The people of Karnataka have spoken and given a decisive mandate. They have voted on local issues, and have held politicians accountable for developmental issues. They have also made a difference between national and local issues, which is as it should be.
The big challenge is now to elect a leader who will be acceptable to all the party members, leaving no room for destabilising the government. What Karnataka needs now is a stable government that will complete its full term and fulfil its commitments laid out in the manifesto.
The first and foremost priority for the government is to improve governance as mentioned in their manifesto – and call for BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike) elections at the earliest. It is unacceptable that for two years we have not been able to hold municipal elections, as a consequence of which, ward-level governance has been a total failure. The city has witnessed a complete failure on multiple fronts whether it be maintenance of roads, waste management, street lighting, maintenance of footpaths — all work has moved at a snail’s pace. Without the third tier of political leadership, citizens have been left in the lurch with nobody to go to for getting their grievances addressed.
We hope the new government will address this subversion of democratic principles at the earliest by announcing BBMP elections.
Some of the big issues that Bengalureans will be concerned about is that the city is the largest revenue generator in the state. It is a city of global eminence but gets very little attention when it comes to developing the world-class infrastructure that is required to support this level of economic activity.
The address mobility issues, the priority should be to make the Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority a reality. We need an integrated approach to resolving mobility issues in the city and BMLTA should be the governing body to address mobility issues for the city, based on principles of sustainability and facilitating public transport.
While the area’s population grew from 8.4 million in 2011 to 11.64 million in 2022, the bus fleet population during the same period was 6,064 and 6,763 respectively. As of date, 5,313 buses are operational because of repair work and a lack of drivers. Meanwhile, in sharp contrast, private transport has moved from 50.33 lakh in 2011 to one crore in 2022. The city added 2.78 lakh private vehicles in one year alone and has been adding at a similar rate for the last several years. And because of the unreliable service, bus ridership has fallen from 51 lakh per day in 2011 to 35 lakhs per day in 2022. Around 69.6 km of metro has been operationalised to date with a ridership of approximately six lakh per day. The 148 km suburban rail project was announced with much fanfare at a cost of Rs 15,767 crore in October 2020. But, two years after the announcement, work has barely begun.
So public buses seem to be the only credible and immediate mobility solution for the city in the near term. The fleet size needs to be increased to 15,000. All new buses should be electric with a phased plan for replacing old buses as well. This has however not received any attention by successive governments even though Karnataka was the first to announce the electric vehicle policy.
The public bus system has an 85 per cent modal share and its role in easing the traffic and the city’s mobility woes cannot be undermined. It has to be made safe, comfortable, reliable, hygienic and affordable with facilities for tracking, and online purchase of tickets and payments. It requires investment and focused implementation with a sense of urgency.
It is important to realise that the issues facing Bangalore are very different from those facing the rest of the state.
The new government needs to urgently implement the “beyond Bangalore” strategy that will focus on the all-round development of the state and create meaningful jobs in other cities, reducing the infrastructure pressure on Bangalore. For instance, manufacturing requires greater focus with a cluster-based approach.
The manifesto also commits to eliminating corruption in public infrastructure works by making contracts and their award transparent. It further commits that work will begin within 90 days of the work order, and also promises timely completion of works as per contract along with prompt settlement of bills. If this is achieved it will be significant since it will avoid cost escalations and delays.
The manifesto also commits to creating jobs, filling up the vacancies in government, and improving service delivery. Other issues that are also important and have been committed upon include recycling of water, rainwater harvesting, efficiently managing the Rajakaluves that transport stormwater, a special focus on waste management and housing projects for slum redevelopment. These are also issues to watch out for as cities beyond Bangalore are developed.
Citizens are going to hold the new government accountable for the promises they have made. Here’s wishing the new government all the best.
The writer is managing trustee, Bangalore Political Action Committee
