We are far away from making Bangalore a Singapore or USA or Europe.
Let us understand the reality and the complex world of Bureaucratic hurdles all novel initiatives face.
Why don't we think of baby steps?
Here is one such proposal:
On the similar lines of Electronic city development concept started by the great gentlemen like Mr. Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji and other able minds, I would like to propose a model for Whitefield EPIP Area.
Problem Definition:
- Bad Footpaths (side walks) or pretty much NO footpath
- Dusty Roads because of 24x7 construction
- Vacant plots and vast unused area
- Private cabs and busses insensitive to parking rules thus creating absolute road-non-sense.
- Absolutely no streetlights in the evening. Quite unsafe for anyone to walk (in addition to the above listed problems)
- Road dividers in bad shape.
Stakeholders:
- All organizations (IT and Non-IT) in Whitefield area (EPIPA + around ITPL)
- KIADBA
- BDA / BBMP (?)
Proposed solution:
Initial Setup:
Setup a website and discuss/publish the idea.
Encourage organizations (Admin, HR managers as represetatives) to sign up or comment on the initiative.
Set up an executive team to gather inputs and convince organization the need for such an initiative (or a welfare organization).
Meeting of interested organizations to be part of this initiative. Brainstorming session.
Baby Step 1:
Provide a project plan to JNNURM. Get approval for funds
Baby Step 2:
Raise funds by collecting the seed capital (Association membership fee) from each organization
Baby Step 3:
Prepare a project plan to fix the footpath thru' out the whitefield industrial area
Preapare a project plan to fix the streetlamp
Preapare a project plan to clean up the vacant plots. Use them as paid parking lots for private cabs, busses
Prepare a project plan to construct toilets, sleeping area and other ammenities to visitors, job seekers, drivers etc.
Prepare a project plan to beautify the road dividers.
Baby Step 4:
Fix the footpath / sidewalk in the first 6 months of opeartion
Fix the streelight problems in the first 6 months of operation
Rest of the planned activities in the first year of operation.
Funding:
Partly from
Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission
Rest from
Annual subscription from each organization pro-rated to the employee strength of that organization.
+
Seed fund as membership fee to the EPIPA association.
+
Funds allocated to KIADB (if any) to improve the whitefield industrial area
Who will do this?
YOU and Me.
Be the change you want to see!
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Roads are not novelty
Let us understand the reality and the complex world of Bureaucratic hurdles all novel initiatives face
Nothing novel about laying good roads anywhere in the city. Funds have not been an issue either. It is implementation. Definition of a road should include footpath, drains, utilities, ducts, cycle tracks greenery etc not just spreading bitumen one end to the other. Measurements and geometry counts.
Great & Practical
Dear Mr. Nagaprabhu,
I think for the first time some concrete suggestions have been made. I am all for it and would like to add my mite to this initiative.
Let us first meet (may I suggest ECC as a possible venue? I could ask the Director to allow us to use his vast facility and I am sure they too would be happy to join in).
Can more people sign in as interested parties please?
Old hat or new, let us agree to roll up our sleeves and get down to the work at hand instead of making this a long winded discussion forum.
Regards,
RKC
How about small steps first?
Small steps help do two things
Let us take 3 of the items you have in the list - pavements, road dividers, street lights. All three are "supposed" to be there. They are not there, or are in bad shape because you and me are not "auditing" the project that was undertaken to build them.
How about some emails, phone calls and a few RTIs to ask about - not all road works, but - the recent road building projects undertaken. We'd just ask about quality aspects of road building - have all angles (including pavements, road dividers, lighting, signages) been covered? If not, then what is the plan? Things like that.
Such a "baby-step" approach doesn't need structure, 3-4 people are enough.
What say?
Rithesh and I are game, I know 2 people already. Now you. That makes it 3. Just need 1 more, 4 is a good number :)
Good Idea
Though there are a number of large companies here in Whitefield, the collective spirit is missing. Last time i checked WEPIPA was headed by a lady from Vydehi Hospital. To the blunt, she is not the type of person who can effectively lead this.
Also in E-city companies pump in money generously into their association, i am sure the companies here too would do the same only if a proper vision was defined. Sometime back the likes of RK Misra and others got involved in WEPIPA - but then suddenly everything went silent. The plan was that KIADB would re-tar the whole area, develop footpaths and other necessary infrastructure and hand it over to WEPIPA.
It would be a good idea to get intouch with RK Misra (i am not sure how accessible he is these days) and plan a meeting of the "top bosses" of the companies in this area to present Mr. Nagaprabhu's ideas. You need to get these people to commit to donate money and man power. Also restructuring of WEPIPA office bearers i think is an absolute necessary.
WEPIPA does infact have an office space, just next to Big Bazzar. They also have a meeting room - you could use that one itself.
RK Misra was at it
Recall that Mahadevapura task force like thing (will have to find past posts), RK Misra and a few people were at it. I have not been tracking that initiative lately, but can check.
Would be the best to join something thats already established. I tried once (to join the RK Misra thing), the meetings were on weekday afternoons, at Vidhan Soudha. RK's argument was - if you really want to get in, take a day or two off. As much enthu as I have, not sure if I can commit to bunking work to do such stuff, I am not in that phase of life yet.
Nagarajprabhu - must say that your idea and approach is excellent. But some of us have been thinking hard on how to put structure to these ideas in slightly modern ways - all info sharing via a website, meeting time or mode a bit convenient for better participation (weekend or skype, or have 2 full time people who will represent the rest, etc etc).
Anyway - lets take baby steps. How about we plan some work when we meet on Aug 22 (visit to Ashoknagar TMC)?
I will see if I can reach RK to check whats up with Mahadevapura task force stuff. I am guessing that a lot of these new road works etc are directly or indirectly from either that task force, or the recent work package announced by the local MLA (Mr Limbavalli).
Thanks all for your response
Thanks all for your response on my post.
I have tried the RTI route for the public toilet issues which I have highlighted in my earlier posts.
It just drains all the energy in you. Specially, if you are working on tight deadlines and that is your primary responsibility.
Nevertheless, I have tried that and kind of put a pause on that.
Dear RK Mishra has been a great help to some of my suggestions/ideas
The RTI on public toilet has really done anything concrete to take any further steps.
We all know it is the execution of these projects that we should be looking at as we also know that funds is not a problem. It is the corruption in execution of these project which ia a problem.
But, frankly speaking how many of us have the time to stop the car/bike when we see a road construction/relaying work being done on the road we travel and STOP and ask who is the contractor and check the quality of the work? We will always be busy to get to work and complete the pending tasks for the day! :-)
Yes, we should not antagonize the public servants. We should involve KIADB, Arvind Limbavali, Dy Commissioner of BBMP for whitefield area etc in our meetings.
But it is the core team of few enthusiastic guys who can put together something to ignite a healthy discussion and build an association that is truly working. That is what is required is my immediate feeling
I will try to be there at the traffic management meeting and we will see what best we can do together!
Thanks
Nagraj
Be the change you want to see
Nagraj Prabhu
Be the change you want to see!
Does anyone know if
Does anyone know if Mahadevpura Task Force is still active?
who are the key members of such task force?
Also, si WEPIA still active? Last time when I tried to initiate some action to put togher an active welfare association, I was interacting with NVT/IEMS director, SECON director and Mirch Restaurant owner.
I am sure everybody want to see a clean and safe environment where we work and which is generating software export revenue worth billions of $$.
Let the enthusiastic members come forward and we can definitely chalk out a good strategy.
Nagraj Prabhu
Be the change you want to see!
Lets talk this over a meeting
Haven't yet checked about the Mahadevapura task force, will do before we get to meet.
I think that there are decent number of people who will take the time to stop and ask after the contractors. The challenge for us (at Praja) is to bring all such people together with some Internet driven collaboration and loose structured way of working,