BENGALURU: The immediate issues plaguing the city currently are aplenty. From water scarcity, unplanned development, poor infrastructure to extremely poor traffic management, Bengaluru’s woes don’t seem to end. Being one of the fastest growing cities in Asia, it would also need facilities and civic sense that need to keep up with the burgeoning growth in the years to come.
Jumping of signals, poor parking, unchecked drivers, driving on footpaths and one-way roads are some of the main concerns that boggle the mind. On one side, we claim to be a developed nation, while on the other, having to watch such behaviour is so contrary.
Public transport also needs a serious upgrade. It has resulted in a large surge in taxi services, thereby choking the roads even further. Some of them are even the most badly-driven vehicles one comes across on the roads. Only a very robust and strict implementation of rules will help alleviate this situation. There are other cities in the country that manage their traffic a lot better, such as Kolkata and Mumbai.
Also needed here is the creation of special zones, where culture and entertainment can thrive. You can’t have millions of people living in a city and not have anything for them to do in their free time. More public recreation spaces like parks, restaurants, pubs, sports activity arenas, museums, etc must be promoted and set up aggressively.
Solution: Water management, rain water harvesting, and eco-friendly solutions are some of the necessary steps required as the city continues to become dry. Preservation of city lakes is also essential, as is planting a lot more trees. You can’t just have concrete structures coming up all around without offsetting the impact it has on the environment. I truly believe that a majority of Bengaluru’s traffic woes would be solved if people just learned how to follow simple traffic rules. A strong political will is needed to put in place an
efficient public transport system in Bengaluru.
Let your mixed feelings about Bengaluru get stirred up, as an influential person talks about things nice and nasty about the city in this weekly column
n Manu Chandra Chef partner, Olive Group of restaurants – Cantan, Olive Beach, Monkey Bar, Toast & Tonic