We could do without it, say some municipal corporation members, questioning the contribution made by the Mysore Agenda Task Force (MATF). They alleged, at a municipal body meeting (March 18), that MATF members masqueraded as 'proprietors' of Mysore.
One would have thought that if the task force men did, indeed, behave as if they owned the city, it could be taken as reflecting the intensity of their involvement in Mysore's development. Isn't everyone who lives here (not the MATF members alone) a stakeholder in the city's growth and well-being ? After all, MATF members have other things to do in life and we, the stakeholders, must be thankful that they have volunteered to devote time and energy to what many of us would think is a thankless task.
Allegation: MATF members did not even know 'the geography of Mysore'. How can you expect them to improve Mysore ? This is amusing, but, surely, the charge cannot apply to everyone in MATF. Besides, 'geographical ignorance' need not necessarily preclude one from involvement in contributiing one's expertise and insight to a city's development process.
And then there was this corporator who was critical of the city mayor holding consultations with a group of citizens representing NGOs. Corporator-to-mayor: Do you expect us (municipal corporators) to listen to the directions of the NGOs ? No, Mr corporator, that would be too much to expect, from those with party political interests and, possibly, with an agenda of their own
It is strange and has always made me ponder.Why are we Indians the way we are(implosive).We are literate but not educated.There is a very thin line that devides an Educated from an uneducated Indian and it takes only a small irretant for this thin line to vaish and we all can be placed in the same basket ,call it INDIANISM if u like!
No longer education is associated with refinement,cultur or aticate,forward thinking.We have shrunk the meaning of education to be a digree to fetch a job and go on with ones selfcentered existence.
Dirth of good value systems leads to blame games that we have been consumed with from the time I can recall.Do we even understand the idea of having a democrative development process of a beuatiful city handed down to our generation.Maping development of this city is far cry.
To compound things we are a socialistic democracy which to me is complete buncum.Taking a socialistic or democratic posture is a matter of suiting things even if it is counter productive.
If i'm to openion , We Indians are always in Self distructive mode , to experience progress on the ground minds sets have to change.Before personal intrests larger intrests need to be placed- a tall moral order.'Do we need Mysore Task Force' is the debate and not a title like 'How can the service levels of the Mysore Task force improve' or 'More transprency in the working of the force'which speaks for itself.
How does the being or not being of a task force matter to the existence of us when it GOD in person WHO RUNS OUR GREAT COUNTRY INDIA
The corporators' outburst against MATF betrayed their aversion to accounability. They are intolerant of anyone questioning their decisions and are used to getting away with whatever they say, citing their 'elected representative' status. If indeed the municipal councillors were keen to protect the interests of Mysore, they should have taken up the hoardings issue , making MATF and INTACH redundant. MATF and the NGOs that took the initiative (on the hoardings issue) should have been more proactive and should have gone to the media more often than they did. - INTACH convenor Krishna Vattam, quoted in 'The Hindu' (March 23, 2005)
None of the city councillors turned up for a meeting MATF convened to discuss the water crisis. The task force water and sanitary group convenor M Lakshmana is reported to have told 'Star of Mysore' (April 3, 2005) that all the 65 corporators were invited to the meeting, but none bothered. Even corporation commissioner A B Ibrahim 'did not take our invite seriously'.
On hindsight it can be said consultations with concerned civic leaders before convening the meeting could have prevented such unpleasentness. Besides, the meeting was fixed for Saturday when people apparently had other things to do, such as watching Indo-Pak cricket telecast. Can't blame the corporators, can we ? MATF would do well not to clash with cricket telecast the next time they convene a meeting.
The question is, whether there would be a next time at all. The MATF should have a thicker skin to be able to invite this lot again. For, it appears, the city municipal councillors didn't just boycott MATF. They ignored it.
The question is, what is it that MATF needs to do, to be taken seriously. Any ideas ?
MATF leaves much to be desired in its functioning. Its affairs should be made public. Mere protests will not suffice for development of the city (from TOI reader's mail, June 3, 2005)
