BJP govt failed to keep poll promises during their tenure, claims Citizens' report card

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: A public poll report of the Citizen’s Agenda for Bengaluru claims that the BJP government in the state has miserably failed to fulfill the promises made in the last election. The report card comes two days ahead of the state assembly election. Sandeep, convenor of Citizen’s Agenda for Bengaluru said the party failed to fulfill the promises even though there were visionary announcements in their manifesto in 2018.

The results alleged that the BJP failed to enact new legislation for Bengaluru to strengthen the spirit of the 74th amendment to the Constitution. The promise to constitute a Metropolitan Planning Committee and comprehensive Master planning has also not been fulfilled by the party, says the report.

Citizens in Bengaluru claim that commercial activities in residential areas have mushroomed in recent years and reportedly said they voted for the BJP believing they would fulfill their poll promise of bringing back citizen control over their neighbourhood by strictly implementing the zoning regulation to minimize commercial activities in residential areas and control noise and garbage.

The report also says that the party also failed in reforming Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to make it a corruption-free, free, and effective infrastructure agency. “Should we regularly remind the government of its promises, and track progress on their promises?”, Sandeep asked. The report claimed the party failed to reform BBMP. In its manifesto, the party had promised that BBMP's mission would be citizen-centric, responsive, responsible, and accountable.

Uninterrupted powers, zero tolerance for those allegedly encroaching land, waste and sewage management, zero manual scavenging, and public and community toilets are among the other promises that the party failed to fulfill, the report alleged.

It said the party did not focus on comprehensive policies for the welfare of the urban poor and workers from the unorganized sector, adding it also failed to frame policies for the welfare of transgenders.