BANGALORE: Citizen groups in the city have been submitting petition letters, suggestions and recommendations to city civic organisations like the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) on various issues. The question, however, is whether these city civic organisations are willing to involve citizens in its various programmes and in the decision making process.
"We are open to citizen participation. In fact, we are planning an e-governance initiative where all project details will be uploaded on the internet for citizens to see," said S Harish, Deputy Mayor. He spoke of the Web Based Project Management System that has been revamped recently to help people keep track of various projects under BBMP.But what kind of participation do citizens want?
Dr Meenakshi Bharath, President, Malleswaram Swabhimana Trust, says that, as a citizen, she would like to know the proposed budget for her area and the allocation of money for the major projects in the area. "It is necessary to make citizens privy to the information about the budget allocation for his or her area. It is necessary to take the citizens' point of view," she said. The general procedure at the time of the introduction of a project is to arrange for an interaction between the corporation and the citizens. During this interaction, people's opinions are welcomed. But many citizens feel that these interactions have become a mere 'eyewash'.Muralidhar Rao, Member, Praja, said that under the ambit of the Right to Information Act, citizens are allowed to visit the offices of city civic organisations and look into the files. He also adds that they can obtain photocopies of specific information. But he feels that there needs to be a citizen forum that will help organise a meeting between citizens across the city and the officials.
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