JOIN USBengaluru is a burgeoning city that is growing and crumbling at the same time. The once pensioner’s paradise which boasted of salubrious weather, is fast becoming unliveable with poor infrastructure, traffic congestion, depleting greenery, vanishing lakes and below par civic amenities, taking the sheen out of the city. Some of the lost glory may still be salvaged if Bengaluru is managed by a dedicated team of officers who are able to dedicate their complete time and energy to the affairs of the city. Unfortunately, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) does not have either a full-time administrator or chief commissioner, as both hold these posts in addition to their other responsibilities. Newly appointed administrator Rakesh Singh is the envy of many IAS officers as he is simultaneously in charge of other plum posts. He continues as the additional chief secretary (ACS) of two important departments, urban development and water resources, besides being the chairman of the Tumakuru Smart City Project.
Now, in addition, he has also been appointed as the managing director of Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which has its own set of problems. Though the foundation stone was laid in 2006, there is no sign of completion even 15 years hence, with the project dogged by undue delays and cost escalation. It is anybody’s guess if it is humanly possible for a single bureaucrat to handle such major assignments efficiently. BBMP’s chief commissioner Gaurav Gupta continues to hold the post of ACS, industries and commerce department, which in itself is an enormous responsibility. The previous commissioner N Manjunatha Prasad had sought transfer from the post citing extreme fatigue which only gives an indication of the high pressure under which the incumbent is required to work. At a time when the second wave of Covid-19 is raging, the city simply cannot put its fate in the hands of part-time officers.
While these officers may be competent in their own right, a trend has emerged over the past few years where the political administration has developed some sort of compatibility with a set of bureaucrats who enjoy coveted posts irrespective of the government in power. There is no shortage of IAS officers in the state that certain bureaucrats should hold concurrent charge of several crucial departments, in the process doing justice to none. Such rank favouritism also demotivates other hardworking officers. While the government should emerge as an equal opportunity employer, it would do well to immediately relieve the BBMP administrator and chief commissioner of all their other responsibilities so that they can devote their complete attention to the city.