What's your civic quotient?

Hello again
Please read my article that appeared in the Times of India last Sunday titled "What's your civic quotient?". I am pasting the image below as it appeared in the press, but am also pasting the word document below which you may find easier to read. Please take a moment to comment on the blog or directly to me at sohan.hatangadi@gmail.com

Dodging bricks

Many decades ago, on my way to school, I encountered a wall being constructed across the dirt path I took every day. On the wall was a mason, puffing a chutta (local cigar), as he laid bricks. Being a latent activist, I was upset by the obstruction and asked why the wall was being built there. He looked down on me kindly. Something in my chubby, inquiring face must have touched him. He threw a brick at me! Thanks to my quick reflexes honed by dodging assorted missiles in class, the brick missed but I learnt an important lesson. If we ask inconvenient questions, we must be adept at dodging a brick or two.

Civic sense

Though we talk of “civic sense” we are an uncivil society. We litter extensively, urinate in the open, talk loudly on mobiles in public, jump queues, park our vehicles badly, drive rudely ready to run over limping old woman and little school children and honk impatiently even when the traffic is at standstill. This is our DNA evolved over many generations. When decent folk experience such incidents they curse under their breath “bloody idiot, no civic sense”. We don’t react and tell the offender what we think of his or her behavior. And each time we don’t react we lose an opportunity to make a positive change in our society.

What’s your reaction?

• You notice that fat little boy sitting with his parents throwing an ice cream wrapper on the pavement. Would you just pass by without a bother or ask the child to pick up the wrapper and put it into the nearby dustbin?

 

• A youngster races his motorbike on a pavement scattering the pedestrian. Would you Jump aside and let him go or stop his bike firmly and insist he get off the pavement?

 

• At the movies the burly guy in the seat in front of you is constantly talking on the phone. Would you mutter under your breath but put up with him or reach across, tap him on the shoulder and suggest he take his calls outside

 

• Some municipal workers are digging up the road in front of your house. Would you not bother; thinking “not my problem” or stop to enquire what is going on, talk to their supervisor and tell him to make sure that after they finish they should re-surface the road with cement or bitumen

 

• The garbage heap outside your house is growing by the day. It is stinking, dogs and crows are all over the heap. Would you just ignore it or insist that the ones doing the dumping use the bin instead of the road side, then call your sanitary inspector and demand that the garbage be removed

Civic quotient

No prizes for guessing what the right thing to do in each case. This is where our civic quotient should kick in. Citizens with low civic quotient are too complacent, too busy, too scared to do anything. They rationalize their inaction in a number of ways. The point is if we want a better city we must all speak up. As they say no one can avoid death and taxes. Some of the taxes are meant for developing local infrastructure and maintaining our city. Should we be happy with less or indifferent service? For example when we pay for 1 liter of petrol will we be happy getting only 900 millilitres?

GVMC

When we get poor service from GVMC we must complain. Log on to www.gvmc.gov.in and check it out. Every important official’s phone number is available there. Try their Helpdesk Number 1800 4250 0009 or board number 2746301 and get the name and numbers of key officials such as your sanitary inspector, officers in charge of street lighting, Under-Ground Drainage (UGD), and Road Repairs. Talk to them, you will be surprised at the results.

Get involved

Bad citizens get lousy governance. There is no point moaning and groaning if we as citizens do not get involved in our city’s affairs. Just a couple of initiatives by a few people each day will make a world of a difference. Whether it means taking on irresponsible fellow citizens to task, or asking for better service from our civic bodies, we must never hesitate to speak out, even if we have to dodge a brick or two.