Bangalore will now have a metro rail

Ya, right! As I read about the 'Bangalore Metro Rail' for the nth time, I wonder as to who they are trying to fool? And then it strikes me. The six million official residents (the actual number is probably double that figure) who live in that gas chamber in the hope of seeing their 'beloved garden city' emerge from its ashes like the mythical phoenix - what can you call them but fools?

A city thats registering 500-600 vehicles a day, has 100,000 auto rickshaws and has a million poison-spewing two wheelers, the highest for any city in the world; needs something more than a dozen flyovers and a total of 32 kms of glamorous metro rail. You can't apply a couple of band-aids on a tumor and expect it to miraculously heal! There are some hard decisions to be taken. And I am afraid Bangalore is not China or Singapore where tough rules can be implemented.


Looking at the confused political leadership, the insane population explosion and the miserable excuse that goes by the name 'infrastructure', one can only depend on Adam Smith's invisible hand for help. Market forces alone can bring some sanity into a Bangalorean's life. Some people think that Bangalore will continue to grow at this pace leading to even more infrastructural problems. A few think that Bangalore will just crumble and collapse completely one day. I would say neither of them seem probable.

As the city's infrastructure gives way slowly - first the roads, then water and sewerage, then power - it will lead to a slow and steady outflow of businesses, people and capital. I think Bangalore has pretty much gone beyond saturation at this point and the only way from here is downhill. The big companies stopped expansion in Bangalore and chose to set up offices in other parts of the country. New businesses are unwilling to set up shop in Bangalore owing to the ridiculous wages and real estate prices. As they set up offices elsewhere, people start following them as well.

The people migration will have different stages - I guess all the people who cannot adjust to the new image of this city have left already. This includes all the 'pensioners' and old world Bangaloreans who loved their gardens, morning walks and their 'idli-vada' and hot filter coffee at a local cafe. The second wave includes people who have the option of settling outside. That will be the first stage.

The second stage will consist of all those opportunistic freaks who came to Bangalore solely for education and employment. They start finding good jobs elsewhere and hence waste no time in bidding good bye to this city. As the so called 'IT and ITES folks' start moving out, the real estate prices come crashing down, huge apartments and houses no longer get built at this rate. Migrant labourers, artisans and craftsmen no longer find Bangalore attractive. The only people left in Bangalore will be those businesses who have already invested too much (Public Sector Companies, Infosys, Wipro and so on) and the people who dont actually have a choice but to stay.

Slowly, the city will come down to an equilibrium state from its current hyperactive state. But will this equilibrium state be the same old 'Namma BengaLuru?(our Bangalore)'. NEVER! It will just be a little less messy than today I guess, but never the same old clean, pleasant Bangalore.

As the city transforms, the 'leaders' will still be fighting for their chairs, mobs and gangs will still disrupt public life and believe me, Bangalore Metro will still be on paper! ;-) And the voters will continue to get fooled.

Folks, the Garden City is dead! The earlier we realize this fact and move on, the better for us.
Long live The Garbage City!

(Photo Courtesy: www.hindu.com and www.siliconverse.com )