Mysuru: Dasara is almost here. It will begin on Oct. 3. Only 21 days to go and the tourists will start arriving. Are the local authorities ready to take on the responsibility in a responsible way?

Roads, UGD, water supply are the main concern of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). Are they geared up to the task? As of now we do not see any sense of urgency in what MCC and other related organisations are doing. They often wait for the 11th hour under the excuse that funds are not released or such lame excuses. Incompetence of officers who have no fear of punitive action for their dereliction of duty,  coupled with lack of supervision, are the causes for many fault-lines in the works connected with Dasara.

To give just one example, it could be seen that the recent trimming of trees and chopping of the protruding tree branches on the roads that are illuminated. The felled trees and the chopped off branches are left lying aside close to the road endangering the pedestrian and the vehicular traffic.

As a result of this negligent, irresponsible way of working, many accidents occur and cause inconvenience to people who use the roads. After completing a work, the debris, tree branches etc., should be cleared immediately.

The Railway Board has found that one of the reasons for Railway accidents is the workmen leaving loose engineering parts, rail materials and other equipment in the vicinity of the tracks. In some cases these come in handy for miscreants to threaten the safety of train operations. Likewise, if the MCC workers leave behind road-cuttings without filling them, drain coverings not put back or leave the manhole to overflow, there is a danger to drivers and pedestrians.

It is hoped the MCC and the departments concerned will execute these works with responsibility, say tax payers who complained about these lapses on the part of the MCC to our office.