- This must be the question that every citizen of Bengaluru would be itching to ask the civic authorities after endlessly waiting for things to improve. Mind you, some of the encomiums associated with Bengaluru have lost their sheen. The garden city of India, the Silicon Valley of India, the pensioner’s paradise, a city blessed with such salubrious weather round the year, and one of the most people/investor friendly cities of India, the education hub, the IT/BT hub, and the list goes on. But all those monikers get shadowed by the creaking infrastructural woes bogging the city in the absence of basic amenities like commutable roads, pot-hole-free roads, fewer traffic bottlenecks, and last-mile connectivity for those using Metro/public transport facilities.
PC: Reddit
- We know how all hell will break loose whenever the premonsoon showers or, for that matter, the monsoon season arrives to quench the summer heat. The crumbling civic infrastructure is the bane of the city, especially the inadequate stormwater drainage, leading to a flood-like situation whenever the city receives moderate showers. Some of the most tony parts of the city are encumbered by waterlogging during the rains speaks volumes about the civic apathy where the agency tasked to ensure the services are top-notch is found wanting on several parameters. Little wonder, the citizens of Bengaluru have turned cynical when basic civic amenities are not addressed with vision, planning, execution, and professionalism expected from the authorities.
PC: The Indian Express
- For the uninitiated, Bengaluru almost generates 70% of the state’s revenue, but the inadequacy of the infrastructure is laid bare when every strata of society encounter unmitigated challenges year after year. The usual platitudes of fixing the issues ensue with the elected representatives, especially from the ruling dispensation, making by now familiar appearances to soothe the frayed nerves. Unfortunately, people have endured so many of these false promises, assurances, and reassurances that every statement emanating from the concerned political leaders is absorbed with more than a pinch of salt. The ground reality unequivocally belies false promises whenever the city receives rain. Of course, the less said the better about the conditions of the roads.
PC: BBC
- Agreed, the city has grown exponentially over the last few decades. However, what stops our authorities from ensuring the city roads are at least commute-worthy despite enduring bumper-to-bumper traffic? The pothole-filled roads are a nightmare when it rains, and the two-wheeler raiders are at most risk when the water fills up the craters. So many innocent lives have been lost due to the incompetence of the civic agencies over the years. Sadly, the dug-up roads with the endless Metro works have only further complicated the commuter plight, forcing them to endure enormous time spent while commuting on top of non-existent smooth roads. The situation is going from bad to worse. When can we hope to have respite to start our day on a smooth note?
