So do most of the cities in India. Things really pile up as you move north. I once lived in Kanpur an old town with lots of history and the seat of some great educational institutions like the IIT. The filth was unimaginable.
No matter where you go in India, you see filth piled up and scattered around the streets and boulevards.
I am sure Prime Minister has a great goal to clean up the cities and towns. This is great. In my view even if nothing is achieved, if only he can put all the effort to clean up India then his election has been justified.
I am not sure who designed the side walks in India they are literally death traps for the unwary. Well, they are used by the two wheelers mostly and not the pedestrians. The pedestrian has the only option of dodging them and offer a prayer if they are not hit.
Coming to Bengaluru, my dear town, which has gone down the drain in the past 30 years or so: there has been a great deal of demographic movement from other parts of India; displaced people from Bangladesh, Tibet and other places. It has become richer no doubt but the city has lost its character. Different ethnic people have different perception of cleanliness and filth.
The traffic in the city is horrendous. For any visitor to Bengalur this is the most conspicuous thing that hits him like a cold draft. The two wheelers and the auto-rickshaws dominate and together with the larger vehicles that have appeared due to the recent prosperity makes the traffic a living hell.
Here are pictures from a recent visit:
At the top, notice a dead dog that has just shriveled up as the city has not cared to remove the carcass. It is right in front of Oracle near Shoppers Stop and Gopalan Mall in Bengaluru upscale shopping centers
Near an intersection in Sadashiva Nagar in Bengaluru where some of the richest people live. Notice the novel accommodation around the tree used as a minor dump and the dangerous side-walk
This one is from Chennai, but you can find even bigger dumps in Bengaluru
Side walk in Sadashiva Nagar. Notice thee reasonably built portion and the adjoining death trap. They build and build but not maintain. There are even more dangerous ones. This was taken on a holiday when the traffic is lean. Normally two wheelers will be running here.
Airport melee at Delhi. Announcements are poor.
Traffic at our back as seen in the rear window.
How these can be mitigated (I am focusing on Bengaluru)?
The short answer is, very difficult or impossible. However few things can make things a little more livable:
1. Make separate lanes for two wheelers and auto-rickshaws
2. Do not allow cars to enter certain key parts of the city.
3. Clean up the debris from construction works. Make construction companies pay for their management.
4. Give warning to businesses not to add to the filth and then make them pay fines (make sure fines go to the cities coffers). Bring a law to tax them for the up keep of the environment around their businesses
5. Manage stray dogs effectively, treat them with more respect.
6. Employ more traffic police.
7. Make traffic lanes and as Bengalurians do not care for lines drawn on the road, make some permanent fixtures (sounds crazy isn't it? I mean to)
8. Make waste disposal a major priority
9. Fire the public civil engineers and outsource side-walk designers. It is not just important to build something, but it is more important to maintain them
10. Get some support from the multitude of International corporations who are benefiting by doing business in Bengaluru, the likes of Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture and a 100 more.
I am sure my readers will be able to add more to the list. Let us bring up this list up to date please leave your comments.
Namaste
No matter where you go in India, you see filth piled up and scattered around the streets and boulevards.
I am sure Prime Minister has a great goal to clean up the cities and towns. This is great. In my view even if nothing is achieved, if only he can put all the effort to clean up India then his election has been justified.
I am not sure who designed the side walks in India they are literally death traps for the unwary. Well, they are used by the two wheelers mostly and not the pedestrians. The pedestrian has the only option of dodging them and offer a prayer if they are not hit.
Coming to Bengaluru, my dear town, which has gone down the drain in the past 30 years or so: there has been a great deal of demographic movement from other parts of India; displaced people from Bangladesh, Tibet and other places. It has become richer no doubt but the city has lost its character. Different ethnic people have different perception of cleanliness and filth.
The traffic in the city is horrendous. For any visitor to Bengalur this is the most conspicuous thing that hits him like a cold draft. The two wheelers and the auto-rickshaws dominate and together with the larger vehicles that have appeared due to the recent prosperity makes the traffic a living hell.
Here are pictures from a recent visit:
Near an intersection in Sadashiva Nagar in Bengaluru where some of the richest people live. Notice the novel accommodation around the tree used as a minor dump and the dangerous side-walk
This one is from Chennai, but you can find even bigger dumps in Bengaluru
Side walk in Sadashiva Nagar. Notice thee reasonably built portion and the adjoining death trap. They build and build but not maintain. There are even more dangerous ones. This was taken on a holiday when the traffic is lean. Normally two wheelers will be running here.
Airport melee at Delhi. Announcements are poor.
Traffic at our back as seen in the rear window.
How these can be mitigated (I am focusing on Bengaluru)?
The short answer is, very difficult or impossible. However few things can make things a little more livable:
1. Make separate lanes for two wheelers and auto-rickshaws
2. Do not allow cars to enter certain key parts of the city.
3. Clean up the debris from construction works. Make construction companies pay for their management.
4. Give warning to businesses not to add to the filth and then make them pay fines (make sure fines go to the cities coffers). Bring a law to tax them for the up keep of the environment around their businesses
5. Manage stray dogs effectively, treat them with more respect.
6. Employ more traffic police.
7. Make traffic lanes and as Bengalurians do not care for lines drawn on the road, make some permanent fixtures (sounds crazy isn't it? I mean to)
8. Make waste disposal a major priority
9. Fire the public civil engineers and outsource side-walk designers. It is not just important to build something, but it is more important to maintain them
10. Get some support from the multitude of International corporations who are benefiting by doing business in Bengaluru, the likes of Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Accenture and a 100 more.
I am sure my readers will be able to add more to the list. Let us bring up this list up to date please leave your comments.
Namaste
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