For most bloggers, writing is only a moonlighting activity, not a day job and I am no exception. That means, you can’t sign up to blog at multiple places and fool yourselves.

Before I move on, I wanted to thank Metblogs readers for tolerating all those posts. It’s been fun blogging here, watching the readership numbers swell, and meeting some like minded folks. There definitely is a need for blogging communities like this where you get to hear “real” stuff from the ground about everything Bangalore, or shall I say Bengaluru. Cheers!

” While for the Solur SEZ (Bangalore Rural district), the company has sought 7,287 acres, and for Ramanagaram, it will require 4,013 acres. SKIL has also sought 4,182 acres at different places around Bangalore to develop 188 km of an intermediate ring road.”

And now, a consortium called GIC, which includes SKIL, is asking to take over BMIC project. When a single entity gets so much prominence so quickly, questions come naturally. They can’t be the only infrastructure builder willing to bet on Bangalore growth story, can they?

At this rate, how about we predict two more headlines:
- SKIL bags contract to build BIAL airport expressway
- SKIL announces plans to take over BMRDA

Okay, I went overboard with the second one there. But when our state government itself is directly planning all peripheral development work for Bangalore, I wonder how relevant BMRDA is.

[Disclaimer: Only raising a question here. I have no more information over what has appeared in newspapers. It is more than likely that all of this is squeaky clean. But it is our right to expect and demand more transparency]

We can criticize this on a few counts. Why not Bengalooru South? Using word ‘Bangalore’ to name a new district, doesn’t that contradict last year’s renaming drama that seemed to say, “I don’t care about brand Bangalore”? You can also say – “ha, see how much attention CM’s constituency is getting”! True, wish all regions of Karnataka got similar love and care. Another criticism I have heard is, “talk is cheap, just a new name is not enough”. Last, the name does confuse – How many Bangalore Souths can we have?

Alright alright. But I tell you this. These plans to develop peripheral and satellite areas of Bangalore are the only ones you should pin your hopes of rosy future on. Assuming the land acquisition issues can be sorted in politically correct ways – that is a tough job BTW – anything the state government can do to re-plan our city to be bigger and to spread around its new found prosperity should be welcome. The city as it exists today was not designed for these many people, period. Create 5-6 new job centers, connect them really well (those new ring roads), and have good norms for land development. This is what BMRDA is trying as I see it.

One thing I hope for though is this. Those new SEZs (the one already announced at Nandagudi, some to be announced soon at other satellite regions), and these plans for developing Ramanagaram and Bidadi – hope all this fits in some grander scheme of things on BMRDA’s mind. BMRDA shouldn’t become just one of the agencies facilitating development of Greater Bangalore. It should be *the* nodal agency to see to it that Greater Bangalore turns out to be a nicer city.

While I am at it, one more point on satellite towns. I see talk of good new roads. Great. But so far, not much on public transport front. Does anyone see the need for a BMRTA? This Metro Regional Transport Authority could be the nodal agency sitting on top of BMTC, Metro and Railways in the region (why not?) to ensure public transport plans are lot more than just highways and elevated expressways.

Wish they would start some parking enforcements on some of these re-done roads as well. Otherwise, the road widening projects turn into parking lot projects – people just start using the extra width for parking.

Implementing suggestions from Ganguly report has met with good response in Delhi. It aims to rationalize and simplify admission procedures for Nursery and pre-primary schools. The report, prepared last year to comply with a Delhi high court order, is available on CBSE website. You may want to read and be in the know, because if you have infants or toddlers today, you will most likely be touched by it very soon.

Flashy site. Colorful. Logo and all. On each visit, I try my best to find authentic information on phase 2 (Kanakapura, Peenya extensions?) and phase 3 (Electronics City, Whitefiled?), but I can’t. A possible logic BMRC may have is – publishing routes which aren’t final will lead to speculative real estate activity. But then, keeping the information limited to a few babus and journalists is more dangerous. Who knows, some real estate folks may already be selling pigeon holes based on the ‘best-known’ next phase routes!

Next up, whatever happened to dear Mono? A route map is available, but no update on whats happening to the project. Does anyone know if BMRC itself will be executing it?

Talking about stations, why do I see newspapers carrying more details than the website itself? Are they really planning a 1000 car parking garage at Byappanhalli? Will RV Road Terminal have any serious parking space? How do I know who is telling the truth when there is no authentic source of information?

Last, how about some regular project updates? Don’t need pictures, papers do a good job of that. A schedule, some deadlines, status etc should help. Why be scared when you seem to be doing a good job!?

Can’t make the city safe for women in the nights, ban them working late nights. Cant manage this traffic, force people to abandon vehicles. What is next I wonder. Don’t have enough schools in the city, make kids stay at home? Don’t have enough water, force people to wash clothes only once a week? Don’t have enough jobs, allow only one worker per family? Hold on, I am getting worked up now.

Yes sir, the underlying thought behind the idea is good – somehow, you must discourage use of private transport. Your ideas on encouraging public transportation and car pooling are good. But please, don’t try these draconian measures. Last I checked, we still lived in India, not China! Instead, first work aggressively on public transport or your car-pooling idea. And then, perhaps gradually discourage purchase of cars by increasing vehicle registration taxes via a public-transport cess?

Sir, you solve our traffic woes by walking the talk on your 10 point program, or by fast tracking your BTRAC project. You make things better by managing the unruly drivers via enforcement, because I think we have enough roads for the cars and buses we have today. You manage traffic by encouraging people to spread out by fast tracking Satellite town concepts and crawling projects like the BMIC. You make city’s growth manageable by allowing large commercial and residential projects to come up only after you make sure you can create adequate amount of infrastructure (roads, water, power etc) for the new jobs and new residents.

Moreover, why are the ministers coming up with ideas? Their job is to listen to people, execute on good ideas and help enforce the law. Traffic management ideas better be coming from Transportation engineers or experts, certainly not the ministers.

BTW, honorable Transport Minister Mr Cheluvaraya Swamy himself has two cars. He justifies that by saying that since he travels a lot on work, he needs one for himself and one for the family.

Every house and street is in their web. Look around your home to find some silk spun in from neighbors’ houses and some weaved down from nearby electricity poles or coconut trees. The Spidermen of Bangalore use anything they can to grow their web – trees, abandoned poles, rusting vehicles, tall fences. Try spot things that stand but can’t complain and you will notice more of their weaving.

It is as if these cable men have your house in their shackles. “Let us take out house # 44 today”, they may decide. “Pole, check”. “Rear neighbor, check”. “Side neighbor, check”. “Tree, check”. “Go, go”! And then one of their men will start pulling the spider-web around your house. Up it may go in the air, plucked and uprooted from the ground. “House # 44 is down sssir”. Yes, their noose is so tight and omnipresent that you may not be alone in getting nightmares like these.

Some evidence yours truly captured:

Spider silk sneaking in from a neighbor’s:

And from the skies:

The micro cobwebs on poles, they got spare capacity, like those kite-flyers!

Hidden coaxial treasure nailed to trees:

Whats that box, spider-house atop a tree?

1) Hope you noticed that the new Marathahalli bridge has a bright double yellow line as traffic direction separator. I have observed more than a few times that drivers are conscious of crossing it. Shiny cat-eyes on the line are a bonus – they remind you the moment you spill over. Yes, some taxis, BMTC buses do jump around, but the line constantly reminds them that they are in wrong territory and must get back. Most of the times they do.


Here is another one from the bridge during evening rush hour. I was in a cab, and was surprised to see him respect the ‘line’!

Without the lines, right at the entrance to this bridge, this is how life usually is. Not that clear markings would completely solve the problem. But there is nothing to constantly remind the drivers that they might be erring. (Note: pic was taken before the bridge opened, but the scene is similar even now)

2) Another example – parking. See how that zen and the van have their own standards here? The zen effectively choked a nice two lane road (in front of Angadi Silks, JP Nagar) into single lane annoying many drivers. Try arguing with these careless ‘parkers’, and their answer – how do I know where exactly and how to park? If there was a line on the side demarcating parking and driving zones on the road, I bet many drivers would try to observe them.

Sure, lines, markings and signage alone are not enough. Many cabbies and aggressive sorts would still break the norms. But the props at least make them feel bad while doing it, and make it easy for activists like you and me to capture evidences of their misdemeanors :)

Specific seats will be allotted to all passengers at all stations. The row and seat numbers will be indicated on the boarding passes. The allotment … will ensure that the boarding … is carried out in a smooth and orderly manner …

Well, you may say good move, but I don’t like government enforcements at these “low” levels. Leave it to market forces, shall we? But yes, I do like the part about old and handicapped passengers:

Due care shall be exercised for allotting specific seats to handicapped or infirm/aged persons … should be embarked before normal passengers and disembarked at the end.

Lets see.