The buck stops here!
Blame game
Whenever there are reports of children being mauled by stray dogs or people being hit by the BMTC buses or rainwater gushing into houses, the first thing everyone does is to blame the authorities.
It has become our tendency to hold the government and bureaucracy responsible for all the wrong acts that take place in society.
Though it is true that ensuring public safety is the responsibility of the government and the authorities concerned, the citizens too have some role to play.
Recently, when a two-and-a-half-year-old boy was mauled to death by stray dogs, there was a great hue and cry about the incident and people blamed the BBMP for having failed to curb the stray dog menace.
But later, it was revealed that the victim’s father was drunk and because of his negligence, the child walked away and became a victim of canines. In most of the mishaps involving children, negligence on part of the caretakers is also a contributory factor.
“I admit that it is the duty of the BBMP to curb stray dog menace. At the same time, it is foolishness to let children wander on the streets without anyone to monitor them. So many times, I have lost balance of my bike to avert an accident just because kids have come in front of it suddenly. Why should parents allow kids on busy streets and main roads? And when it comes to construction and daily wage labourers, their kids are always on the roads and often fall prey to street dogs. We are also responsible for the stray dog menace as we feed dogs indirectly by dumping waste food everywhere,” says Varun, a professional.
When it rains, the problem of water-logging is reported from many parts of the town which blocks traffic. Sometimes, dirty water even enters houses.
“One of the reasons for water-logging is clogged sewage lines. Before we go around blaming the municipal workers and authorities for not cleaning up, we need to stop filling the City with trash. Our mindless act of throwing garbage on the roads clog
the gutters and stops rainwater from being drained out. If we think twice before littering and show a little bit of civic sense, a lot of change can be brought in the society,” says Raveesh, a lecturer.
“Also when we come across reports of accidents involving the BMTC buses, without bothering to analyse what has happened, we put the blame on the BMTC. Many a time, an angry mob sets the bus on fire. Accidents often happen because of the negligence of the drivers. Why should people damage public property for the fault of a single person?”
As the City belongs to all those who live here, everyone should take responsibility for all its drawbacks and advantages.
“Nothing will change by blaming someone else. We throw garbage on roads, encroach footpaths, jump signals, evade taxes and bribe officials to get our work done. But when things go wrong, we simply make someone else accountable for that. We should change our mindset first and be the change we want to see in the City,” says Gurusiddesh, a professional.
