Stakeholders must have a sense of ownership

Stakeholders must have a sense of ownership
Real estate developer Irfan Razack says we must act now to prevent a nightmare

Bangalore’s phenomenal growth has resulted in the city now bursting at its seams. Roads are gridlocked. The traffic police seem helpless. The environment is polluted, there are serious power and water shortages, public transport is grossly inadequate, and there are no pavements left for those who wish to walk. The situation looks desperate. What can the administration do to set things right? Can the real estate industry contribute in any way?
INFRASTRUCTURE
For infrastructure problems to get solved, there needs to be a sense of urgency among all stakeholders collectively with a sense of purpose and direction. All the solutions to the problems on infrastructure have been thought out, planned and many have been announced. The only problem is who is to implement? How soon? And at what level of quality?
Let’s look at the smaller and simpler issues first. What we need are roads which are surfaced properly without any potholes; neat pavements; storm water drains cleaned and desilted so that when it rains, the roads do not get flooded; disposal of garbage on a daily basis; ensure that debris is not dumped wherever somebody feels like dumping it. All this can be done at the level of the area engineers and at the ward level. They should have a sense of zealous ownership over their areas, protect them as though the area belongs to them. They should be given powers to fine offenders.
For developments on every road, it should be a condition that the developer should adopt that road and may even include the cost of the improvement of that road in the budget of the respective project.
When road cutting is undertaken, a mechanism to ensure speedy and immediate repairs of the road should be in place.
TRAFFIC
The common sense about traffic management is to ensure that traffic keeps moving at a normal pace on any road. Synchronizing traffic signals has been talked about but not implemented. Small underpasses can be constructed on a fast-track basis to avoid congestion on major junctions. The traffic constable who seems to be lost and helpless should undergo a training programme in traffic management.
Traffic lights should never be switched off. I wonder how a single human can do the job of an electronic traffic signal. Of course, you need to ensure discipline on the roads. Trucks, buses and slow-moving vehicles should use only the left lane and under no condition should they try to overtake and come to the middle of the road. This will ensure smooth flow of traffic.
MAJOR PROJECTS
Among the major infrastructure projects that have been on paper for a long time are the Peripheral Ring Road, Metro Rail, expressway to the international airport, rail link to the airport, and widening of major roads. These projects must be implemented with a sense of urgency. Another major requirement is road-on-road expressway linking the Ring Road and the Peripheral Road from the centre of the city — like the one being implemented to Electronic City. There should be links between Rajajinagar and Peenya, Airport Road and Whitefield, and Mysore Road flyover and Kengeri. This will ensure that all new development activity for housing and IT can come in the form of townships between the Ring Road and the new Peripheral Road.
The other peripheral road being implemented by NICE is one of the most beautiful roads built for Bangalore, but it lacks
a few connections. Once this road is open to the public, it will lead to a lot of decongestion. Completion of this road should be taken up on an emergency basis.
I visualize the growth of a new Bangalore along the NICE road and the proposed Peripheral Ring Road. This will serve as a counter magnet. The core city itself is almost fully developed. It will be a good idea to freeze intensive growth in the core areas of the city and allow more development in the peripheral areas.
PARKING
Multi-level parking areas should be constructed immediately in areas close to Commercial Street, MG Road, Brigade Road, Chickpet, and Avenue Road, and these areas should be converted into pedestrian zones and into tourist destinations.
THE DREAM
A clean, green Bangalore with neat pavements, good road surfaces with markings, proper signage, street furniture, disciplined traffic and adequate parking lots is a dream. It’s not impossible to realise it if there is focus, vision and a sense of purpose among all stakeholders and the political leadership. But this dream will become a nightmare in case we don’t act now.
(The writer is chairman & managing
director of the Prestige Group) FEEDBACK Readers respond to last week’s BIG IDEA
Have road markings
A road is not a road unless it has proper markings. Except for a few, no road has dividing lines, lane markings, directions for traffic before the approach of signals, roundabouts and flyovers. Drivers take positions at their convenience and cut across traffic whenever and wherever they want. This leads to slowing down of traffic and causes accidents. Even newly asphalted and wide roads look like football fields with vehicles criss-crossing at random. Mr Ramamurthy will certainly appreciate that well-marked roads will reduce the traffic woes to a great extent. | G Mruthyunjaya
Enforce lane discipline
It was very disappointing to read DCP Ramamurthy’s ideas which essentially put all the problems in someone else’s court. There is not one stretch in Bangalore where there is any discipline. The oneways have made life miserable for bus commuters and the pedestrians. Take Richmond Road — there is not one stretch from Shoolay Circle till Richmond Circle where a pedestrian can cross safely. After 10 pm, people jump signals as if the lights don’t even exist. The centre of the city is one big free-for-all. If the police is shortstaffed, they can at least pick one area and enforce lane discipline, traffic lights, etc., ruthlessly for the next three months. Let them show they mean business in that one area and then cover more areas. | Srivathsa Yajaman