Bengaluru: The increasing traffic congestion and development projects are depriving the city of its green cover. The city is now doddering to maintain a balance between sustainability and convenience, said activists taking part in an event on sustainability here on Saturday.
“We have to choose between the two and if we are talking about sustainability, we must include life in it. The Revised Master Plan 2031 mentions about 33 roads on the lakebed. But it was repealed within 3 minutes in the presence of only 20 members the Karnataka Lake Conservation and Development Authority (KLCDA),” said co-founder and convener, Friends of Lake, Mr Ram Prasad, at an event organised by the Aikyam Community for Sustainable Living.
He said that the political class, apprehensive about losing votes, considers the requirements of citizens at least in a few instances. But bureaucrats are only interested in famines and floods as huge funds are released and they will not be held accountable.
On ‘Sustainability as an Election Campaign Issue’, the theme of the event, co-founder of Citizens for Bengaluru Srinivas Alavilli said that the city needs 12,000 BMTC buses and that public transport should be given priority for commuting over elevated corridors.
“How many sessions did we have in the Assembly on mobility and pollution? Not a single one,” he pointed out.
He said that while campaigning for several causes, he came across politicians and bureaucrats who were ready to listen to these issues. “They should not be ignored,” he said.
First-time MLA Sowmya Reddy, who represents Jayanagar, centred her election campaign around sustainability. “I have felt that politics is the way to bring social change. One should participate in voting and ask for their legitimate rights. People should always question the works executed by corporators and bureaucrats,” she said.
