BCC must follow the BDA mantra

BANGALORE: BDA Commissioner Jayakar Jerome gets a flyover constructed within a year and everybody is claiming that''s a record.
They are right, but in a perverse sort of way. For this is the time-frame to build a flyover in most parts of the world, including Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.
In Bangalore, cost and time overruns are the norm, not the exception, especially when it comes to the BCC.
For the BCC still remains one of the most inefficient and corrupt government organisations in the city.
A large portion of the blame has to be shared by the elected corporators, 90 per cent of whom fought the civic election not to be of service to the citizenry, but to loot and amass as much wealth as possible before the next election got them the boot.
Just take a look at the stories about the BCC''s shennanigans in the media during the last few weeks - shopping complexes built by the BCC at a staggering Rs 50 crore plus, lying vacant because there are no takers, a Rs 1.2 crore computer training scam; and crores of rupees siphoned off by the ward corporators and BCC staff by forging records showing `work'' done.
Sure, BCC Commissioner Sreenivasa Murthy can always defend himself saying that the BCC is a much larger organisation than the BDA and that he is unable to take dramatic decisions like his fellow IAS officer Jerome.
Only, it won''t hold water. For when Jerome took over the reins of the BDA, it was a loss-making, totally corrupt organisation. Within months, Jerome had given it a corporate identity, speeded up work on the ring road and within the year showed not only healthy profits but also created a positive work ethos that was in marked contrast to most government agencies.
In short, it''s up to Murthy.
No excuses please.
Suspend some officials, sack at least a dozen, tell the mayor where he gets off, make clear that a corporator''s role is to ensure the development of his ward and not playing petty politics and most of all, ensure that the BCC is run like a company, accountable to society.
If Murthy can''t get cracking, then he should seek employment elsewhere.
For we the people are sick and tired of the callous manner in which the BCC functions.
Maybe residents associations should get together and draft a joint declaration to the already beleaguered Chief Minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna that we will not pay our taxes until we see some improvements on the ground.
Why should only our farmers have the upper hand?
We too have our rights, don''t we?
allenmendonca1@indiatimes.com.