Policy Next Summit: Corruption, fractured mandate plagues start-up capital, say activists

From L-R RK Misra, co-chairman, ASSOCHAM (Karnataka) & co-founder of Yulu; Citizens for Bengaluru co-founder Tara Krishnaswamy; Chandra R Srikanth, Editor (tech, startups & new economy); Revathy Ashok, CEO & managing trustee, Bengaluru Political Action Committee; Ashwin Mahesh, urban planner & head of AAP manifesto committee (Karnataka); V Ravichandar, urban planner & honorary director, Bengaluru International Centre.

Prominent citizen activists urged the Karnataka state government to engage key stakeholders in the planning process of Bengaluru's infrastructure. Fractured mandate, lack of political will and rampant corruption were named among key problems that plague the start-up capital.

They were speaking at Moneycontrol's Policy Next: The Big Karnataka Resurgence summit on May 5, at the session named 'Press Reboot - Resolving Bengaluru’s Urban Mess' that was moderated by Chandra R Srikanth, Editor (tech, startups & new economy).

"The problem with the state is it doesn't give a clear mandate. It's one of the most corrupt, caste-driven and region-driven states. BBMP (Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike, or the city's municipal corporation) is a manifestation of the corruption that the state represents" said RK Misra, co-chairman, ASSOCHAM (Karnataka) & co-founder of Yulu.

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"Karnataka’s biggest problem is political. Nowadays, even if you win an election, you can lose the government. We don’t compete with Delhi or Mumbai, we compete with Silicon Valley because of the kind of talent Bengaluru has attracted. The whole country is attracted to Bengaluru for its culture,” said Misra.

Bangalore Political Action Committee CEO Revathy Ashok pointed out that public transport is not growing at the pace of private vehicles. "The number of private vehicles in Bengaluru increased from 55 lakh to 1 crore in a decade. But the number of buses remains stagnant at 6,700, out of which 1,000 are not running. Unless there is a will to improve public transport, Bengaluru roads will continue to be choked."

Ashwin Mahesh, urban planner & head of AAP manifesto committee (Karnataka) said Bengaluru's infrastructure problem is due to deliberate incompetence. "The government does not want what the public wants. Just because a policy is there does not mean the intent (from the government) is there. We should not mistake policy for intent. Intent is demonstrative. We believe it's a technical and managerial problem, it's not. The two major problems are that public education and public health in the state are grossly underfunded. It means we are not giving our young people the capacity to be productive and lead autonomous lives."

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Citizens for Bengaluru co-founder Tara Krishnaswamy said: "The biggest problem plaguing Bengaluru is housing. We need to look at the city’s issues from a non-privileged point of view. We have to make infrastructure development in the city inclusive."

V Ravichandar, urban planner & honorary Director, Bangalore International Centre said: “We don’t have a plan in place. We don’t have an outcome-oriented government across the board to come up with a solution. The 5 Km per year of Metro network is our track record. It is pathetic. No one is applying their minds on the larger problem in place. They have mastered the art of announcing projects and making money out of them.”

"Governments need to embrace the idea of vulnerability framework. On the road, pedestrians are most vulnerable. During flooding, it's the low lying areas that are in danger. If we make the city livable for the vulnerable sections, it will work for everyone else too. We need political will and administrative acumen to solve the city's problems," said Ravichandar.

"It's a social and political issue. You cannot build a liveable city without consulting all stakeholders," said Krishnaswamy.

Ashok said, "truth is mobility is a great economic equaliser. We need to stop viewing it as elitist if we want to improve things."