Is Bangalore in Trouble?
And just when I was about to buy land near the new airport!
Indian Express. I don't have any trouble believing it -- one hears a lot about the terrible traffic in Bangalore, for instance. But I find the substantial thesis of this piece questionable. The author is arguing that the Congress government has blocked improvements and infrastructural investment since coming to power six months ago.
If true, that would be bad. But is the Congress abandoning growth? Are they deliberately halting the building of the airport or the highway flyovers? This article seems to have nailed the traffic problems down tightly, but it isn't really explaining the political scenario responsibly.
Indian Express. I don't have any trouble believing it -- one hears a lot about the terrible traffic in Bangalore, for instance. But I find the substantial thesis of this piece questionable. The author is arguing that the Congress government has blocked improvements and infrastructural investment since coming to power six months ago.
The patience that Singh prides himself on has worn thin in the gleaming glass towers and lush campuses of 1,200 IT firms and their 2 lakh employees. About a million people and industries feed off them—taxis, retail, banking, auto sales, hotels—firmly driving Bangalore’s booming economy. At stake, then, is much more than the future of investments worth about $15 billion (Rs 64,500 crore) made in this gridlocking, crumbling city of 7.2 million.
Since the Congress party began its coalition government with Singh—an affable leader with a love for Ghalib and ghazals—at the helm in June, Bangalore’s attempts to transform itself are rapidly unraveling: flyovers are stuck, so is a new international airport and metro, and the roads are simply falling apart.
Worse, the signals are all bad: a dedicated team of officers overseeing the upgradation of Bangalore has been systematically dismantled; and a unique government partnership with the city’s big names (headed by Infosys MD Nandan Nilekani), which oversaw the city’s progress over the last four years, has not just been ignored but even mocked by ministers in Singh’s government.
If true, that would be bad. But is the Congress abandoning growth? Are they deliberately halting the building of the airport or the highway flyovers? This article seems to have nailed the traffic problems down tightly, but it isn't really explaining the political scenario responsibly.
posted by Amardeep at 1:00 PM
3 Comments:
I'm not sure how his love for Ghalib and ghazals is important to the story.
Also, I know a few people in Bangalore and haven't eally heard of a lot of complaints. I've heard that it's busy and crowded but it's a big city. What should one expect?
You can buy land in Bangalore but there are other, more important things you should worry about.
1. The market is being driven by speculative buyers and it would be nice if you research before invest.
2. Watch out for zoning laws in North Bangalore (green belt) and check ownership papers.
The city however is great as usual. The real Bangalore story is just beginning.
Even though Congress is in power, JDS is a major partner. Usually a Janata spell in Karnataka is marked by a general disregard for Bangalore. And a pall of gloom settles on the nighlife in the city. Those who remember JH Patel's term will agree.
All the best.
Bumped into this post by accident, looked at the date, and seems still relevant!
thanks!
-Su
Bangalore Buzzz
Post a Comment
<< Home