‘Corporates should manage suburban railway stations’

BENGALURU: Garbage, water, safety and mobility – all the issues Bengaluru has been facing are due to unplanned development. But being someone who has been very closely involved with mobility issues, I can safely say this is the biggest concern for the city. Everyone has been cribbing about the time it takes to travel from point A to B. Many have been discussing how to prevent traffic gridlocks and improve infrastructure and public transport to make travel for citizens hassle-free. I personally believe we should focus on the completion of the Metro work. If completed on time, it can help solve the issue.

The suburban railway can also be a big boon to the city. In addition, we also need elevated road infrastructure, not in the Central Business District, but at identified pain points such as Silk Board, Manyata Tech Park, Marathahalli and Whitefield. Vehicles in these areas get stuck so frequently that they appear like parking lots every day. The traffic at Hebbal is also bad, which can be rectified with an elevated road bypass. This will quicken travel to the airport.

Apart from these issues, garbage and water scarcity are major concerns. Lakes are being revived at a snail’s pace. The issue here is there is lot of bureaucracy involved, leading to an elaborate process of work. In case of suburban railway, it’s the same issue. They can do better if corporates are allowed to manage the stations.

The unplanned development of the city has happened because the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike isn’t divided. The municipal corporation should be divided into three or five councils. Unless it is broken up and given responsibility of smaller parts of Bengaluru, issues cannot be solved. Say, one council can be responsible for centre, the other for the east, west, south and north.

SOLUTION: The government should focus on completion of the Metro immediately and implement suburban railways well. Elevated road infrastructure should also be taken up. The municipality should be trifurcated for better management of the city. 

(As told to Akhila Damodaran)

The author is the chairperson and managing director of Biocon Limited

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