JOIN USBengaluru: Can 243 wards fix 110 villages?
For 13 years, the 110 villages on the city’s periphery were precariously perched on a fading hope: Comprehensive development, driven by their inclusion in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). But can a 243-ward, more representative Palike achieve what its 198-ward avatar failed to do?
Served by roads that look straight out of a lunar landscape, ground water depleted to dangerous levels due to over-exploited borewells, underground drainages and Cauvery water still a work-in-progress… Out there in the villages, development is a sham in big, bold letters.
Unplanned, unregulated
Despite these glaring lapses, apartments and population clusters have mushroomed unregulated and unplanned. The demand on drinking water, roads, sewage has soared beyond sustainable limits. Rising vehicular numbers have sparked an unprecedented surge in air pollution. Is this concoction reversible?
The answer is a clear ‘no’ if redrawing BBMP boundaries is not complemented by higher allocation of funds, civic activists and policy planners are unanimous. “Barely Rs 15 crore was allocated for the wards in these villages over the last five years,” reminds Jagadeesh Reddy Nagappa, civic activist and a resident of Varthur village.
Role of ward panels
More wards might increase the number of corporators representing these villages. But to understand the issues better, a decentralised governance mechanism that identifies and prioritises local works, is critical. Can the ward committees do the task? They can, but the BBMP Bill has given them only an advisory role.
This role will make no difference. The need is for a mindset change, these villages deserve much more attention and allocation than the ‘left over’ money spent on these villages, as B S Patil BBMP Restructuring Committee member, V Ravichander points out.
Politics dictates
For years, political power and hierarchy have dictated how much money is spent on whose ward. Often the allocation is also guided by the returns on the investment and how easily it can be leaked. Centralised decision-making and the overbearing influence of MLAs on the corporators have meant the outlying wards, particularly the villages, get the least attention.
Poor coordination
Poor coordination between the BBMP and para-statal agencies such as the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) has only aggravated the village woes. Laying pipelines and underground drainage lines, the Board has been active in many villages. But these works demand serious networking with the Palike to restore dug-up roads and minimise commuter troubles.
In many villages, particularly in the Mahadevapura area, a serious mismatch between demand and supply has made the water tanker mafia extremely powerful. But, as Jagadeesh points out, the reliance on tankers that source water from deep borewells, has increased health risks.
Dangerous health hazards
Ground water levels in most villages have dipped dangerously to over 1,000 ft. “Sourcing water beyond 400-600ft increases the risk of heavy metal contamination. The long-term effect on health, on the liver, kidney, could be disastrous,” he warns. Although BWSSB says it is ready with the pipeline infrastructure to supply Cauvery water, the steep charges have kept many residents dependent on the tankers.
The onset of monsoon has left many untarred, dug-up roads virtually unmotorable. Lack of underground sewage lines has left the skeletal storm water drain networks polluted and overflowing in many areas. Streets are poorly lit, and women’s safety is a real concern.
Equitable development
Campaigning for years to improve the public infrastructure in Whitefield and other areas in Mahadevapura, citizens’ collective Whitefield Rising (WR) is keen that the development is equitable, and spread out widely.
“The size of outer wards is much bigger than the inner wards. Besides funds, the number of personnel sanctioned for these wards should also be larger,” notes Zibi Jamal from WR. The ward population should also not exceed 45,000 if the citizens’ concerns are to find true representation, she adds.