Sangliana lays emphasis on consumers' right to question

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 18. ``The city grows like a wild forest and the city planners seem to be shortsighted. Our future ambitions to have peace and good roads are uncertain, a big question mark is hanging,'' bemoaned the City Police Commissioner, Mr. H.T.Sangliana, at a consumer meet here on Sunday.

At the hour-long interactive programme, ``Meet the Consumers'', Mr. Sangliana's usage of ``wild'' was not aimed at the environmentalists crying for the prevention of tree-felling but the pervasive expansion of settlements in the city. The meet was organised by Grahak Shakti, a charitable trust working for consumer empowerment, at the City's Maharani Ammani College, which attracted about a 100 consumers.

Mr. Sangliana said a city such as Bangalore should be planned with the next 200 years in mind. Unfortunately, Bangalore's planners had only a 20-year vision at hand. No force could expand the congested roads and arrange the flyovers which did not give the worth of the expenditure incurred on them, he said.

Various questions were on the day's agenda, relating to the City's traffic regulations, the public violating traffic laws, lack of parking signs, the unscientific one-way systems, the environmental problems overlooked to ease traffic congestions, the chopping of trees and the need for a citizens' charter on their interactions with the police.

Laying emphasis on the consumers' right to question the whys and hows of everything, Mr. Sangliana wanted the public to start asking more questions and called for their feedback which would be an encouragement to the police.

Reflecting his concern for M.G.Road's image-building, he said, ``the boulevard of M.G.Road is not being destroyed, but we need to exploit the 15 to 20 feet of land lying unused. A two-side parking for the entire stretch is the design.''

Mr. Sangliana had a word of consolation for the consumers, reportedly cheated in various financial schemes. ``I am after them,'' he said reacting to complaints about white-collar schemers trapping people with their attractive schemes.

``I have no personal agenda but only a public agenda; but at times, the Press misinterprets facts and mislead people,'' he said trying to prove his point with illustrations. A daily which reportedly termed a 15-member group involved in an attack as a ``mob'' came in for particular criticism from him. According to him, only a thousand-strong gathering deserved the label of ``mob.''

He blamed the Forest Department's alleged ``lack of planning'' for the growth of trees at places which did not conform to social forestry and added that only those sick trees, which posed threats to passers-by, were being felled. Haphazardly planted tree saplings had been removed during his earlier tenure as the City's Special Police Commissioner. But it was discontinued after his transfer, he recalled.

Questions also came up on smoking in public places, levies for traffic violation, misuse of discretionary power of inspectors and tampering with of autorickshaw meters. The Commissioner recorded the complaints, promising action soon.

Mr. Sangliana also detailed the changes brought about in the functioning of police after he took over the Commissioner's mantle. This included the availability of inspectors at 8 a.m. rather than 10 a.m., for the public and his meetings with the inspectors to prevent corruption and promote friendly interaction with people.

Novel idea

A stretch of M.G.Road between Anil Kumble Circle and Brigade Road Junction will be left free for children, devoid of any vehicular traffic, on the first Sunday of every month. This novel idea formulated by the City Police Commissioner will kick off on December 2.

But the free time, Mr. Sangliana clarified at the consumers' meet, does not mean a mere playtime. ``I want to train the future drivers of the city on the dos and don'ts, moral and ethical values, first aid, etc. I want them to memorise it by heart and make it a moral principle for life,'' he said.

Mr. Sangliana later told presspersons that multinational companies and non-government organisations had donated bicycles to the children. If the response was good, the stretch was likely to be extended up to Mayo Hall, he added.

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Section  : Southern States
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