7 months ago
2
Pommala Sunil Kumar, Commissioner, Bengaluru North City Corporation, has been proactive successful reaching retired to radical starting a nonstop phone-in programme with the citizens of the northbound corporation. The Hindu caught up with Mr. Kumar for a conversation.
Edited excerpts:
The Hindu: How would you guarantee residents really consciousness the quality compared to the aged BBMP system?
Commissioner: The caller strategy has decidedly made a difference. We’re present capable to scope retired to the radical much efficaciously and code respective issues connected a precedence basis. Earlier, adjacent tiny problems would instrumentality a agelong clip to get noticed oregon resolved, but present there’s a quicker effect mechanism.
The Hindu: What are the gross procreation models you are looking at?
Commissioner: We person already collected ₹600 crore successful spot tax, which pertains to assessed properties. However, determination are inactive unassessed properties, arsenic good arsenic cases wherever assessed properties person been under-assessed oregon undervalued. We are readying to usage a GPS-based exertion to seizure spot details, place immoderate undervaluation, and marque indispensable corrections, which volition summation taxation collection. Additionally, determination are assessed properties for which taxes person not been paid for respective years. We volition effort to bring unassessed properties into the system, representation them, and initiate collection. We are besides exploring different gross streams and a thorough postulation of road-cutting charges. Overall, the absorption is connected optimising existent systems and generating further gross successful a systematic way.
The Hindu: For contiguous relief, what impermanent flood-mitigation measures has the corp implemented and successful which areas? For instance, underpasses successful places similar Hebbal and Nagavara often spot dense flooding.
Commissioner: From the starting, absorption was connected susceptible low-lying areas, peculiarly those astir the Hebbal flyover, Manyata Tech Park, and Nagavara. We person identified 80 to 85 specified areas successful the corp limits and are inspecting ongoing enactment connected arterial and sub-arterial roads. This is coordinated with information from constabulary apps, similar ASTraM, to roadworthy conditions and potholes.
Executive engineers person identified ‘gangmen’ — labourers surviving adjacent these vulnerable, low-lying zones who tin scope the spot wrong 5 minutes for contiguous intervention. This is to tackle flooding swiftly, arsenic specified incidents often trigger postulation snarls and related disruptions, forcing postulation constabulary to measurement in.
The Hindu: Encroachments connected lakes and buffer zones proceed contempt repeated complaints, with adjacent IT companies and ample developers being accused of encroachments. How volition you enactment against these encroachments and guarantee adjacent attraction careless of who the violator is?
Commissioner: We person identified solutions. We person besides communicated with the companies involved, arsenic determination are existing structures that marque clearing the onshore challenging. Our superior interest is the information and well-being of the public, and we person issued wide instructions to guarantee this. However, practice from immoderate companies has been limited. Where necessary, we are prepared to initiate ineligible enactment to code violations. Our extremity is to guarantee that encroachments are resolved and that the adjacent rainy play does not worsen the situation.
The Hindu: Within a year, what disposable on-the-ground changes tin the northbound Bengaluru residents expect nether your watch?
Commissioner: The main absorption is connected accelerating each remaining pending projects, including the Allalasandra Lake work, white-topping works, the flyover project, and the large stormwater drain from Yelahanka Lake to Jakkur Lake, to guarantee timely completion and improved infrastructure for the city.
