Lok Satta Party agenda for Bangalore

Q: What is the agenda for Bangalore?

A: There are dozens of things that need to be fixed, but I would like to focus on three things, not only for Bangalore but also for all towns and cities in the state. I say this because any attempt to develop Bangalore alone, while neglecting other cities, will fail. We must get all-round urban development everywhere in the state.

First, there must be separation of planning and execution, and planning should cover all aspects of social and economic development. Now, the same agencies do planning and administration, and they don't talk to each other. This needs to be fixed by creating statutory planning bodies with which all departments engage.

Second, local governments must get more finances from the State and Centre, so that they can pursue their own development agendas. Each city should also create an Economic Development Group for itself, and start pushing its own development goals. Third, there must be much higher levels of citizen participation, especially through properly functioning ward committees.

Q: How are you planning to achieve the agenda?

A: A lot of this agenda is actually already in the law, but it is not being implemented. Why is the Metropolitan Planning Committee for Bangalore not constituted? Why is the urban development policy, finalised almost three years ago, not yet adopted? Why are the ward committees not being constituted in the major cities unless the courts demand this? The answer to all this is the same - no one in politics is pushing for this change. No one in the legislature asks these questions. No elected person writes to the departments demanding implementation of their policies and programs. Therefore, a lot can be achieved even if one elected person begins to demand implementation of existing laws.

Second, I intend to involve citizens much more in pursuing the development agenda. Anything that is talked about widely, and any new initiative that is sought by many citizens, will surely happen. Unfortunately, our elected representatives at present don't engage with the public much, and therefore there is no churn of new ideas for growth and development. If you involve the people more and more, then things will start to happen that much faster.

Third, I will work with domain experts outside government also to create a culture of collaboration between government and private sector in solving problems. This is extremely doable. The traffic control room of the police, the Big10 bus, lake development, these are all good examples of how citizens and officials can work together. But such efforts require collaboration between the two groups, and good facilitators for such collaboration. I will certainly play that role.

Q: What is the role of civil society in your electoral battle?

A: I recognise that many people in the NGO sector would welcome the kind of politics I am talking about, and I thank them for their support. At the same time, I don't distinguish between 'civil' society and the rest. All citizens are equally entitled to, and capable of engaging the institutions of government directly. Sadly, because governments have not made this easy, various NGOs have propped up to play intermediary roles between government and society. But if we improve governance, all of society will be 'civil'.

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