The ballots are in and tallied for the mayor post (quixotic); and here I am, the Mayor of Bengaluru. Everyone want things to happen as per their vision, but communities aren’t always up for change. I have a vision of making my Bengaluru “Gild the Lily”. To start with, if I were the Mayor; I assure, I would not be a “Little more than a figurehead”, but strive hard for the betterment of my place and people.

Aren’t the floods enough to stagnate the roads, that even the toxic foam from industries which is disposed into lakes are now onto the roads flowing and polluting the city? For this, I will take severe action against the industries by not only inspecting them but also to have strict regulations while granting license with regard to dumping of waste.

Measures will also be taken to start “Industry Waste Management” as we are now encouraging “Solid Waste Management” and working with FSTP (Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant). In the same way, I will be taking the responsibility of seeing and inspecting on how e-waste is being discarded, as Bengaluru is now known as ‘IT Hub’ and it emits significant e-waste that does not get disposed and managed properly.

Next, I will be focusing on two major issues which can be solved hand in hand with one another. They are pollution and traffic. When we see traffic, it is from the increase in vehicles year after year. For this, steps are to be taken to complete Metro as soon as possible but simultaneously encourage people to use Metro to the fullest because beyond investing in crores, Metro is not utilised profitably. When people start using Metro, vehicles usage will be reduced.

Traffic pile up near EMC on ORR, even as a bus breaks down near a construction site. Pic: https://twitter.com/sarvsaravanan

Steps should also be taken like Delhi where the oldest vehicles emitting more pollutants are to be disposed. In this way traffic will be reduced and pollution as well. This will be done in my project called “Bengaluru Respire” i.e. let my Bengaluru breathe. Steps will be taken for laying strong roads as well so that they do not have huge potholes during rains.

I would work to help reach out to the youth of Bengaluru with awareness programs and curricular activities regarding ill-effects of drugs and alcohol abuse, because this generation at present is on the ‘gloom-and-doom’. This will solve the major problem of our society i.e. providing security to women and children and saving the youth.

My next step would be to keep the city clean and neat, so that the title, ‘Garden City of India’ is not lost. And now, when our city is litter-free, to make it a garden city in real sense, I would take steps to encourage people to plant trees by using ‘save trees, save nature’ thought. This will be done by making rules to save existing trees and plantations during construction. I would encourage people to use corporation water from rivers and lakes and reduce the dependency on borewells, so that ground water level of the city is maintained. Competitions would be conducted at school and college levels to bring innovative ideas to make our city better.

Next, I will implement our most required and neat project i.e. ‘Sauna’ for not only having public toilets but clean toilets as well because hygienic toilets and surroundings can prevent our city from all diseases on the outset at present. Last but not the least, I would like to follow our yesteryear lifestyle by taking steps to build libraries and use them, have playground for sports, etc. because kids of this generation have to come out of the so called ‘Pocket Size Mobile World’ to the real where they read books instead of browsing, play games in grounds instead of computers and phones. Let our kids know the real fun of reading books and playing in mud. Enough of this so-called IT Hub. Let’s not run behind industrialisation further. Be content with the current technological development and concentrate to develop our city which was once filled with green, beautiful gardens. All these ideas will be implemented in my ‘Green Bengaluru Project.’

For all these steps to be taken, first of all, I will request the government to make amendments in Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act of 1976 to extend the term period of Mayor from one year to five years and to provide more authority and powers, because one year term will pass on with the blink of an eye and our vision will remain only a vision because, to execute my ideas, we will need at least a time period of five years and more power as well. I will also appoint a Research & Development team who will help me in planning the best for our city both qualitatively and economically.

I am a hands-on person who does what I say. I have no turf wars nor desire to take credit for or control everyone or everything. So, all these things cannot be accomplished by myself, but with the help: remember there is no ‘I’ in a ‘TEAM’. So, let’s all join together to BLAZE A TRAIL to renew our GARDEN CITY.

Hajra H is a homemaker living in Frazer Town area of Bengaluru. This is one of the shortlisted entries in If I were the Bengaluru Mayor contest launched by Citizen Matters in September 2017.