BENGALURU: I first moved to Bangalore in 1983 and stayed in the city till 1987. We were staying at 4th T Block in Jayanagar. During the second time around, we moved to the city in 1994 and have been staying in Koramangala till now. Though I was born and brought up in Trivandrum, Bangalore is the city that I have stayed in for the maximum number of years and now identify myself as a Bangalorean.
This city is probably the only international city in India. Wherever I go, if I tell someone that I live in Bangalore, the first reaction is that I must be working in the software industry. The city is synonymous with software, high-tech, innova tion and startups. There are a large number of expats living in Bangalore, because of the presence of a large number of multinational corporations in the city.
Over the years, I have supported various initiatives that make the city a better place to live. The CII Innovation Summit (16 years and running), Bangalore Literary Festival, Bangalore International Center and Bangalore Science Gallery are some examples. I am fortunate to be the chairman of Vision Group on IT for Karnataka Government. I have worked closely with the major academic and research institutions in the city – IISc, NCBS, ICTS, NIMHANS, IIM etc. I have also contributed to the research ecosystem as well as the startup ecosystem in Bangalore.
Over the years, however, the infrastructure in the city has degraded. Pollution and garbage issues are plaguing Bangalore. If we want our city to be a livable place, if we want our children to have a healthy and enjoyable city, we must address these issues on a war footing. Various models have been tried in the past, but they don’t seem to fix the issues permanently.
Solution: I have two suggestions. First is, to decongest the city by deliberately moving development to 5-6 satellite cities around the city, within a 100-km radius. We can develop Bidadi, Sarjapur, Kanakapura, Tumkur, Hoskote etc. as satellite cities. By connecting these to the centre of Bangalore by high speed trains and roads, and allowing no development inside the city, we can start to decongest the centre.
Secondly, we must create a single authority to manage Bangalore. No more different agencies working at cross purposes. This agency must have the authority to decide on all aspects of development and maintenance of the city as well as get full control of the budget. If a panchayat can get full control, why not a city like Bangalore?