Another positive  development is that the despite all the political uncertainty that has  dominated the  horizon, a new  chairman and deputy chairman have been elected to the  prestigious  Tumkur Urban  Development Authority (TUDA). This is given a new lease of life to the expectations of the people from the officials.

Just as the CMC was functioning without the  elected  members for  months, the  TUDA  also   sailed in the  same boat for a while now. However Deputy Commissioner S R Umashankar who doubled as the administrative  officer  for both these institutions haad ensured the the  foundation had been laid  for many of the  development works during his tenure. Some of these  projects have already begun as well.

 What is a logical  conclusion is that these projects should now speed with the  newly elected  representatives taking  charge of their  responsibilities.

It is therefore little wonder that the expectations of the people have  soared  up.

Everyday issues
The political scenario of the state aside, it is  more important that the  people do  not face problems when it  comes  to  daily  facilities. For any city to become an ideal place for its  residents the Municipal council and the Urban  Development Authority are the main agents of change.

If one glances back into history, it certainly is  no false  accusation by the  people that the two have not been functioning to their fullest potential. As a direct result, Tumkur has not  reached the  zenith that it could have.

Ineffective system
The Tumkur residents have had more than their share of complaints against these  two bodies. They were especially irked about the City Municipal Council. One  cannot brand this as a personal vendetta against the  CMC but can only blame it on the ineffective administration.

The  sincere  taxpayer has been constantly filling the  administrative coffers with one  form  of tax or another. Be it water tax, development tax, house tax, road tax, the common man has  always been a loyal and  prompt when it came to paying up. While he  does not expect the  moon, it is justified that the administration is  obligated to providing  the  basic  necessities to him.

The newly elected  representatives are therefore  obligated that to reflect on why the  municipal  administration was unable to identify with the  common man’s problem last  year.

It is  unimportant to the people about which party will bag the official posts of the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Municipal Council. The state politics seems have caught their  fancy as well. He has a different view about the  municipal administration.

No politics please
 “It does not matter how situation is at the  state  level politics.  We need their  cooperation is  few  issues here at the ground level. We are only interested that our basic necessities be fulfiled by the Municipal” is the common sentiment among the people here in Tumkur which also being  slowly voiced. However its does not  seem like any of the major political party has taken this opinion  seriously. It seems like every leader worth his  salt is  busy with the political twists  and turns at the state level and does not have his  finger on the  pulse of his local electorate.
Prioritise
“We at Tumkur cannot  change the destiny of the state level  players. It is not our immediate concern. Our problems lie around us. We need the  newly elected members to forget party differences and work towards  making Tumkur a better place to live in. Our immediate requirements are drinking water, roads, street lights, cleanliness and other amenities. The representatives should keep this as a priority” is the fondest wish of the people of Tumkur.

Silver lining
While the residents had given up on the previous  administration, they  have pinned their hope on the  current batch  of  representatives because a majority of them are first timers and young people.

Technically the Congress party is the largest party in the Municipal council with 15 seats. But for the administration to function smoothly every member has pivtol role to  play in the process.

They need to keep in mind the  mistakes made by the previous administration and ensure that they are not repeated. Instead of escaping  responsibility on mere technicalities they need to build the pride that Tumkur is their city and they will have to work hard to make it a model to others to emulate.

It is to been if the Municipal Council and TUDA can  work in tandem to develop Tumkur.