Former Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee said that not solving Bengaluru’s garbage problem remains the biggest blot in his three-decade bureaucratic career.
Sharing his experience of working as the Chief Secretary of Karnataka during the release of a book titled ‘In the rear view of Mirror: Reflections of Chief Secretaries’, published by Public Affairs Centre, Bengaluru, Mr. Mukherjee said, “Solutions were not easily forthcoming. It was quite painful to realise that there are no easy solutions to many problems and I had my share of disappointments.”
He added, “Everybody produced garbage but wanted it to go elsewhere. During my extensive interactions with the bureaucracy during my watershed days, I learnt of NIMBY (Not in My Back Yard!). Bengaluru's garbage problem was a big NIMBY.”
There was no financial or technical problem, but only short-sightedness among intellectuals and this is major reason for the current garbage problem, he said.
Mr. Mukherjee, who gradated from IIT, Delhi, said that past history of garbage disposal has not inspired trust among villagers. The city is still stuck in square one. Now, Kolkata, which was considered a dirty city, manages garbage better than Bengaluru.
M. N. Venkatachaliah, former Chief Justice of India, released the book in the presence of Chief Secretary Subhash Chandra Khuntia.
In the book, 17 former Chief Secretaries of different States share their experience of working as the head of the bureaucracy.
