Infra-jinx

Is the city jinxed when it comes to infrastructure projects? None of the major infrastructure projects proposed for the city have taken off. Bangalore has always been the first to propose one but has never witnessed any translate into reality

Elevated Mass Rapid Transit System - One of the few times that our administration has shown some foresight. This project was proposed long before Bangalore's roads became the nightmare they are. Status today - still on the drawing board. Proposed many years later, Hyderabad has its Multi-modal transport system, Chennai its elevated rail system and Delhi, a spanking new metro.

Bangalore Mysore Expressway - Again, proposed over a decade ago to develop Mysore as a counter magnet to Bangalore and develop industrial townships along the way, the project is boggled down in a quagmire of litigation and protests. The Mumbai-Pune Expressway that got off the ground only 5 years ago and came up on environmentally sensitive terrain is today a showpiece of India to the world. Meanwhile it takes 4 hours to cover the 140 kilometers between Bangalore and Mysore.

Bangalore International Airport - It has always been a case of so near, yet so far. Originally proposed in 1993, it was to have been India's first private international airport. 11 years down the line, although in an advanced stage of completion of the planning, we are still waiting. Hyderabad announced plans for one a full 9 years (in 2001) later but might have one in operation before us.