BBMP BUDGET FOR BENGALURU PROMISES HEAVEN! WILL IT FRUCTIFY?

• Citizens calling Bengaluru their home must be wondering what’s happening with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections for various wards, which have been in limbo for over four years now. Agreed, COVID-19 did play a critical role in not holding the ward elections for a couple of years owing to several challenges posed by the once-in-a-century pandemic severely crippling the administration/governance. However, aftermath of the COVID-19-induced economic devastation, things have returned to normalcy, with economic activity picking up pace from different quarters. Of course, state assembly elections are being conducted alongside the general election as well across the length and breadth of the country is a fact too.

PC: Deccan Herald

• However, BBMP elections in Bengaluru simply appear to be not on the horizon, going by the look of things. Even though the main political parties in the state, viz., the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, and the Janata Dal (Secular), promised to hold BBMP elections in their manifestos, the signs visible are to the contrary. The ruling Congress party has made half-hearted efforts to undertake the elections despite the courts pushing the government to proceed ahead with the endeavour. Consequently, the local governance has taken a severe hit with the basic infrastructure and amenities in the most happening metro city crying for attention. The creaking infrastructure woes have been critically analysed in the last few years. No harm in doing it yet again.

PC: LinkedIn

• The way Bengaluru has grown over the years needs no further elaboration. The Silicon Valley of India, the tech capital of India, the startup capital of India, the garden city of city, and the most business/investor friendly city of India are some of the aptest monikers associated with our beloved city. Unfortunately, the crumbling infrastructure woes vis-à-vis pothole-filled roads, clogged stormwater drains, unending traffic woes, drinking water challenges, rising cost of living, and failure of the administration to provide last-mile connectivity for metro train users are some of the most talked-about challenges faced by the Bengaluru citizens. The civic agencies, including the BBMP, have time and again failed to rise to the occasion to address these glaring anomalies.

PC: The Hindu

This is where the ward level elected representatives in place would ensure the beleaguered citizens have an option to seek remedies to their woes concerning some of the most basic requirements to sustain livelihood. Note that the city MLAs/MPs are not directly associated with the local level day-to-day works/administration. The corporators would have acted as a bridge between the citizens and the administration by provisioning amenities for the citizens. The perennially deferred elections to the BBMP denote that common citizens have no way to communicate formally with the civic agencies. The recent BBMP budget promises heaven for Bengaluru, but will it fructify on expected lines? Your guess is as good as mine. Fingers crossed!