Passing of baton at Bengaluru civic agencies
The state has now found a scapegoat in BH Anil Kumar. With ministers and legislators from Bengaluru also objecting to his style of management, the officer was given an unceremonious exit.
The spread of Covid-19 in Bengaluru has ended the reign of senior IAS officer BH Anil Kumar as the commissioner of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). While no specific reasons were given for his transfer by the government, the clash between him and the city MLAs over tackling the Covid-19 pandemic reportedly led to his exit.
Not many commissioners have successfully held on to the post of the BBMP commissioner for more than two years. One of the biggest hurdles faced by any commissioner in effectively discharging duties is the interference by the councillors. However, this time, the councillors have kept away from Covid-19 management due to the fear of contracting it. Moreover, their term as councillors is just months away and elections are unlikely to be held anytime soon. So, it was left to the commissioner to manage the show.
Between March and June, the number of positive cases in Bengaluru was in double digits. Kumar was hailed for effectively managing the pandemic until last month. After the lockdown measures were relaxed, contact tracing lost all relevance and the state blamed the BBMP for the situation. The government is equally responsible for this, as it failed to create adequate health infrastructure during the lockdown period, which led to a spike in the cases.
The state has now found a scapegoat in Kumar. With ministers and legislators from Bengaluru also objecting to his style of management, the officer was given an unceremonious exit. Kumar has gracefully handed over the responsibility to his successor, who now has to live up to the expectations of the government and the city legislators.
The government has brought back N Manjunath Prasad as the new commissioner of the BBMP. Prasad was a commissioner of the BBMP in the past and has vowed to control the pandemic. Will the new BBMP chief be successful in containing the spread of the disease? The next two months will be crucial for Bengaluru as the number of cases continues to rise.
(Courtesy of Mail Today)