Bangalore comes crumbling

Bangalore comes crumbling
No New Project, Development At A Standstill

The Times of India


Bangalore: The city enjoyed much adulation and attention for five years. But the promising road map of fast-paced development has been swathed in neglect for a year now. Be it the exit of Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), slowing down of infrastructure projects or the controversy over the Arkavathy Layout, the Congress-JD(S) coalition government has cut a sorry figure. What is worse, the city has not seen a single new project since the coalition came to power.

It all began with the cries of “Bangalore crumbling’’ with IT and industry honchos launching a crusade against the deplorable state of development. This was largely because civic authorities began to take it easy when it became evident that the government’s focus had shifted away from Bangalore. To top it all, heads of civic organisations were shunted out to inconspicuous postings when major projects were in crucial stages.

Work on flyovers and grade separators never seems to end. Work on the Airport Road flyover has been grounded for almost an year now. Road works have slowed down.

“Every project is given a political tinge and a clear example of this is the Arkavathy Layout, which is mired in controversy. When the BDA formed six layouts and distributed sites in just five years without any controversy, why was Arkavathy labelled as an illegal project and politicised? It is just that there are too many dictators in the present government spoiling the broth,’’ an urban planner observed.

The exit of BATF is another setback. After was a lot of dilly-dallying over reviving the initiative, the task force members were forced to wind up their operations because of an unresponsive government. The city that gave birth to such an initiative has been the loser, as the BATF has found takers in other cities, including Delhi and Mumbai.

“The government has not realised that it is cutting a sorry figure by ignoring its capital. Name one new project that has been conceived by this government. When coalition partners are busy bickering among themselves rather than concentrating on the development, the end result will be non-performance,’’ pointed out a former bureaucrat.

The pro-rural, anti-Bangalore coalition government’s budget too had little to offer apart from the oft-repeated hitech corridor, Arkavathy layout and a couple of flyovers. Despite repeated pleas not to “kill the golden goose,’’ the government has done just that.

SOUND BYTES

C.V. Nagesh, Advocate

Both partners of the coalition government are pulling the cart in two different directions. They are certainly not going together. They are not reaching the goal. Each one is trying to take advantage to show the existence of their party in the state. They are continuing with the coalition merely for the growth of their respective parties. Ultimately, the interest of the common man in the state is at stake. Both partners are certainly not interested in the welfare of the state. To sum it up, as a common man, I am not feeling the existence of the government in the
state. The administration is in doldrums.’’

Ramesh Ramanathan, co-founder Janaagraha, former BATF member:

(I am restricting my comments to the issues of urban government.) The coalition results on urban governance outside Bangalore is very positive. It has looked to strengthen municipalities, make them more transparent and provide opportunities for citizen participation. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said with respect to Bangalore. What is desperately needed is to complete the process of urban reforms to restore the quality of life in Bangalore.’’