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Weekends in the constituency are intense. Every Saturday or Sunday, I spend 5-6 hours at my office, meeting 300-400 people : students, pensioners, entrepreneurs, NGOs - cross section of the constituency.
Behind the wide range of issues, one pattern is clear: the enormous, often avoidable cost imposed by our bureaucracy.
Four examples from this weekend say it all.
First, a file requesting grant of land for the Department of Atomic Energy and the National Research Foundation - both Government of India bodies - was rejected by a Tahsildar. His reasoning? The land was “reserved only for government institutions.” He didn’t know they were government institutions!
Second, members of the Jetti community, a recognised OBC group, continue to be denied certificates because only one spelling — “Jetti” — is accepted. “Jetty” is rejected, despite multiple High Court rulings recognising both versions. Students and job seekers suffer, all because of a clerical rigidity.
Third, a metro station on Bengaluru’s Yellow Line has became a flashpoint. Residents of both Rupena Agrahara and Bommanahalli wanted their names represented. A compromise - “Bommanahalli–Rupena Agrahara Station” - was accepted by both sides after mediation by the local MLA and me. But the final file said “B. Rupena Agrahara,” reigniting tensions. We are now back at square one.
Fourth, public sector bank employees who took Voluntary Retirement were wrongly clubbed with those terminated or penalised, and denied pensions for decades. Pensions started after decades of litigation in court but was made prospective. Even after winning the case, arrears remain unpaid - forcing the elderly to keep fighting another round of litigation.
Each of these issues could have been avoided with a little common sense, awareness, and sensitivity. Instead, they’ve led to years of delay, unwanted litigation, and human suffering. And it’s not just people who pay the price - institutions lose time, trust erodes, and the nation is held back.
Policy-making is important. But unless we build a bureaucracy that is responsive, informed, and outcome-oriented, we will remain a nation where delivery fails even when intent does not.
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