Bengaluru most liveable city? BBMP gung-ho, citizens sceptical

BBMP Commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad on Thursday said the credit for Bengaluru’s top rank in the ‘Ease of Living Index’ goes not only to the BBMP but also to the BWSSB, the BDA, Bescom, the state government and citizens.

Responding to a question by DH on how the rank would help civic agencies, Prasad said that it would enable the BBMP to increase its revenue to drive development as well as efficiency.

“(The rank) will increase the expectations of citizens and we will work hard towards it. We have to retain the rank in the coming years, which is now an added responsibility for the BBMP and other civic agencies,” he stated.

The top rank in the ease of living survey aside, Bengaluru’s municipal performance was poor and it scored only 45.02 points (31st among 51 million-plus cities that are part of the Smart Cities Mission). Hubballi-Dharwad got a better rank (21st) by scoring 48.14 points.

Also read: Bengaluru tops Ease of Living Index, Pune ranks second

Prasad said that the civic body was not satisfied with its municipal performance rank and would strive to do better next year. He explained that the BBMP’s lower rank was due to its poor performance in 100 indicators and promised to improve them.

“We agree there is room for improvement in infrastructure. We will strive to improve the civic services,” he said. “But people must understand that the BBMP is not solely responsible for the lower rank.”

Tara Krishnaswamy, of Citizens for Bengaluru, said the top rank in ease of living should bring improvements on the ground. The comparison between cities, she said, would be pointless because only an assessment by the residents would throw better light on the quality of living.

“More importantly, the BBMP and other civic bodies should conduct self-assessment and make changes. Bengaluru has seen no improvement in sustainable infrastructure. The rank does not mean the city has gotten better in any way,” she said.