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| Removal of encroachments in progress |
What kind of a municipal corporation do we have which does not care for
its assets, that is, people’s assets that need to be available for use by the
people? A report recently said that after a drive to remove encroachments near
the Bhopal Junction Railway Station the staff of the municipal corporation
discovered a bus stop that was heavily encroached upon and was, apparently,
unrecognizable. They were taken aback by their find and what is worse, the
staff and their supervisor did not even know of it till they stumbled upon it.
It is a very strange state of affairs. One wonders whether buses used to ply on
the route, and, if so where they would be stopping to pick up passengers all
these years.
The removal of encroachments was the brain-child of the Mayor. He was
ably assisted by his minions, the magistracy and a squad of policemen with
their inspectors. Policemen are very necessary on such drives as the encroachers
very often tend to get violent. One gets amazed at the scale of encroachments.
About 100 shops, kiosks (read gumties) and hand carts were removed from the
area freeing up a very large circulating area for the traffic which had shrunk
to a few measly square-feet. Not only the freed space would have no congestion
now, the passengers coming to the Railway Station in their personal or hired
vehicles will have an easier time.
The encroachments could never have taken place had the municipal
officials been vigilant. But the problem actually is that even if they happen
to be alert and vigilant they are pressurized by the elected public
representatives like members of legislative assembly (MLAS) or municipal councilors
to wink at such illegal occupation. For every shop that has encroached on public
space or a kiosk or even a handcart selling odd merchandise these worthies
collect (illegal) rent from those who are allowed to encroach. While they thus
fatten up, the public is left to fend for itself through the confusion that is
created. The entire town is full of encroachments – illegal occupation of
public spaces because of these petty, unscrupulous politicians who make money
by forcing other government servants/municipal employees to allow such
unauthorized occupation. They are kind of a scourge for the society.
Once the then minister of Urban Administration & Development had got
a dhaba demolished that had existed for more than twenty years. Soon thereafter
we from the Citizens’ Forum had an occasion to call on him. During the
conversation it was remarked that it was good that he had got a 20-year old
encroachment demolished but what about action against the municipal men who
allowed the encroachment in the first place and then allowed it to be continued.
He blandly said here there was no concept accountability. Obviously, the
municipal officials or government servants could allow illegal use of public
properties earning gratification for years enriching themselves at the expense
of the public and could go scot-free without any action against them. (Elected
public representatives are naturally out of reckoning for this purpose.) This
appeared to be the “system”. No wonder there are encroachments galore all over
the town; if one area is made free of encroachments today, the same would be
encroached upon the next day and the government and the municipality repeatedly
have to use their resources to clear them at considerable expense to the
tax-payer.
Soon after the anti-encroachment drive around the railway station
another was planned in a congested area but that was stopped reportedly on the intervention
of a member of the Legislative Assembly, Vishwas Sarang, who is gradually
acquiring a powerful stature. His birthdays are celebrated with pomp and show
and his residential property on the Link Road No.1 is brightly decked up. This
is where quite illegally Suzuki is reportedly opening a NEXA outlet in an area
that is purely residential. Politicians and ministers attending his parties here
disdainfully used to park their vehicles on the BRTS corridor when it was still
there. Now it seems the corridor has gone out of existence – perhaps at his
instance. Having been stopped in his tracks, the Mayor has had to look for some
other area where, too, he removed tens of encroachments. Thankfully this time
he has directed that the ward and zonal officers of the Corporation would be
held responsible if the encroachments recurred.
But, the latest reports say that the Mayor’s drives have lost steam. The
MLAs and other politicians, presumably all rent-collectors, have pressurized
him to go slow. Hence the last drive resulted only removal of kiosks and hand
carts whereas the encroachments caused by erecting a permanent sort of
structures were not touched. In fact, these also are traffic hindrances and
also constitute a more grave offence.
Clearly, if the things are chaotic in this city today it is not entirely
because of the failure of civic organisations. It is the petty and unscrupulous
politicians in the town who are more responsible for it. Recently a traffic
police officer said that if men in his organization were allowed to work freely
they would be able to straighten things out in no time the city’s chaotic traffic.
What he said was largely true. Some important politicians had told members of
the Citizens’ Forum dealing with traffic matters that as a matter of their duty
they would interfere every time if they are told about any of their
constituents falling on the wrong side of traffic laws.
Hence the crux of the matter is if governance in this capital city is in
a mess it is to a very large extent because of the MLAs and municipal
councillors. The civic authorities working for making the citizens’ life easier
are not being allowed to function according to the relevant laws by these
political worthies. The latter are a bane for the city and the state - even the
country – in fact, for the entire society.
Curiously, this town has a pretty massive Institute of Good Governance.
No one, however, knows what it does. Perhaps, it is time it started educating
politicians in this state bringing home to them the principles of “Good Governance”.
*Photo: from internet
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