Gaurav Gupta suggests WhatsApp group of residents, officials; nodal officer Sarfaraz Khan says local issues will be solved quickly
BENGALURU:
Ulsoor (ward 90) saw the first ward-level meeting being conducted on Saturday after the BBMP council’s term expired and a government official was put in charge of the civic agency.
BBMP Administrator Gaurav Gupta took time out to be present at the ward committee meeting, which was chaired by nodal officer Sarfaraz Khan and attended by members of local RWAs. Local MLA Rizwan was among those present.
Under the new dispensation, nodal officers have been directed to conduct meetings with local residents on the first and third Saturday of every month and submit reports to the zonal joint commissioner concerned and the Commissioner.
At the meeting, Gupta instructed the officials concerned to adopt a micro plan for issues like road and footpath repairs, potholes, roadside debris, footpath encroachments, clearing of black spots, installation of street lights, construction of public toilets, installing CCTVs in sensitive areas, removing unauthorizedly parked vehicles and clogged sanitary lines.
Gupta said, “Each ward should be seen as a small city with 40,000-50,000 people. Local issues need to be addressed quickly. In this regard, locals and RWAs should work together with the authorities to solve problems. Small problems can be fixed quickly. Work facing legal issues should get a quick and lasting solution.”
‘No coordination’
Noting a lack of coordination among different agencies, Gupta said, “The police, Bescom, BWSSB, local residents, RWAs and garbage contractors should create a WhatsApp group for coordination and action on such issues.”
Focusing on Ulsoor lake, Gupta said the walkway around the lake should be kept clean, toilets must be constructed, weeds in the lake should be cleared, and steps should be taken to prevent sewage from flowing into the lake.
The BBMP administrator stressed the need for street lights in all lanes in the ward and CCTV cameras in sensitive areas. He suggested that the RWAs can hire student volunteers in the 34 booths of the ward to help solve problems quickly.
Focus on lake
Nodal officer and Joint Commissioner (SWM) Sarfaraz Khan said, “Action is being taken to quickly resolve problems in Ulsoor ward. Also, illegally parked vehicles will be removed and sent to the Bingipur landfill in coordination with the police.”
Ulsoor lake would be cleaned, more toilets would be built, and a ‘Suvidha cabin’ near mustering centres for civic staff to rest after work would be constructed, he said.
Khan noted that such cabins near mustering centres had already been built in Malleswaram and Jakkur wards.
The new waste disposal process being implemented in 38 wards would soon cover all the city wards. The new system involves segregating wet, dry and sanitary waste, and identifying and clearing black spots.
To a resident’s complaint about miscreants damaging the switches of street lights, Khan instructed the marshals concerned to keep an eye out for such miscreants during the night patrol.
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