Public Life - City Polls 2012

Is Bombay beyond redemption? Looking at the number of PILs filed against the BMC in the Bombay High Court it would certainly seem so. Dirty drinking water, illegal constructions, indiscriminate digging up of roads, mangrove hacking, traffic nightmares – you name it, the Bombay High Court is seized of the matter.

What is going wrong in the BMC?

We know the answers. No, let us not use polite terms. It’s high time we called a spade a spade. Pure and simple, Bombay has buckled under its own weight of greed, pelf, sloth and corruption. We are governed by people who would not get employed as daily-wage workers in the BMC. In perfect co-ordination our elected representatives and the BMC officials have collectively destroyed the city. Take a look at the performance of our beloved glorious municipal councillors in just “A” Ward:

Name Attendance Questions Asked Money Spent

Geeta Kanojia 132/175 8 Rs. 98,92,171/-
Vijaya Dhulla 147/208 2 Rs. 95,80,775/-
Vinod Shekhar 192/273 111 Rs. 91,27,221/-
Prema VSingh 171/186 0 Rs. 1,00,46,153/-

Only Vinod Shekhar out of the above is a graduate, has asked the most questions, and spent the least (on what, is another issue). The others have barely scraped through SSC. Take a look at the money spent by them on civic amenities, education and health – and ask yourself “Where has this money gone”? Your first guess will be the right answer. These figures have been taken from praja.org. Visit this site. It will be a revelation. The story is similar in other Wards as well.

Is there a solution? Yes there is. I read an interesting article in this Sunday’s (Feb 27) Hindustan Times, titled “How citizens can get ready for 2012 city polls”. It has convinced me there is some hope for us yet. The author, Vaibhav Purandare, tells us how. There are about 124 constituencies in the city, including reserved constituencies. Each constituency has on an average 40,000 eligible voters. Fifty per cent of these voters do not vote (That they are the most vocal critiques of the administration is another thing). That leaves us with 20,000 votes. Get just around 7000 votes, and you become a councillor.

So, why am I mentioning these stats?

It’s time we took matters in our hands. Enough is really enough. We must identify a few persons in our localities who are concerned about the all-pervading rot, persuade them to stand as candidates, back them, and spread the word. Bombay has the largest and the finest pool of entrepreneurs and managers. The ideal candidate in my view is one in his 60s, educated (naturally), retired, preferably with corporate experience or a professional or an academician, one who still has a fire in his belly and a desire to utilise his time in a fruitful, constructive and goal-oriented manner.

Once upon a time not very long ago our city guardians were those venerable Parsi gentlemen whose statues adorn the Flora Fountain, Metro and Gowalia Tank areas. They made Bombay what it was by showing the way. We too can, and we must.