To save Bangalore, focus on small cities Suresh Heblikar Bangalore is in dire need of a drastic restructuring of it’s multi-layered functions.

To save Bangalore, focus on small cities Suresh Heblikar Bangalore is in dire need of a drastic restructuring of it’s multi-layered functions.
Sadly, the city has assumed for itself varied and huge responsibilities which it finds
difficult to handle and discharge efficiently. The problem started with not having a planned development strategy but a desire for huge growth.
The satellite mapping of the city’s geographical and topographical features, necessary for the overall planning, was not obtained even as growth was taking place. Consequently, it paved way for a notoriously haphazard growth. And since this growth was targeted on an ad hoc basis, it irreparably damaged the varied rich ecosystems. Vanishing water bodies, flooding of lowlying areas, overflowing and clogging of the innumerable drains including rise in temperatures are the results of this unplanned ‘development’.
Now to prevent further damage there must be a moratorium on any future growth of Bangalore city. All new industrial and economic enterprises must be directed to the tier-2 and tier-3 cities accompanied by efforts to develop requisite infrastructure.
As far as traffic congestion is concerned ‘nightmare’ is too soft a term to describe the phenomenon. The slow-moving traffic of Bangalore looks like a funeral procession. The problem here is not the defect with traffic rules or the failure of traffic management despite a limited number of police personnel handling it. The problem is the rising number of automobiles. Bangalore can take only about 7,00,000 automobiles while we have more than 35,00,000 vehicles relentlessly having an impact on Bangalore’s fragile environment and road networks. The carrying capacity is critically paralysed with around 1,000 motorized vehicles getting registered everyday.
So the solution lies in reducing the number of automobiles. This can be achieved by some means. Singapore, Bogota and the UK are examples. The BMTC can also provide a range of transport such as executive and VIP coaches, which can ply to various destinations and neighbourhoods. This will help dissuade the use of personal cars by many. Saturdays and Sundays can be observed, even if alternately, as vehicle-less days promoting public transport, and cabs, if necessary. Laying of bicycle tracks in all layouts be made compulsory. Environmentally conscious youth are eager to switch over to bicycles which is the best way to reduce carbon emissions.
Most important, the government must stop considering Bangalore as the ‘engine of growth’, and shift its attention to small towns. Big cities are environmentally unsustainable and require disproportionately large resources to run the various systems. People are ready to move out, if they have options. Development of small towns through creation of reasonably modest infrastructure could create job opportunities, cut migration and eventually help decongest and save Bangalore.
The writer is a renowned
environmentalist