Microland: Look at this. To man a population of 275 million, the US has 50 governors. Singapore has a population of only 3.5 million — when Bangalore has more than double that — but it has a fullfledged government that manages a flawless city infrastructure and other citizen services. So, it’s extremely important for us to have a ministry that holds an exclusive portfolio for Bangalore. This is even more appropriate considering the new state government has repeatedly stated that its priority will be development, development and development. Creating such a portfolio will mean that, as a fast-growing city and as a significant revenue contributor to the state, Bangalore will get high priority in terms of economic growth and infrastructure. A minister for Bangalore should work in consultation with industry bodies, private sector and citizen forums. By appointing a minister with such a portfolio, the state of Karnataka will be setting an example for a novel thought process.


Ramesh Aravind, film star: Whoever gets the Bangalore development portfolio should retain the trust that voters have reposed in him/her. The main focus should be on traffic by speeding up mass transport systems. There should be more flyovers to decongest traffic at junctions. I want Bangalore to be 100% crime-free with citizen-friendly programmes. Last but not the least, there should be transparency in all city projects.


Milind Dharmasen, music director: Give a chance to minister S Suresh Kumar, who has been elected MLA from Rajajinagar. He has been in politics for 15-20 years and knows how to tackle Bangalore. He has won and lost elections and if he does not do a good job, the voters will know what to do in the next elections.