Vinay Baindur yanivbin-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w@public.gmane.org [invites]
2014-10-15 04:43:04 UTC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2792996/boomtown-rap-children-dying-roads-bangalore-city-corporation-won-t-act.html
Children are dying on the roads but Bangalore city corporation won't act
By Aravind Gowda
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Aravind+Gowda>
Published: 20:53 GMT, 14 October 2014 | Updated: 00:35 GMT, 15 October 2014
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2792996/boomtown-rap-children-dying-roads-bangalore-city-corporation-won-t-act.html#comments>
Nearly a decade ago a popular elected representative became the Mayor of
Bangalore City, and was determined to weed out corruption from the civic
agency.
However, within six months, he declared that âeven if God was sent to set
right the anomalies in the city corporation, he had no option other than
turning corrupt.â
Interestingly, that politician never contested elections after completing
his mayoral term. He was so disappointed with the city corporation that he
quit politics.
The same kind of delusion and disappointment are now prevailing among
Bangaloreans, who are watching in apathy as the city comes to a standstill
every time it rains heavily.
[image: Waterlogged roads filled with potholes are a walking deathtrap for
pedestrians, especially children]
+2
Waterlogged roads filled with potholes are a walking deathtrap for
pedestrians, especially children
First, it was the tragic death of nine-year-old Geethalakshmi, who fell
into an uncovered drain while walking back home.
Three days of hectic searching led the rescue team to a lake nine
kilometres from the spot where she fell.
While they were recovering her body, the shocking news broke that a
12-year-old boy, Yeshvanth, had drowned in an open pit filled with rain
water near a college.
Both the victims hailed from lower middle class families, and there were
hardly any protests by NGOs or resident welfare associations.
Either people have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to rectify
the city corporation, which is the Greater Bangalore City Corporation
(GBCC), or that it is not worth the effort.
Whenever there is a death, the GBCC washes its hands of the issue by
announcing a monetary compensation to the victimâs family.
However, the blame is never fixed on any officer or person concern for
their lapses.
In some ways, it is the âsystem collapseâ that has led to the poor state of
affairs in Bangalore. Whenever there is an incident, the GBCC takes
âcollective responsibility.â
Since 2009, as many as 12 cases have been filed against the GBCC in
connection with deaths resulting from its negligence, but no one has been
convicted or punished so far.
Scores of people, particularly two-wheeler riders, have suffered fractured
limbs because of craters and potholes on roads.
It is an annual affair for the GBCC to undertake the following programs â
pothole filling, de-silting of drains, tarring of roads and infrastructure
works.
The first three programs are mired in corruption. For instance, the GBCC
contends that the potholes occur because of underground waterpipe leakage
and fixes the blame on Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board; equipment
were even imported from other countries, but pot-hole filling has never
stopped.
Corruption is so rampant in the agency that government employees from other
departments find it lucrative to get deputed to the GBCC.
The highest number of government employees on deputation to the GBCC are
engineers from the Public Works Department. Whenever there is an incident,
the elected representatives and mayor threaten to repatriate the engineers
to their parent departments, but it is conveniently forgotten later.
It has been raining hard since the last one week and Bangaloreans are not
seeing any visible changes.
Roads continue to be flooded (because of absence of shoulder drains that
can lead water from roads to primary drains) leading to vehicular
congestion; low-lying areas where permission has been given by the GBCC for
construction of houses are inundated and people are losing their lives.
Bangaloreans have not heard of any constructive measures from either the
Mayor or the GBCC commissioner apart from announcing suspension of a few
âerringâ officers.
Soon, the problem will be forgotten as Monsoon ends and it will be back to
square one next year.
The GBCC and the state government, both lack a long-term vision for the
city, and it seems Bangaloreans are destined to live like this for a long
time, in which more children may continue to die because of civic apathy.
Children are dying on the roads but Bangalore city corporation won't act
By Aravind Gowda
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Aravind+Gowda>
Published: 20:53 GMT, 14 October 2014 | Updated: 00:35 GMT, 15 October 2014
<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-2792996/boomtown-rap-children-dying-roads-bangalore-city-corporation-won-t-act.html#comments>
Nearly a decade ago a popular elected representative became the Mayor of
Bangalore City, and was determined to weed out corruption from the civic
agency.
However, within six months, he declared that âeven if God was sent to set
right the anomalies in the city corporation, he had no option other than
turning corrupt.â
Interestingly, that politician never contested elections after completing
his mayoral term. He was so disappointed with the city corporation that he
quit politics.
The same kind of delusion and disappointment are now prevailing among
Bangaloreans, who are watching in apathy as the city comes to a standstill
every time it rains heavily.
[image: Waterlogged roads filled with potholes are a walking deathtrap for
pedestrians, especially children]
+2
Waterlogged roads filled with potholes are a walking deathtrap for
pedestrians, especially children
First, it was the tragic death of nine-year-old Geethalakshmi, who fell
into an uncovered drain while walking back home.
Three days of hectic searching led the rescue team to a lake nine
kilometres from the spot where she fell.
While they were recovering her body, the shocking news broke that a
12-year-old boy, Yeshvanth, had drowned in an open pit filled with rain
water near a college.
Both the victims hailed from lower middle class families, and there were
hardly any protests by NGOs or resident welfare associations.
Either people have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to rectify
the city corporation, which is the Greater Bangalore City Corporation
(GBCC), or that it is not worth the effort.
Whenever there is a death, the GBCC washes its hands of the issue by
announcing a monetary compensation to the victimâs family.
However, the blame is never fixed on any officer or person concern for
their lapses.
In some ways, it is the âsystem collapseâ that has led to the poor state of
affairs in Bangalore. Whenever there is an incident, the GBCC takes
âcollective responsibility.â
Since 2009, as many as 12 cases have been filed against the GBCC in
connection with deaths resulting from its negligence, but no one has been
convicted or punished so far.
Scores of people, particularly two-wheeler riders, have suffered fractured
limbs because of craters and potholes on roads.
It is an annual affair for the GBCC to undertake the following programs â
pothole filling, de-silting of drains, tarring of roads and infrastructure
works.
The first three programs are mired in corruption. For instance, the GBCC
contends that the potholes occur because of underground waterpipe leakage
and fixes the blame on Bangalore Water Supply & Sewerage Board; equipment
were even imported from other countries, but pot-hole filling has never
stopped.
Corruption is so rampant in the agency that government employees from other
departments find it lucrative to get deputed to the GBCC.
The highest number of government employees on deputation to the GBCC are
engineers from the Public Works Department. Whenever there is an incident,
the elected representatives and mayor threaten to repatriate the engineers
to their parent departments, but it is conveniently forgotten later.
It has been raining hard since the last one week and Bangaloreans are not
seeing any visible changes.
Roads continue to be flooded (because of absence of shoulder drains that
can lead water from roads to primary drains) leading to vehicular
congestion; low-lying areas where permission has been given by the GBCC for
construction of houses are inundated and people are losing their lives.
Bangaloreans have not heard of any constructive measures from either the
Mayor or the GBCC commissioner apart from announcing suspension of a few
âerringâ officers.
Soon, the problem will be forgotten as Monsoon ends and it will be back to
square one next year.
The GBCC and the state government, both lack a long-term vision for the
city, and it seems Bangaloreans are destined to live like this for a long
time, in which more children may continue to die because of civic apathy.