Self help - does it really help?

Friends, despite continuous requests, there has been zero action from the BBMP in clearing out the mess. A group of citizens from National Games Village and another group of concerned citizens from Koramangala eventually met up with some of the local corporators and officials from BBMP on June 1st. It was decided that BBMP would come with required vehicles, people and officials and the place would be cleared on the 10th of June. However, the catch was that that stretch of road is divided under 3 wards. So each bit of that road is under 3 different people. Secondly, they said they could remove the 'garbage' but the remaining heaps of mud/sand (notice in the pics it is full of plastic waste) could not be removed. Now there is a story to this. This area earlier housed the Economically Weak. They were evacuated from there and the land was sold for a mall to be constructed. The evacuees were apparently given some compensation, but some of them still squat on the opposite side of the road. Now the mall construction having come under litigation has come to a halt and they have dumped all their mud on the road outside to prevent the evacuees from squatting there. This pile of mud has become a dumping ground. Obviously the politicos have some vested interests in allowing the mall builders to continue villifying the road in this manner. It is shocking as well as frustrating to think we have to vote for people who are so helpless that they can't do anything against such builders or squatters. Voters and tax payers like us have to bear the brunt of all this 'democracy'. We are 'responsible' citizens paying our BBMP taxes, house tax, taxes for Swacch Bharat Abhiyan and then volunteering to clean up the area with some volunteers chipping in money for materials as well. And then what is the result? Helpless politicians and elected MLAs. My question is why do we need a government or elected representatives? Life would go on just the same even without them. It is anyway a Jungle Raj. This garbage, as mentioned, is opposite a school. It was so heartening to see some parents come to volunteer as well as school children helping to decorate their walls in the hope that that would dissuade people from throwing garbage in that area or villifying the walls.