Bangalore (Silicon Valley) progressing or degressing
A couple of years back I had
gone to Bangalore on an official trip to participate in trials for selection
which would enable me to participate in DGQA National Table Tennis
Championship to be held in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.
I alighted
from the bus at Majestic bus stand . To my amazement, I felt as
though I am in Hot Chennai and not in Bangalore which is famous for
its perennially pleasant weather on account of its being 3000 feet
above sea level. It is for this very reason that local
people as well as people from other states prefer to make Bangalore their
home. But I felt very uncomfortable due to the exhausting
heat in Bangalore. After reaching the hotel room, I immediately turned on
the fan and only then did I feel any relief from existent heat.
India's
third-most populous city, Bangalore is popularly known as Silicon Valley
on account of the numerous IT firms and multinational
companies housed there. Even developed countries like
France, the USA and the UK have established their companies
here because of its cozy weather as well as cooperative and knowledgeable work
force.
Bangalore is known
as a green city. But this epithet does not seem to suit it
now as its green cover has dwindled drastically and it is
getting warmer everyday to the consternation of the dwellers there.
This situation is really abominable. In the 1800's, the average
temperature of Bangalore city used to be 14-16 degrees. Today, it can even
go up to 38 degrees on a given day.
We need not look far to
understand why this drastic situation happened. The truth is, the
indiscriminate felling of life-giving trees for building technology parks,
malls, multi-storeyed offices, residential complexes and apartments has in fact
shrunk the city's green zone.
The outsourcing and
start-up boom has attracted a large number of IT professionals as well
as management graduates of neighboring states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh and northern states towards Bangalore city which has
alarmingly added to the burgeoning population of Bangalore and consequently
thrown the vehicular traffic out of gear. Of late, the city has become
more of an eyesore. It has totally lost its past glory. Nowadays, every
vehicle and human being seems to jostle for space resulting in utter chaos and
confusion.
As far as transport is
concerned, the number of public buses available is far fewer than
required hence, perforce; more two-wheelers and cars ply on road. Metro rail is
still in its first phase of implementation and carries only 16,000 passengers a
day and a three decade plan for a commuter rail system- the cheaper solution so
far, has been shelved. The result is an increase in private vehicles.
The city, home to over 11 million people has almost an equal
number of vehicles according to the latest statistics on Karnataka
transport department site. This situation is not at all healthy.
Let us hope that by concerted efforts of the concerned authorities, in the near future, Bangalore regains its past glory.
Traffic jams
therefore, are a common sight. In the near future, Bangalore is going to
get a Rs. 2000 crore new steel fly-over to cover the distance between the
airport and tech hub in seven minutes. This is really remarkable and heart-warming.
I presume that It is really going to be a saving grace to the Garden city.
Let us hope that by concerted efforts of the concerned authorities, in the near future, Bangalore regains its past glory.
Thanks To my both daughters Malavika Menon and Shwetha for their editing work.
Traffic jams
therefore, are a common sight. In the near future, Bangalore is going to
get a Rs. 2000 crore new steel fly-over to cover the distance between the
airport and tech hub in seven minutes. This is really remarkable and heart-warming.
I presume that It is really going to be a saving grace to the Garden city.
Let us hope that by concerted efforts of the concerned
authorities, in the near future, Bangalore regains its past glory.
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