During an interactive session with staffers of The New Indian Express on Friday, he said that there was a need to work towards improve the conduct of BBMP employees.

“This is one major challenge before us, because our employees are the ones who come in direct contact with the public and their conduct becomes the bottomline.

It is through them the message is passed on to the public and therefore it is important for us to know how they deal with the public,” he said.

“We are trying to bring changes in the system. Earlier, the commissioner didn’t have any information on their fingertips about how many projects were in progress, their status and other details. But now all the information is made available online and I constantly get to know the status of the works, their progress and the costs of the works being carried out. With information available online, there is more accountability,” Meena said.

“Changing employees’ mindset was not a priority till now. But now, we have designed training and monitoring programmes for our employees. Each one, right from a pourakarmika to an executive engineer will have to undergo training once a year,” said the commissioner.

The other priority of BBMP is systematic garbage disposal. Garbage segregation is a must and this should not happen at the landfill sites, but start right at our kitchens.

People must be educated about this and we will create awareness among them. The issue has been taken seriously with the involvement of residents welfare associations (RWAs).

Other associations will also be involved, he said. We are monitoring the movement of garbage and have fixed CCTVs at identified locations where garbage is to be disposed.

The RWAs and the public can make use of the rotating funds allotted for their wards and with the help of the supporting grants, they can take up minor works in their localities. There is very little response from the public with regard to this. Though there are various plans and programmes, people are not aware, he said.

From garbage segregation, beautification of wards by painting the bus shelters, giving street names to allotting house numbers, besides lots of other things, residents can actually work to improve their localities, Meena said.

BBMP’S FUTURE PLANS

● Action against illegal slaughter houses

● Glass doors must for slaughterhouses

● Construction of 40 railway overbridges and railway underbridges to decongest traffic

● Drive against poster menace

● Paintings on compound walls to continue

● More services at BBMP one centres

● Vigilance cell to be strengthened

● Renovation of Kalasipalya bus stand

● Work on renovation of markets to begin

● Online registration of births and deaths

● Round-the-clock public grievances redressal system