By Manu Aiyappa - Times of India
DHARWAD-HUBLI: Some like-minded residents have embarked on an online campaign to garner public support and demand the state government to extend the services of Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Commissioner P.Manivannan, who is due to be transferred in October.
"He has changed the face of Hubli-Dharwad in a span of three years. Another two years of his stay will work wonders for the twin-cities", Sunil Nalavade, the brain behind the online petition venture said.
Nalavade has created an online petition, (http://www.petitiononline.com/HDCOMMMP/petition.html) to mobilize public support to seek a two-year extension considering his performance in Hubli-Dharwad. He is also planning distribution of posters, pamphlets and banners urging people to support the cause.
"The public usually raise their voice whenever an upright officer is transferred by the government. The government will not heed such requests until such agitations turn violent or results in the damage of public property. So, we thought we will take up the matter now itself", Nalvade said.
Online petition has now emerged to be a popular and accepted mode of campaigning. Nalvade and others hope that once the issue comes in the public limelight and is picked up in the media, there will be no going back. As expected, petitions are pouring in. Nalvade said the online petition is now close to 300.
Interestingly, it has also become a platform for serious discussions where people are exchanging various points of view. For instance - "He (Manivannan) has done so much for the city and he deserves an extension. Or, at least, he should be allowed to accomplish his incomplete missions of regularizing illegal buildings and giving shape to citizens committees" - was one among the many petitions posted online.
There are others too - "HDMC, whose image as a non-performing body, reinvented itself as a proactive and development-driven agency under his period. He deserves an extension", "We never ever had in our dreams thought that HDMC will get a coveted certificate such as ISO-9001, 2000. Give him two years, he will take it to greater heights".
One of the prime concerns expressed by the petitioners, however, is that will the Special Commissioner, Ajay Nagabhushan, manage to continue Manivannan's good work."How can a person, without experience of working in any major municipal corporation of the state, manage the HDMC, touted as the second biggest municipal corporation in Karnataka", asks a petitioner.
Interestingly, a petitioner argues that if the state government transfers Manivannan, it should be seen on a positive side. If he is given greater responsibility by the government, the state as a whole will benefit along with Hubli-Dharwad".
Note: This article appeared on Times of India / Dated 8/1/2007, Bangalore edition.
