NRN calls all, pitches for a better Bengaluru blueprint

Bengaluru: In a development that will have far reaching implications, Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy has dashed off letters, written on September 4, to creme-de-la-creme of Bengaluru to help create what he describes as the Bangalore Blueprint.

A copy of the letter, which is with Deccan Chronicle, says: “Over the past few years, I have engaged closely with Janaagraha — both as a donor as well as a member of the Advisory Group of Janaagraha’s initiative on voter list management. Jana USP is the driving force behind ‘Tender S.U.R.E’ roads in Bangalore that have redefined urban road design in Indian cities. Janaagraha and Jana USP are rolling out the ‘Bangalore Blueprint’, a collaborative, systematic and practical approach to rejuvenating Bangalore. You would agree that Bangalore, the city that we live in and care about deeply, has been steadily slipping in quality of life over the years. Many of you are involved in several noteworthy initiatives in government and outside of it on different aspects of Bangalore’s development. But rejuvenating Bangalore requires all of us – in government, in business, in media and civil society, in academia and research, in arts and culture, and all fields of activity — to work together in evolving a common practical framework that can catalyse time-bound action, not just having an eye on each of our pet projects but on systemic reforms that can deliver sustainable transformation to Bangalore within a reasonable timeframe.

“I request your support and participation in the Bangalore Blueprint initiative to collectively reclaim Bangalore. As the first step, I invite you as one among a select group of opinion leaders in the city to contribute to the Bangalore Blueprint. Over the next few weeks, Janaagraha/ Jana USP will be approaching you for a 60-minute meeting to obtain your views and opinions on what needs to be done to make Bangalore a city you will be truly proud of. Bain & Company, one of the world’s leading management consulting firms, will bring in their thought leadership and results focus to facilitate these discussions and help synthesise an impactful, actionable blueprint for our city incorporating your valuable inputs”.

Replying to an email enquiry from DC, Mr Murthy, while not denying the letters written by him, said Janaagraha would be able to answer queries on the blueprint. It may be noted that after the bitter experience of Bengaluru airport with former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda, Mr Murthy for the first time in a decade is getting directly involved in Bengaluru overhauling.

Srikanth Viswanathan, Coordinator, Advocacy and Reforms, told this newspaper: “Bengaluru needs transformational changes, but the city is only seeing patchwork solutions. The city's challenges are outpacing these solutions.  The problems and meta-solutions are well known, but the key is to set in motion a virtuous cycle of sustainable, transformational change, i.e. getting things done systematically. While the Bengaluru Blueprint process will comprise sectoral roadmaps with five-year quantifiable goals, focus will be mainly on how such roadmaps can be implemented by the government.  Implementation will require goal-setting, detailed roadmaps with milestones and activities, clearly defined ownership, timelines for the same and measurement of performance. For the Blueprint to work, there needs to be transparency in all of the above and regular communication from the government. Inter-agency coordination will be woven into the roadmaps. As part of the Bengaluru Blueprint, we are meeting a diverse group of stakeholders, including Ministers, MLAs, bureaucrats, councillors, academics, experts, media, different citizen groups, business leaders etc.  The response so far has been quite positive. Everyone agrees Bengaluru needs a Blueprint”.

Activists: How many blueprints for city?

A leading activist, politician and social entrepreneur, refusing to be named, asked what was the need for Bangalore Blueprint. “There is already Plan Bengaluru 2020 which was put together by Abide which the chief minister is sitting on. It has all the details on all problems and solutions for the city.” The other activists said that the timing of the initiative is a suspect as Masterplan 2015 is expiring this year. They did not want one organisation to hijack the initiative and claim credit.

Secretariat surprised!

While Mr Narayana Murthy has gone to town about Bangalore Blueprint, the top bureaucracy is in the dark over the issue. Refusing to be drawn in, a top bureaucrat told Deccan Chronicle that no one has been entrusted with such responsibility. “We have nothing to do with this,” he clarified. When this reporter asked if he could go on record, he said, “Don’t shoot from my shoulder! All I want to say is no private organisation or NGO can create a blueprint for Bengaluru.”

Some activists unhappy

Some of the activists who received the mail from Mr Narayana Murthy are not happy with his pledging support to Janaagraha on Bangalore Blueprint. “The CDP for the city – Masterplan 2015 – will seize to exist this year. It is time to redraw the masterplan for Bengaluru and at this juncture, the move to create Bangalore Blueprint looks suspicious. The government should call all stakeholders, activists, and NGOs to brainstorm on fixing Bengaluru. One particular NGO should not hijack the opportunity to fix the city which is long overdue,’’ said another activist.