<p>Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge D K Shivakumar has a novel cure for the capital city's crumbling roads, endless traffic jams, and mountains of garbage, by pointing out that other cities are also a mess. London, Delhi, take your pick. Why bother fixing Bengaluru when you can prove that the rest of the world is equally miserable? </p><p>It is a clever form of civic spin: your city is broken? Congratulations, you are in global company. Of course, traffic snarls and potholes are not an exclusive Bengaluru feature, but here is the catch: in London, the potholes are fixed within days; in Bengaluru, they become permanent fixtures. In other cities, garbage segregation is mandated and monitored; in Bengaluru, it fuels an entire “garbage mafia” economy that survives multiple governments and thrives on unbroken political patronage. Shivakumar’s inability to dismantle this reflects not his capacity, but convenient helplessness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is a city that has been neglected for decades. The BJP – which governed the city and for much of the past decade – can hardly claim innocence. Both parties have contributed generously to the civic mess we are in: one ignored the rot, the other perfected the art of excuses. There is also an entire ecosystem that seems to revel in Bengaluru’s miseries, taking perverse pleasure in amplifying every failure and celebrating each setback with glee. Rather than being bogged down by this cynicism, the DCM should see it for what it is: a city that is crying out for change.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And yet, if there is one leader who can bulldoze through the bureaucracy, it is Shivakumar. His leadership has been on display in projects such as India’s largest solar park at Pavagada. Why does that resolve fade when it comes to fixing Bengaluru’s most basic urban ailments? If comparisons must be made, let them be with Singapore’s integrated transport planning, Amsterdam’s water management, or San Francisco’s waste segregation. These are the gold standards Bengaluru should aspire to, not excuses for why we remain stuck in civic agony. Bengaluru is bruised, battered, and betrayed, but not beyond redemption. Shivakumar has the political heft and the reputation of a go-getter. It is time he used both to clean up not just the city’s streets, but also its governance. What Bengaluru needs is not defensive comparisons but a decisive leadership that is willing to stop playing the victim card and start wielding the reform hammer. </p>
<p>Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru in-charge D K Shivakumar has a novel cure for the capital city's crumbling roads, endless traffic jams, and mountains of garbage, by pointing out that other cities are also a mess. London, Delhi, take your pick. Why bother fixing Bengaluru when you can prove that the rest of the world is equally miserable? </p><p>It is a clever form of civic spin: your city is broken? Congratulations, you are in global company. Of course, traffic snarls and potholes are not an exclusive Bengaluru feature, but here is the catch: in London, the potholes are fixed within days; in Bengaluru, they become permanent fixtures. In other cities, garbage segregation is mandated and monitored; in Bengaluru, it fuels an entire “garbage mafia” economy that survives multiple governments and thrives on unbroken political patronage. Shivakumar’s inability to dismantle this reflects not his capacity, but convenient helplessness.</p>.<p class="bodytext">This is a city that has been neglected for decades. The BJP – which governed the city and for much of the past decade – can hardly claim innocence. Both parties have contributed generously to the civic mess we are in: one ignored the rot, the other perfected the art of excuses. There is also an entire ecosystem that seems to revel in Bengaluru’s miseries, taking perverse pleasure in amplifying every failure and celebrating each setback with glee. Rather than being bogged down by this cynicism, the DCM should see it for what it is: a city that is crying out for change.</p>.<p class="bodytext">And yet, if there is one leader who can bulldoze through the bureaucracy, it is Shivakumar. His leadership has been on display in projects such as India’s largest solar park at Pavagada. Why does that resolve fade when it comes to fixing Bengaluru’s most basic urban ailments? If comparisons must be made, let them be with Singapore’s integrated transport planning, Amsterdam’s water management, or San Francisco’s waste segregation. These are the gold standards Bengaluru should aspire to, not excuses for why we remain stuck in civic agony. Bengaluru is bruised, battered, and betrayed, but not beyond redemption. Shivakumar has the political heft and the reputation of a go-getter. It is time he used both to clean up not just the city’s streets, but also its governance. What Bengaluru needs is not defensive comparisons but a decisive leadership that is willing to stop playing the victim card and start wielding the reform hammer. </p>
