<This is a post from an anonymous user who has chosen not to reveal his/her identity>
Dear Praja friends, as you already know, these are the days of advisory councils and committees. Their grip is complete, top to down, one advisory council is sitting at national level (NAC), and we also see and hear of a few at the lowest (our city government) level.
I am here to write about BBMP's technical advisory committee, mention of which I saw in today's DNA Bangalore newspaper. A column was authored by Dr Ashwin Mahesh, who has been listed as a member of "BBMP's technical advisory committee".
In the column, Dr Mahesh is critical of BBMP's Sankey Road widening project. Everyone is advised to read the column I am mentioning to confirm what I am saying here is right - Dr Mahesh, a member of BBMP's Technical Advisory Committee is strongly opposing Sankey Tank Road widening project, and also BBMP's approach to similar projects.
Now, my questions to you all, BBMP, and Dr Mahesh
Questions specific to the committee (to BBMP, and Praja friends)
- What is the role and purpose of BBMP's Technical Advisory Committee
- How many members does it have
- How many of BBMP's projects have these "members" advised on
- How much remuneration and what perks are paid to the advisers?
- Who pays this? If BBMP, then what budget does the money come from
- What are the responsibilities of the advisers on this "committee"
- Who bears accountability on quality and bias aspects of advice that the committee offers? Advisers? Or BBMP? If some advice offered is accepted and later found to be disastrous, will BBMP keep the blame, or passed to the advisers?
- If the committee members are being openly critical of some high visibility projects like Sankey Tank Road widening, why do you still have them on it?
Corresponding questions for Dr Mahesh
- Are you "inside" BBMP or "outside" BBMP?
- Is it true that most of your advice is turned down by the BBMP? That is the feeling one gets after reading your articles in newspapers etc related to local projects?
- If above is not true then are there examples of advices that you offered and BBMP did not turn down? Would you be open to sharing the "hit rate"?
- In case the hit rate is low or very low, if BBMP anyway doesn't follow your advice on contest-ably futile projects like Sankey Tank Road Widening, why are you still on this "committee"?
- What responsibilities do you carry as member of the committee? Advise on a specific number and type of projects? Attend a specified number of meetings?
My dear friends, learned sirs and madams, judging by blogs and comments here, many of you know Dr Ashwin Mahesh. Would you be able to get some answers to above. Just like you all, I also want to understand account-abilities in functioning of BBMP.
My questions are simple and genuine. I share them here anonymously so that these are not seen to be personal.
love bangalore,
RFOB (a Real Friend of Bangalore)
Forward this Blog entry
Comments
The points are worthy of a Praja discussion
The DNA article by Ashwin Mahesh is interesting. An advisory committee member or not being the faculty of IIM Bangalore has its own stamp. By the way the article is in the name of Ashwin the person.
Thse are valid points posed by Professor Ashwin:-
Why not be bold to give your positive comments on the issue of Sankey road widening Mr. Coward for a change?
valid questions - but, what about your identity?
@ Coward - I spoke to Dr Ashwin Mahesh. He said he is prepared to answer the questions if you are prepared to reveal your identity, first.
Focus should be..
on issues, not on identities though. <end of message>
CNR Rao Circle
Just wanted to poll the collective wisdom of Prajegalu on the CNR Rao underpass, which has been under construction for more than a year. I have not be able to visualize the plan, despite passing by the excavation on numerous occasions.
It looks like traffic proceeding from Maramma Circle towards Ypr will have a free passage. What is troubling therefore is another ramp being built for the traffic coming in from Mekhri Circle. I would greatly apprecite if someone could resolve my little confusion. Thanks.
I have scoured the net for
I have scoured the net for plans but all I get are news reports where the reporters themselves havent bothered to understand what exactly BBMP is planning to do. Such a shame.
Representation?
So here is the latest on how our "representatives" are "representing" us. They get paid to sit at home and not do their job.
CNR Rao Circle contd.
As a non-expert, I can see that CNR Underpass will go the Mwm Circle underpass way. The at-grade roads for left/right turns will just be wide enough for a bus to wriggle through. The Ypr bound traffic will start massing at the next traffic junction. The planners have probably not factored in the pedestrians - BHEL/IISc goers beware.
Public consultation is probably too much of an ask, shouldn’t JNNURM at the very least mandate that the plans be put on a website for all to see?
Total Disaster.
In fact I think this CNR Rao underpass will be a complete disaster. Already - since they opened up the road, it is impossible to exit from IISc - since there is a continuous flow of traffic. Also there is a jam caused at the Maramma Circle ( technically CV Raman circle ) entrance, since traffic is flowing continuously.
Let me bet that in a year or so, when they finish the work, they will put a signal at Maramma circle as there will be a huge jam caused by the fact that traffic has to cross directions there. All this while, since traffic inflow was regulated there was a break in the flow which allowed traffic to cross. Now that has been eliminated.
In a year after that, they will decide that they need to build an underpass there and screw up Malleswaram traffic for a couple more years. Meanwhile, they will cut off all the trees in the area.
As I have said on several occasions, a way to at least reduce this mess is to change the directions of Margosa and Sampige roads. But nobody in power seems to care - its much more lucrative to have to build underpasses - `everybody' benefits - from the contractors to the tree mafia.
I dont think there is any hope for Malleswaram any more.
The fundamental problem in this country is that people havent realised the difference between selfishness and elightened self-interest. People do things - life scams, take on useless projects, park badly - essentially out of selfishness. If instead they realised that if they did things out elightened self interest they would benefit more in the long run.
For example, parking on the footpath. People do this because it is convenient. But what happens. Pedestrians are forced to walk on the road. This causes the road to become effectively smaller. This causes traffice to get jammed up. Which finally inconveniences the person who parked on the footpath since he is stuck in a jam - perhaps for a much longer period than it would take him to park elsewhere legally and walk a few metres.
Ramesh
Can I say 'we escaped'?
We, in Koramangala, appear to have avoided such a fate, at least for now - check this. Besides, I suppose it's time we demanded the following (that I had stated, in addition):
I think we need to ask each of the officials to join us over a padayatra through all of these junctions (Domlur/ Indiranagar, Marathahalli, K R Puram) to understand the problems first hand, which otherwise they fail to appreciate while wizzing past them in chauffeur-driven cars. We could also possibly ask them to first set right the wrongs already committed, to show their capability, if they have any, and then to work on fresh jobs. - - - And, details of such massive projects affecting every aspect of our life should have been made available to us at least a year in advance.
CNR Rao Circle Update
The CNR Rao underpass continues to be a conundrum. What is probably clear by now is that YPR bound traffic will pass under. A deep excavation had commenced on CV Raman Avenue adjacent to the Post Office; a robust concrete structure was being built - separating traffic heading from Sadashivanagar Police Station junction to MWM and YPR.
Now, all of a sudden, the excavation has been closed. The robust wall (what looked like a retaining wall of an underpass), has been reduced to a mere median. My layman opinion is that someone has massively botched up the plans.
I would be grateful if any of the Prajegalu can throw more light on this Traffic engineering marvel.
Thanks.
Who knows. I realized that
Who knows.
I realized that when I posted something regarding this - i was optimistic that the work would be finished in a year. Its been a year and a half and still no signs of any sort of completion. Further, as I remarked in my earlier post, I think they have already made plans for an underpass at Maramma circle. Meanwhile 15th Cross is destroyed, 17th and 18th cross are a mess. Margosa road is a mess. 4th main has become a major road from being a quiet street.
All of these problems can be solved with a littel bit of traffic management. For example, currently traffic travelling to Yeswantpur from the city hit 18th cross twice as it turns on Margosa, 17th and then 8th Main. If the directions of 17th and 18th cross are reversed, this would not happen - and the jam on 8th Main between 17th and 18th cross would and at 17th and Margosa would vanish.
Even better, if they reverse the directions of Sampige and Margosa they would not need any more underpasses. But that is the subject of another post.
Ramesh
@rs - was there just this morning
What is going on there? Traffic drives on the right hand side for some time, no signs of active work at the underpass (work frozen due to some problem?).
Yes, need a separate post to understand the CNR Rao Circle 'halt', Sampige road and Margosa.