Bangalooru Days - Part 1

Following the bandwagon of cities reverting back to their old names, Bangalore will soon be renamed as Bangalooru this November. The Government was so busy making this important decision that it did not have time to reflect upon less important issues like improving the infrastructure of the city.

When I reached Bangalore last month, I was shocked at the traffic. I was visiting Bangalore after a gap of 11 months and things seemed to have got worse. Those who have spent hours stuck in these traffic jams know what I am talking about. Getting from one end of the city to the other will take atleast 2 hours during non-peak hours ! Adding to the confusion is the ever -changing road topology -there are so many one-ways, I wonder how people remember the routes. To make matters worse, the one-way roads are blocked whenever a VIP visits ! And this is called traffic management !!!

Where there is traffic, can pollution be far behind ? I fell sick within a few days after landing in Bangalore. The common cold is really common. The garden city is slowly turning into a concrete jungle.

My last comment is about the Bangalore International Airport - Will it ever go beyond just the blueprints ? The current HAL/Intl Airport is a joke. The airport is dirty, small and crowded. I have to warn other homesick people who land in this airport; after dreaming of the city for years, you would naturally take a deep breath as soon as you land. And do you the smell the fresh Bangalore air ? No way, that no longer exists. What you do get is an unhealthy mix of various air-pollutants. If you do manage to survive and get inside the airport, you would be greeted with smells that indicate that no one cleans the restrooms. :-(

Sigh ! My beautiful city has turned into a nightmare !