' I will put the corporation back on the right track'

Indian Express, June 01, 1999

HIGH-PROFILE bureaucrat K Nalinakshan has been appointed commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) at a time when Asia's largest civic body is faced with a serious crisis.  Both financially and administratively, the municipal corporation has lost its credibility, and Chief Minister Narayan Rane has apparently deployed Nalinakshan to restore order in the crisis-ridden corporation.

An Indian Administrative Service official of the 1967 batch, Nalinakshan is well versed with problems of urban areas.  Prior to his posting as principal secretary (urban development), he was at the helm of affairs of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) responsbile for effective planning of Navi Mumbai.  In Mantralaya, as principal secretary of teh urban development department, he was in-charge of the BMC and was also responsible for the scrapping of the controversial Mayor-In-Council system.  In an interview to Prafulla Marpakwar made his priorities for the BMC clear.

On the difference citizens will soon see in the BMC:
People will notice changes within a specified period.  My endeavour will be to see that the people of Mumbai feel the BMC exists for them.  My priority will be provide a clean,efficient, transparent and people-oriented administration and make the city as clean efficient, transparent and people-oriented administration and make the city as clean as possible.  Though we will not be able to make it like Singapore or Dubai, our approach will be to provide a better environment and make the city safe and worth living.  We will implement the charter for citizens in letter and spirit.  The charter inter-alia provides for rights and responsibilities of citizens.  We will ensure applications submitted by citizens are disposed of within a stipulated period.

On the BMC's financial situation :
The BMC is in trouble with a deficit of Rs 600 crore.  Though it will be improper for me to comment on the financial situation without verifying documents, improving it will be a challenge.  Though I'm not in a position to improve things, my priority will be to arrest the on-going trend and bring the BMC back on the right track.

On hawkers :
It will not be possible for the corporation to remove hawkers, since it is a question of their livelihood.  But it is the BMC's responsibility to provide clean and clear footpaths for citizens. My effort will be to find out a via media, so that hawkers do not lose their livelihood and we have clear footpaths.  Of course, a solution will have to be found keeping in mind the High Court order.

On encroachments :
My priority will be to ensure new encroachments do not come up.  I will fix responsibility on the concerned officials, and we will take the help of local police.  Once we halt new encroachments, we will turn to existing illegal structures, which will laso be removed in a time-bound period.  A specific action plan will be drafted for the purpose.

On monsoon preparations and removal of garbage:
So far as monsoon preparations are concerned, I am sure my predecessor has taken adequate steps.  I have also convened a special meeting tommorrow to take stock of the situation.  I feel that besides the routine programme, we will have to chalk out a long-term plan in view of the city's magnitude.  It will not be a fire-fighting exercise, but people will feel during monsoon that drastic steps have been taken.  For removal of garbage, we will have to tighten the machinery and chalk out solid waste disposal plans.

On relations between the commissioner and mayur :
During the Mayor-In-Council system, relations between the commissioner and mayor were not cordial.  My effort will be ensure cordial relations.  I will give maximum value to the opinion and views expressed by the mayor as well as elected representatives.  In a democratic set-up, it will be wrong on the part of the commissioner to ignore plans submitted by the mayor.  My view is that a bureaucrat will not be able to deliver the goods unless he has the cooperation of elected representatives, particularly the mayor.