What was seen as a “successful partnership” between private parties and the civic body, now seems to have been brushed under the rug.
More than three years ago, the cash-strapped Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) launched an ambitious programme, Namma Bengaluru Nanna Koduge (NBNK), where organisations could adopt city parks, schools, lakes, and other public property, and maintain them as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility.
The programme, which was the brainchild of the then Mayor B.S. Sathyanarayana, was launched amid much fanfare. Over 300 tie-ups were announced as part of the initiative.
However, now, the civic body doesn’t seem to be aware of the status of the projects. “The BBMP has neither renewed any of the projects and tie-ups nor maintained a record of any of the tie-ups and MoUs that were signed during this period,” lamented Mr. Sathyanarayana.
‘BBMP disinterested’
He alleged that BBMP officials were not showing any interest in the programme and in renewing the tie-ups. “None of the successive Mayors also evinced interest in conducting meetings to monitor the programme,” he said.
The BBMP, however, has a different story to tell. Senior officials, on condition of anonymity, told The Hindu that many of the organisations that “adopted” parks, schools and lakes were not just using the opportunity for free advertisement, but in some cases, were also found to be misusing public property. “These adoptions were at the behest of the elected representatives, who wanted to placate a section of their electorate,” an official said.
S.G. Raveendra, BBMP’s Special Commissioner (Projects), admitted that the civic body is yet to take a call on renewing the programme and added that a few proposals seeking renewal had been submitted.
“For various reasons, the programme was launched inviting organisations to adopt public assets. However, now the BBMP has been maintaining all these public assets. A decision to carry on with the programme is a tight-rope walk for us,” he said.
Projects that ran out of steam
Navachetana Trust
The trust adopted Lower Park, opposite Sankey Tank, three years ago. Srinivasa Raju, trustee, said the park, which was in shambles, was developed by the trust and many features were introduced. However, after 11 months, the trust wrote to the BBMP seeking renewal. “There was no positive response. Though we went to court, the order was not in our favour. We had to give the park back to the BBMP,” he said. If the local residents’ welfare associations adopted the parks in the area, the BBMP can use funds earmarked for park maintenance for other purposes. “Unfortunately, the BBMP is not interested in continuing this scheme,” he rued.
Adopt-a-mile
This was launched with much fanfare in August 2014. It began with over 100 volunteers from several corporates cleaning and beautifying a stretch on M.G. Road. This was hailed as a “ model mile” and was to be replicated on other thoroughfares in the city. As per the MoU that was signed, trash cans were to be placed every 30 metres, medians and speed breakers painted every six months, flower beds planted on road dividers, public interest signages put up, e-toilets set up, and reflectors installed on the roads. However, there weren’t any attempts made under this.
The Ugly Indians
Under the NBNK programme, The Ugly Indians adopted the city’s subways. In a bid to make subways popular, the group even conducted “Underground festivals” after cleaning the subways, conducting quiz competitions and holding jam sessions. After a few such festivals, the programme was stopped. Representatives from the The Ugly Indian said they were not aware of how the NBNK programme has progressed since then. However, the group’s focus on eliminating black spots, an activity of NBNK, continues and clean ups are conducted regularly across the city in partnership with the BBMP.
