2010-11 BBMP Budget is out, first from an elected body after a long while. Saw the print edition of DH with some details of it, their website is currently down. Will link up after it wakes up!.
In the mean time, read the headlines from today's Hindu here.
Highlight is the road infrastructure. Rs 5215cr set aside for it, accounting for 62% of the total outlay. Includes elevated road from Sirsi Circle to Nayandahalli on Mysore Road, Signal Free NH4 (??), Chord Rd Jn Improvements, Tunnel Road (!) b/w Majestic & KR Market, and finally, the steel flyover (is back again) b/w Minerva and Hudson circle.
20Cr in CBD + 24Cr elsewhere in the City for footpaths. Welcome.
200Cr for solid waste management. 200cr for traffic management and vehicle parking. Wonder what 'traffic management' role palike delivers.
In a good move, finally, a 'project management unit' is proposed to be set up.
Some talk of refurbishing old market areas. Long over due.
159 cr for development of parks. 97cr for development of lakes. (See here). BBMP says out of 183 lakes,17 are 'developed' and 13 are 'under development'.
Some other green measures are floated too. Plastics less than 20microns are being banned. E-waste will attract a new 'e-cess'.
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Budget expenditure
For a better overview, see here:
Old Wine in New Bottle
This budget seems like an exercise in repeating the promises that had been proposed earlier with no money & some more additional 'baloons' like "tunnels" & more of the elevated roads - no talk of bus exclusive infrastructure yet.
Read coverage in TOI here. Details are covered here & here.
Mysore road flyover sans logic..
They have not completed the road expansion to 6 lanes between Sirsi circle and Nayandahalli and now they are re-announcing a flyover on the same stretch..
What is it that they want?
..as Naveen says its just rotten wine in new bottle!
Representatives
We were questioning the legality and effectiveness of BBMP budget without an elected body - See this (past BBMP Budget Discussion).
Now that we have an elected body in charge, can we think for a moment if this is what we expect? And if it is not, what else?
Moral of the story?
Where is allocation for its IT spending?
I have not seen anything under its own infrastructure development (like improving IT enabled services like Spandana, property tax etc). But I see an EOI launched in this new post, is that part of last year budget?
Moral of the story? How
Moral of the story?
How true. I was rolling on the floor laughing at this. Begs a lot of answers. I personally dont care for their budget, its all hogwash. Accounting for akrama-sakrama? Who are the auditors for this statement? I want BBMP off from any CREATION of infrastructure in Bangalore. I dont want their (non)engineers building anything for me. They cant paint lanes of equal width on roads what can we expect.
BBMP complaint link
I have not seen any complaint link given in BBMP web-site.
Why can't they have a link where people can complain about bad roads/any issue related to BBMP where Mayor can check and re-assign it to respective ward members? This really shows that no one is ready to work/take care of people's problems.
If anyone know about such link request to share the link here or can't we propose this to BBMP ?
Moral of the story
I think the moral of the story is that none of those "elected" ward committe members will ever make changes happen nor discharge their duties responsibly because after all, their stay in the committee might be too short & they may not win again - they need to make the most out of the opportunity they now have since it will help in their political "careers". So, why disturb & cross swords with the age old system where everyone is quite happy increasing spends of public money & risk making enemies ? The masses out there don't bother much anyway, so stay put & allow things to meander as it normally would !
This begs the question as to why there ever was a 74th amendment, & what purpose it might serve. All it does is add more salaried staff to an already bloated municipal corporation.
Parking lots to cost 1000crs!
"Easing the traffic congestion in the city has been prioritised with vast sums earmarked for it. Construction of 10 multi-storeyed parking lots and easing traffic in 10 important traffic routes across the city — both at Rs 1000 crore each — are the big announcements. Also on the anvil are 50 grade separators to ease congestion at various points. The Rs 1000 crore allocated for signal-free corridors to link state and national highways to the central business district is an old scheme under the Rs 22,000 crore Capital Investment Plan for development of infrastructure announced nearly two years ago."
No talk of charging for parking -- not even in CBDs. Perhaps they should not charge for parking in those 10 multi-storeyed parking lots, even after spending 1000 crs to build them, each at an average 100 crs. Wonder what they are built of - gold ?
Aakrama Saakrama - 750crs
The corpn is expected to impose fines & collect higher property taxes from all builduings that continue to remain in violation of building bye-laws. Instead, they are trying to "legalize" building violations & an estimation of such collection is being budgeted - has this scheme been cleared by the courts ? Or, have they brought in an amendment to legalize this ?
Instead of fighting against this & demanding that properties in violation be punished with fines & higher property taxes until such violations are rectified, the RWAs are fighting to cancel this & get away scot-free. So, the Paalike is not alone in this circus !
Depends on whom we elect
1. The quality of the budget translates to whom we elect. Most of this current lot have probably not balanced a domestic budget in the recent past, let alone a city budget.
2. For an organization that basically runs on handouts from the state government and grants and other loans, do we really expect any independence in budgetary decision making?
Ironic isn't it? For a city which probably has the highest concentration of talent in the state and probably even the country which when coupled with a vision can turn this place around in 10 years... this is what we have today.
The solution is political. We can talk and complain and "observe" here until the cows come home - but for change to happen - we need a firm law that implements the 74th amendment and beyond in spirit with true budgetary devolution. Second we need a mechanism to tap into the vast talent base and upgrade the quality of our city agencies. The rest will follow eventually. It is hard work... I now speak with the experience of trying to influence few hundred apartment owners to move in roughly one direction and watching my MLA deal with 60 odd RWAs gathered to meet him. (Was rather impressed with the MLA after the event, to be honest. But even he faces some crazy pressures that will not let him be honest).
POLITICS is the ONLY viable solution to end this mess. We have to get involved.
A democratic "anarchy"
1. The quality of the budget translates to whom we elect. Most of this current lot have probably not balanced a domestic budget in the recent past, let alone a city budget.
I'm afraid things do not necessarily happen the way they are supposed to in this country dominated by powers that can get away easily with manipulations of the system, since the public, by & large, are just too uncaring as long as subsidies & freebies keep flowing.
Further, we have very little choice of good candidates, who in turn are dependent on parties to choose them to contest & keep a tight leash over such choices that are aligned more to serve their own interests & so on. Hence, their actions within the ruling system has to conform to the "norms" of their parties or the systems in place, be they right, wrong, unethical, backward or even corrupt. This is why things are so lop-sided & change is so very slow.
Thus, our system is perhaps a democratic "anarchy" that is trying to untangle itself all the time, even as fresh tangles keep appearing - a process that might take centuries, given the current pace.
See this TOI report :
"As per section 67 of the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act 1976, the taxation and finance committee can prepare the budget".
At the same time, we also have this : As per the Karnataka Local Fund Authorities Fiscal Responsibilities Act, there should be citizen consultation before preparing the budget draft.
How does one explain this anomaly ? Have provisions of the Fiscal Responsibilities Act ever been followed ? They now quote the former provision & are trying to get away with this budget without consultations !
2. For an organization that basically runs on handouts from the state government and grants and other loans, do we really expect any independence in budgetary decision making?
Ironic isn't it? For a city which probably has the highest concentration of talent in the state and probably even the country which when coupled with a vision can turn this place around in 10 years... this is what we have today.
If they are allowed to make full efforts to increase revenues in the first place - & if they sincerely do it, their budget would be far more independent than it is now. The scope is enormous - clamp down on advertising hoardings, charge for parking everywhere, ensure all properties fall fully within the tax net, impose fines on buildings in violation, impose flyover /congestion tolls, & so on. However, again, the big fish will ensure that they continue to remain at their mercy - & this story goes on.
for change to happen - we need a firm law that implements the 74th amendment and beyond in spirit with true budgetary devolution.
True, but I think it's almost impossible to get that "firm law" in place that devolves the budgetary process to result in it being more in tune with needs & realities. Even if somehow, one does fall in place, it will be impossible to have it practiced the way it is intended. Even the 74th amendment was enacted only in 1992, after a long process of deliberation.
we need a mechanism to tap into the vast talent base and upgrade the quality of our city agencies.
Talent is not short as you say, but getting that talent to serve city agencies is again very difficult. With higher qualities of talent comes intelligence, & such intelligence will seek answers to the way departments function & are run, & this will be resented & unwelcome by the ruling class, who need their subordinates to continue playing ball. After all, there are so many more that are less talented & "more suitable". Further, the better talent will also expect higher wages, better work cultures, etc. & will not prefer to work with civic agencies - praja folks are an example !
I now speak with the experience of trying to influence few hundred apartment owners to move in roughly one direction and watching my MLA deal with 60 odd RWAs gathered to meet him.
You & probably yr MLA were dealing with a homogeneous group of people, which is far more easy than dealing with the vastly diverse groups that the politicians need to.
POLITICS is the ONLY viable solution to end this mess. We have to get involved.
Absolutely. The middle classes, who are educated & can really make things count are too busy improving their life styles & see it unfit to even vote. So, how many actually do get involved ?