Infrastructure

First things first: The headline of this blog is not the title of an upcoming movie! This script was conceived during a pollution-free ride —amid a haze of smoke outside—from New Delhi (railway station) to Chandni Chowk—a buzzing marketplace in old Delhi that has withstood the test of time for centuries. These words echo the lore of a blockbuster that has been running to packed houses (read coaches) day after day, year after year, in one of the world's busiest urban agglomerations. Delhi Metro, as the phenomenon is commonly known, is not merely a means of mass rapid transit; it…

The Honourable Chief Minister Shri H D Kumaraswamy has responded to the citizens’ protest on March 16th demanding public consultations and #TenderRadduMaadi. This represented the interests of a large number of people, including over 60 organisations. His response was both swift and spontaneous, and at very short notice, he met with citizen representatives. He patiently listened to various points of view at the meeting and offered his own comments in the discussion with Leo Saldanha of ESG, Prof Ashish Verma of IISc, Prakash Belawadi, Naresh Narasimhan, Vinay Sreenivasa of Bengaluru Bus Prayaneekara Vedike (BBPV), Zibi Jamal of Whitefield Rising, and…

"Two years ago", all of us came together to oppose the steel flyover that threatened to ruin our city. Your support in the form of physical presence at human chain and resolutions passed in your organization played a critical role in successfully stopping that. Now we have a much bigger battle ahead of us as the 100kms elevated corridor looms upon us. The old steel flyover is also part of it in the concrete avatar! We need to come together once again and we request your help. As you might know, we were expecting a notice for public consultation ever…

All of us would agree there is a growing need for last mile connectivity in our public transport system. With the introduction of the Metro Rail and expansion of MRTS, the idea of a multi modal transport system is definitely a welcome move. Given the popularity and  large scale acceptance for shared public transport systems worldwide, is this not the right time for the administration to introduce clear guidelines and a set of rules for the privately operated share autos ? Over the last several weeks diesel share autos which ply between Retteri and Perambur have been taking a detour from…

Mass public transit: 5 mantras to learn by rote - Or, how to answer other people's questions 1. Why do we need suburban rail in Bengaluru? #ModaluTrainBeku because suburban train connects the suburbs around the core of the city without needing to pass through the city. Circular commute, similar to a ring road. Suburban trains in India are also much cheaper than the Metro. This enables people who may be lower income earners with no choice but to live farther away from the core & commute, to do so efficiently, effectively, affordably & without causing congestion & pollution. 2. Why…

A few days ago I was passing through Perambur Barracks Road (Chennai 600007) near the Sub Registrar's Office, when I happened to notice several manhole chambers (part of the storm water drain) encroaching upon the pavement on one side of the road. These were constructed in a way that caused obstructions to pedestrians at regular intervals. Because of this  the pedestrians had to either walk over the obstacles or in the middle of the road and it was a case of being stuck between the devil and the deep sea. Strange as it would seem, further chambers were being newly…

Here are my responses to the most frequently asked six questions from people who watched our videos on elevated corridors. Please feel free to add your points so we can strengthen the argument and keep it to the merits of the case without getting personal, no matter what the others say. You can catch the video here if you missed it : https://www.facebook.com/tara.krishnaswamy.7/videos/10216165669396468 Q1: What is the problem with elevated roads? Why do you oppose it? A: The problem with elevated roads is that they are built for private vehicles. Bikes & cars carry people very inefficiently. When a city…

When a Budget is presented in July, and when a significant new commitment of expenditure is made for a single purpose (as in the case of agricultural loan waivers this year), there is not much room for other things. So we must see the loan waiver itself as the significant announcement, and not ask what else is significant this year. That said, there is one thing in the Budget which I liked. The focus on the industrial development of a few districts, based on key strengths in those districts, is a potentially good idea. If it is done right, it…

When a Budget is presented in July, and when a significant new commitment of expenditure is made for a single purpose (as in the case of agricultural loan waivers this year), there is not much room for other things. So we must see the loan waiver itself as the significant announcement, and not ask what else is significant this year. That said, there is one thing in the Budget which I liked. The focus on the industrial development of a few districts, based on key strengths in those districts, is a potentially good idea. If it is done right, it…

Congratulations to Namma Metro on completing one year of service on Phase I. Phase I has been a boon to (South-West) Bengaluru and with the addition of two new coaches to every train, it will lead to even more passengers using metro. Our gratitude to all the staff of Namma Metro for working hard to make this milestone happen. We all know that the root cause of traffic problems in Bengaluru is the massive growth and lack of corresponding investment in public transport - other big cities had multiple modes of mass public transport - local trains in Mumbai, Chennai…