Let 2010 give us a longer night life and restore city's greenery

Let 2010 give us a longer night life and restore city's greenery

Youth who converged at Brigade Road, MG Road and Church Street to usher in the New Year carried with them hopes for a greener, more peaceful, and prosperous Bangalore. They spoke to Arun Dev about their dreams and hopes for the New Year and the decade

Arun Dev



The youth who converged at Brigade Road, MG Road and Church Street to usher in the New Year carried with them hopes for a greener, more peaceful, prosperous and open Bangalore.
As revellers hugged each other and danced during the countdown to 2010, DNA asked some of them about their dreams and hopes for a tomorrow. They seemed to be looking forward with a mind full of hopes. They also wanted a lot of changes in the city.
Jeeth Kotek wants to see Bangalore get back its title as the garden city.
"One reason why I moved to Bangalore was its cool climate. The city also has a unique charm about it. It is very cosmopolitan and global in spirit. But many of these things were in reality different from what I thought. Concrete jungles have emerged, the winter is not so pleasantly cool and the gardens and greenery are disappearing. I hope the new decade will bring back all these."
"The city is changing so rapidly that we have lost most of the greenery that we had. Except in a few areas, it is hard to find a road which has enough tress to provide shade to passers-by. We need to get our greenery back. It will not only be my wish but also my responsibility," said Rakesh Ramnathan.
"Most of the development works should be completed in the coming years to make Bangalore emerge as a world class city. Many outsiders who come here are upset by the way traffic is managed here. The metro work under way has added to the road chaos. The sooner the authorities address this problem, the better for Bangalore. All development projects should be speeded up," Nishanth said.
Another reveller Divya Shetty is upset by the role of police. She does not want police to ply party popper in the New Year with their strict deadlines for pub closure. She wants the authorities to give a longer night life to youth.
"If there anything the youth of Bangalore want, it is the abolition of 11'o clock deadline for pub closure. This deadline should be extended to 3am. Any city is evaluated on the basis of its night life. So this is my wish for Bangalore for the new year," said Shetty.
"I am someone who works till late night. After a long day what I get to see is a dead city depriving me of the enjoyment I deserve. At least we need the deadline for pub closure to be extended to 2am. I am sure this is not just my wish but that of many employed youth like me," said Ritesh Mukherji.
"The traffic congestion is getting worse. Winters are becoming less cool. The greenery is fading out due to development works. All these things should change for the better," said Catherine D'Souza.
For Sayeed Ahmad, who is from Afghanistan, the city is his second home . "My stay here so far has been enjoyable. I found new friends, saw new things. I must say I am addicted to Bangalore. I hope to enjoy my stay here for as long as I am here," Ahmad said.
"The past year had been difficult for youth. No one has been spared by recession. Many lost their jobs or got their salaries reduced. I wish 2010 brings more jobs to youth in this city. This should be a year of renewal," said Swapneel Shetty.
"I want this city to be crime-free in 2010. I face problems at night while going home from my work place. The city is not safe at night for single women either on the pavement or in hired vehicles. There is always a sense of insecurity till we reach our doorstep. This should change through effective police patrolling," said Brinda K.