Back in the year 2007, when I moved to Bangalore after many years outside India, I noticed Chennai to be much more inviting than Bangalore. One reason being my hometown and the other is Bangalore politicians of that year were only pocketing money and doing nothing to improve anything in Bangalore.
Bangalore with lots of pot holes all over the city, on the streets and even the main roads. People grumbling about government collecting so much taxes from the IT giants and doing nothing for laying good roads. Worse still, digging up good roads and leaving it in rubbles.
Whenever I travel to Chennai, it looked a city better equiped on the roads and with very attractive packages in all front. I needed no excuse to make a trip to Chennai.
Now comes 2009, the latest Karnataka government has taken out the whip and started the herculean task of correcting the roads and it is showing very good progress.
Begining of Feb 2010, I am able to appreciate the action and they are felt during everyday traffic to office especially near the hebbal towards new Airport.
Now my travels to Chennai always brings me to a very shabby and smelly city. I am at the heart of the city (Beach station), the road dividers are in such an implorable condition. God knows when it was maintained last time.
With Government finding big budgets to build new parlimant house, it should also find small pocket monies for city's maintenance. If not, Chennai will soon loose out to Bangalore which is getting more and more competent. I am still unable to find what is stopping the city (good government) manaharatchi from giving a good scrub on the dividers and painting the dividers once a year. This is just the tip of the iceberg. You have so much more to do on the city to make it the best of all the cities in India. Come to think of it, the solution seems to be very simple even for my bird brain.
What to do to improve the conditions of chennai? The top things to do:
1. The project to clean Cooum River which the government has planned and initiated. Hats-off to Stalin on his personal involvment for this activity. This is a very good start but this has to be completed successfully and maintained continuously. It has to spawn out to many sub-projects like below.
2. Split the strom water system from the sewage system. The sewage system to be managed separately in the best in class ways. Refer to the process http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sewage_treatment. There can be multiple locations and the cleaned water gets into strom water outlets.
3. Storm water can run into cooum river to go to the sea without leaving a trace of rain water after a heavy rain like in Singapore. If Government is smart, more ways are there to harvest this water in all possible ways and make them clean water for city citizens.
4. Well planned solid waste management system instead of big dump areas all over the city. Includes separation of the disposable and recyclable wastes at the door step of the city dwellers.
The city's public transport is very good and it provides good value for the money collected. When compared to bus fares in Bangalore, Chennai fare is very low and seems the best. However taking other public transport like autorickshaw is very challenging in Chennai. Bangalore still manages with the meter based fare and Chennai auto's meter are disabled beyond repair. It is the auto driver who decides the fare and he is always many times more than government's recommended fare.
Chennai Traffic Police has to shield the citizens and the tourists from the harrassment of the drivers. I personally had a bad experience when I went for my brother-in-law's funeral last year. I took prepaid auto from Koembedu and on reaching the destination the driver was arguing that the fare should be more and was very abusive. My brothers were at the scene and they being local were able to shoo off the driver. I can speak tamil and if my fate is like this, I pity those non-tamil visitors.
Bangalore has its fair share of troubles. With tree felling taking priority over the city culture of tree growing, the weather seems to have gone completely crazy. It is hot hot and hot everywhere in Bangalore in March!?@?! Last year is pathetic with almost no rain, it is almost a miracle there are still greens around the city.
I expect Chennai to prosper as always against the odds. But those few steps from government will ensure it as the winner city in the country.
Since I have started loving Bangalore, I do hope government finds a way to compromise between development and environment.
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