Bengaluru hopes ride on Meena

Bengaluru hopes ride on Meena
BENGALURU


Article Rank




His heart beats for the rural poor and the underprivileged. Bharat Lal Meena, the man who now holds the fate of this city of seven million in his hands, emerged from the shadows to take over as the new commissioner of the BBMP. Come Monday, this IAS officer with an avid interest in empowering villagers and ensuring community participation in regeneration of water bodies, afforestation and removal of illiteracy has to fill the shoes of an outgoing BBMP commissioner
Those who know Mr Meena say he will be more than equal to the task. An unusual IAS official in that he has his own website, “Apna Desh” in which the 52-year-old highlights the work of a non-profit organisation and the plight of rural people, his new avatar will see a reorientation towards serving an exacting
new mistress — Apna Bengaluru. Although not a son of the soil — the secretary to the social welfare department since June 2008, was born in Sundari village at Swai Madhopur district in Rajasthan — speaks fluent Kannada and has a masters in Rural Development from University of East Anglia, UK
Often taking the road less traveled to understand India better, this relentless crusader will bring a unique perspective to Namma Bengaluru

 State government committed to holding elections for the BBMP by July 31, the deadline fixed by the Karnataka high court  BSY keen to shift the Race Course from the present location before the model code of conduct for the BBMP election comes into force  Wants to expedite the Metro Rail project and give an impetus to Mono rail connectivity








TOUGH TASKS AHEAD FOR THE NEW MAN IN THEBBMP HOT SEAT

The new BBMP commissioner, Bharat Lal Meena, who takes over the reins of the city on Monday, has his work cut out for him
He has many things to do, the chief among them being returning to Bengaluru, its lost identity of a garden city and a pensioners’ paradise, by repairing its potholefilled roads and cleaning them of garbage, which is seen in all areas, including the upmarket MG Road , Brigade Road and Commercial Street
Meeting the infrastructure demands of the city which has grown to cover over 800 sq km, will be one of his most daunting tasks
ROADS Travelling on Bengaluru’s roads often leaves people with a backache and stressed out from being caught in traffic jams for long hours.No area is free of potholes, with some of the worst craters seen even in upmarket localities like Indiranagar, Ulsoor, Jayana
gar, Seshadripuram and Sadashivanagar. Can we hope to see better roads in future? DRAINS
Stormwater drains which are flooded every monsoon, despite the huge sums spent on covering them, turned killers this year with three persons including five-yearold Abhishek P. being washed away in them during the recent heavy spell of rain. BBMP has to act fast to evict encroachments on drains and to desilt them, if it is serious about making
sure the city does not wake up to such tragedies anymore
TRAFFIC Magic box technology, the BBMP’s quick solution to traffic congestion, hasn’t entirely been received they way it hoped it would be
The magic box underpasses, which are being criticised for their narrow carriageways and for other technical reasons, could do with a relook
MOSQUITOES Although chikungunya, malaria and dengue have surfaced in the city regularly, the civic authority has not done enough to take precautions against them. It has done little to keep the city free of mosquitoes, leaving the people at the mercy of the winged disease carriers,
which thrive in the dirty water collected in potholes and open stormwater drains
The solution is there for all to see. The question is, will Mr Meena see it as well? STRAY DOGS
Despite BBMP’s ambitious Catch Neuter Vaccinate and Release (CNVR) programme, stray dogs continue to bite children and adults in the city, giving to rise to fear of rabies. The garbage, which lies strewn around the city, only helps the dogs multiply
But ask the BBMP about it and all you get are statistics on how many dogs have been taken off the streets, neutered and released. The question begging an answer is: What will make the dog menace go away?
GARBAGE The city generates over 3,000 metric tonnes of waste every day, but does not have the required scientific landfills to dispose of it. As a result the garbage is dumped on the outskirts of the city, contributing to environment pollution and the poor health of the people
BUILDINGS Although BBMP came out with the Sakrama scheme to control unauthorided construction and to rake in moolah by regularising
ena TREES, LAKES Bengaluru, which has lost a lot of its trees to infrastructure, needs many more of them to retain its Garden City reputation. Its lakes, which have been encroached upon indiscriminately, inviting flooding of low lying areas, need rejuvenation
some of them, they still go on unabated, while huge sums are spent allegedly on making sure they don’t

PROPERTY TAX BBMP fixes property tax targets but fails to meet them. Currently only around 35 per cent of property owners pay the tax. It is up to to the commissioner to see that all 22 lakh properties pay up, so that the city has enough funds to keep it in good shape