Activist Satish Khot aims to make people take part in governance, demand accountability and transparency "Swaraj is my birthright and I shall have it." These immortal words spoken by Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak have been the driving force behind all of Satish Khot's activist work.u00a0 "All I want to do is to encourage citizens to participate in the democratic process," he said. "I want 35 lakh Punekars to say they own this city. Only if they feel this ownership, will they ask questions." According to Khot, people need to ask for accountability and transparency. Government servants work for us and are responsible to us, not the other way round. "It is as if we exchanged gora sahibs for brown sahibs post independence," said this engineer-turned-activist. After IIT Bombay and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, Khot travelled across cities in India and abroad building up his career mainly in oilfield engineering. His forte was setting up new projects and turning around companies. Despite being born in Mumbai, Khot moved to the city with wife Mohini, an English professor, in 1975 and they have been here ever since.u00a0 Along with other like-minded citizens, Khot began raising questions and demanding answers from government organisations. The National Society of clean societies was founded to get mohallas active in taking up issues pertaining to their localities. "Pune has always been at the forefront of change," averred Khot. "What Pune does today, Mumbai does a week later and Delhi picks it up. The independence movement started here. The city has been a centre of learning and industry and is today forging a path in the IT industry." It is no surprise that Pune is one of the most activist cities in India. "Pune is the cultural and intellectual capital of not just Maharashtra, but all of India," Khot proclaimed. "It is a gem of a place and I am a proud Punekar." In the last eight years, Khot and his coterie of activists have been working hard to try and open the eyes and minds of residents in the city, encouraging them to get involved in governance by raising issues and demanding answers. Results show their campaign is bearing fruit. Responsiveness has increased. Initially, when they went to the corporation with a list of 100 issues, only three to five questions were answered.u00a0 Today they get responses to at least 30 to 35 queries. Khot also requests citizens to be patient. The corporation operates under certain constraints and cannot possibly wave a wand and respond to all problems. Someone's solution can be someone else's predicament. Each issue has pros and cons to be considered before a decision can be reached.u00a0 Something as simple as building a bridge across the Mundhwa railway track seems like it should have an easy answer. However apart from the woes of resettling people, various government departments, the cantonment board, defense, among others have to come to a consensus. Khot emphasises that these issues arise because we are a democracy. "In China, they bulldoze their way and think nothing of relocating people 200 km away without as much as a by your leave. Indians do not want that kind of government so we have to be patient and allow democratic processes to work. But we should not keep quiet and allow infractions to occur. In the last eight years citizen involvement in governance has gone up," stresses Khot. "People are asking questions." He gives the example of one of the ladies in a mohalla, who realised that the pipes being laid were smaller in diameter than the pipes allotted and raised a hue and cry until finally the correct pipes were laid. As I talk to him, he fields calls about illegal encroachments and other city-based issues. It seems as if all his time is work time and there is no time for leisure. However, Khot does switch off. "Give me a good book and I am lost," he said. He loves Indian authors and finds dynamism in their brand of work today.u00a0 When I leave him, he is anxiously waiting by the telephone for his three-year-old granddaughter's call. Obviously, under that stern activist exterior, there is a gooey nanaji interior.

Activist Satish Khot aims to make people take part in governance, demand accountability and transparency

Urging Punekars to seek answers from govt

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Urging Punekars to seek answers from govt

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