Give an accountability commitment, parties told

Upset with the way your city is? Don’t just berate your elected representative, criticise the bureaucracy too as it is not just a part of the city administration, but has more power than the corporators.

This was the advice given by BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari at the meeting,  All for Accountability, organised by the Lok Satta party on Friday.

“How many know the name of the junior engineer in their locality, yet he ensures facilities for you,” he said.

But, former IPS officer-turned-lawyer YP Singh said: “It is for the political representatives to control the bureaucrats.”

Except the BJP, no other major party was present at the event. “We invited them all, but they chose not to turn up,” said Sanjay Matkar of Lok Satta.

Lok Satta representative Ram Ramdas urged all parties to come out with an accountability commitment on what they will do for the city. “We need to get the political class, bureaucrats and citizens to focus on the basic needs of the city than grandiose projects.”

Hansel D’Souza, who heads the Mumbai Nagrik Manch, felt that it was unfair to blame the corporators for all of the city’s ills.

“The state government has eroded the BMC’s powers and elected representatives cannot get accountability.”

All members on the dais agreed that the state must implement the 74th amendment, which transfers powers to the city representatives.