BBMP: Will rookie corporators deliver?
BENGALURU: With Bengaluru voting on caste lines, what do we have in the city today – a 100 BJP coprorators who will rule the city for the next five years, of which more than 50 per cent are women, some first-timers and some even having dubious distinction of being corrupt.
Statistics derived from the affidavit reveal that more than 50 per cent of them have not studied beyond SSLC! A city with premier educational institutions; world class and cutting edge technology companies, a city which is on the global map…will be governed by rookies!
Frankly speaking the city is too big for a single council to rule efficiently and effectively. Having said that going by the composition of the council with political novice ruling us would cost dearly to citizens of Bengaluru, said urban expert Ashwin Mahesh.
The performance of the council will be worst than the last term. Nearly, 90 per cent of them are inexperienced in politics and governance. Besides, except a handful of women corporators, almost fifty per cent of the council comprises proxy representatives, he added.
They will be caught between devil and deep sea as it will be difficult for proxy representatives to work through the system. Most go to council either to make money or to protect ill-gotten money and not to serve public. This time, the budget has already been made and until March they would hardly have any work, Mahesh observed.
An ideal council should be structured one with directly elected mayor. Some of the powers should be transferred from state to mayor to make the difference felt. The urban civic body must be strengthened financially too to deliver the goods, Mahesh said.
In the new BBMP, if more than 50% are first-timers and women, it is a hopeful sign as they are less likely to have criminal record and be adept at wheeling and dealing with the various mafias, unless they allow their more experienced male relatives to stand in for them, said Kathyayini Chamaraj, Executive Trustee, CIVIC.
One also hopes that women will pay more attention to human development and social justice issues in their wards. The fact that more than 50 per cent of them have not even passed SSLC should not really be a constraint as keeping a ward clean, and maintaining roads, drains, etc., is not rocket science.
What the first-timers need is training to gain a basic understanding of urban governance laws, contracts for ward works and garbage, and finances of the corporation. More than that, what they require is basic honesty and genuine service-mindedness. Hopefully, they have come into politics with those qualifications, she added.
