Vinod M Jain
*No scope for footpath re-encroachment, says Minister.
*Around 300 km of footpath encroachments still remain to be cleared; pace of drive must be accelerated.
•Materials of repeat encroachers to be seized and maximum permissible fines imposed.
•Contractors’ personnel found negligent will be removed from service.
•Vacant sites filled with waste to be cleaned on priority and cost recovered from owners.
•Dedicated land to be identified for vehicles held by police and RTO.
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has warned that officials found negligent in implementing the city’s cleanliness and civic improvement drives will face disciplinary action,while outsourced personnel who fail to discharge their duties will be removed from service.
Addressing a virtual meeting of officials and field-level staff on Saturday,the Minister reviewed the progress of the ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign, cleaning of vacant sites and the drive to remove abandoned vehicles across the Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) area.
He directed officials to ensure visible,ground-level results in all three areas and cautioned that there would be no leniency if citizens begin filing complaints about garbage not being cleared,vacant sites being left unclean or abandoned vehicles not being removed.
The Minister said a mechanism would soon be put in place to enable citizens to lodge such complaints, and stressed that officials would be held accountable for lapses in their respective jurisdictions.
Footpath encroachments:pace of clearance must increase:
The Minister noted that encroachments have so far been cleared from 1,211 km of footpaths, while work remains pending on approximately 300 km.
He observed that the initial pace of the drive had slowed and said that, at the current rate, it could take another two months to complete the remaining work.
He therefore directed officials to immediately accelerate the clearance process and complete it within the stipulated timeframe.
Senior officials were asked to personally monitor the work and ensure that field-level implementation matched the progress reported on paper.Officials must conduct regular site inspections and verify the actual status on the ground.
No scope for footpath re-encroachment:
Expressing concern over complaints that cleared footpaths were being encroached upon again, Gowda directed officials to take stringent action against repeat violations.
He instructed officials to seize materials used in re-encroachments and impose the maximum penalty permissible under the rules.
The Minister said officials who had acted firmly without succumbing to pressure had earned a good reputation, but warned that allowing encroachments to return would undermine that work and damage public confidence in the administration.
“Once an encroachment is cleared, it must not be allowed to return,”he stressed, directing field-level officials to maintain continuous surveillance of cleared stretches.
Freedom from Waste’ to be an ongoing campaign:
Gowda clarified that the ‘Freedom from Waste’ campaign has no deadline and that cleanliness drives would continue as an ongoing civic responsibility.
While large accumulations of construction and demolition (C&D) waste are being targeted under the campaign,he directed officials to also ensure the removal of smaller piles of garbage and C&D waste lying along roadsides.
The Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Authority was asked to ensure that contractors do not overlook smaller waste piles while carrying out their work.
Officials were also directed to clear overgrown vegetation, bushes and other unwanted material along roadsides and to regularly inspect the quality of the work.
Marshals,Junior Health Inspectors,Assistant Engineers and Assistant Executive Engineers were instructed to conduct daily field inspections within their respective jurisdictions and ensure that even seemingly minor civic issues are addressed promptly.
Gowda said officials must take ownership of their responsibilities and work effectively so that disciplinary action for negligence does not become necessary.
Vacant sites to be cleaned on priority:
The Minister stressed that keeping vacant sites clean would also help reduce roadside dumping and make the city’s overall sanitation effort more effective.
He directed officials to complete the process of appointing dedicated contractors for cleaning vacant sites within the coming week.
All vacant sites with significant waste accumulation must be identified and cleaned through the appointed contractors.
The expenditure incurred on cleaning such sites should subsequently be recovered from the respective property owners through property tax, in accordance with the rules.
Officials were asked to prepare area-wise lists of such sites and continuously monitor the progress to ensure there was no delay.
Gowda also emphasised the need to coordinate with local residents while undertaking the work, saying community cooperation would help improve the effectiveness of the cleanliness drive.
Action against officials for failing to remove abandoned vehicles:
The Minister also reviewed the drive to identify and remove abandoned vehicles across the city.He noted that officials had already been instructed to register complaints regarding abandoned vehicles on the ASTRAM software platform and initiate action.
However, several abandoned vehicles had still neither been issued notices nor entered into the system.
He warned that continued failure to act would invite disciplinary action against the officials concerned. He directed that every stage – from identifying an abandoned vehicle and affixing a notice to registering it on the software platform and eventually disposing of it- must be carried out strictly according to procedure.
Dedicated land for vehicles held by police and RTO:
Gowda said a separate issue concerned vehicles seized by the traffic police that remain near police stations because of pending court cases.
He said revenue department land was being identified to create dedicated locations for vehicles held by the police and the Regional Transport Office (RTO). Once the sites are finalised, the vehicles would be shifted to these designated locations.
’Small interventions can bring visible change’:
Gowda said improving the city was a collective responsibility and that sustained attention to seemingly small civic issues could result in significant improvements in Bengaluru. “When the administration delivers on these basic issues, citizens too will be encouraged to cooperate and participate,” he said, calling upon officials to work as one team to bring about visible improvements across the city.
The meeting was attended by Municipal Commissioner Ramesh D.S.,Pommala Sunil Kumar,Ramesh K.N.,G. Jagadish and Dr Rajendra K.V.,along with all Additional Commissioners, Chief Engineers,Executive Engineers, Assistant Executive Engineers, Assistant Engineers, Junior Health Inspectors, Marshal Supervisors and Marshals, among others.
