DC Debate: Bangalore have enough resources to handle the city growth?

The Chief Minister approving the vertical growth of the city has received mixed responses. While a city of skyscrapers sounds very tempting, does Bangalore have the resources to handle it??V. Madhu and Yellappa Reddy debate the issue.

There’s no way but up from here

V. Madhu, a former IAS officer

I have argued for the last six years that we need vertical growth coupled with mass and rapid transportation.

And now finally, the  Chief Minister has also given his nod for it. A horizontal growth plan has put a lot of strain on the BWSSB as it is costly to lay additional sewerage lines and for other utilities to lay  cables for electricity. 

In fact, many countries have opted for the vertical plan because of the huge cost involved in spreading infrastructure.

Environmentalists may argue that a horizontal plan is the way to go but who will bear the cost?

In Paris, there are four layers of the Metro underneath hotels, thereby facilitating vertical growth.

Similarly Shanghai has 600 kms of Metro, again mostly underground. If not underground, we should and can have an elevated one. I would say please plan your malls near the Metro.

I do agree that water is the biggest constraint but once  water from the Netravati River is diverted to Bangalore, Kolar and Tumkur,  all these issues  will subside.

Besides, problems with garbage and its disposal can also be set right. A good and efficient system of collection can be put in place in a vertical growth plan. But before that we have the larger issue of transportation to solve.

As a bureaucrat I had strongly advocated various kinds of connectivity like  mono  or light rail for a distance of 60 kms, Metro Rail for 700 kms, and a commuter rail connecting Atibele, Bidadi and other remote areas.

Water crisis:?Vertical growth will bleed us dry

Yellappa Reddy, an environmentalist

With the density of population  increasing in urban areas how will you solve issues of car parking, sewage lines and garbage disposal if you grow vertically?

One needs to remember that about 2000 people stay in a high rise and they will produce a huge amount of garbage.

We neither have a proper collection centre, sites for disposal or a recycling plant in place. We also do not have wide roads.

I do not know why and how the Chief Minister has supported the vertical growth plan. We cannot expand exponentially without understanding the capacity of the city.

However, the major threat will be posed by the huge borewells that will be needed  for these constructions.

The groundwater table is already depleting and the authorities are exploring the possibility of diverting water from the Netravathi River and other remote areas to the city.

But even if you plan this project today, it will take another 10 to 12 years for it to become a reality. Also diverting water from the Netravati River will affect the vegetation of the Western Ghats.

I am not sure whether constructing malls and buildings near Metro lines as is done in Hongkong and France, is the solution either.

One needs to understand that Bangalore's terrain is quite different from that of both these places.

Besides, what about the lower middle class people who constitutes about 45 per cent of the population? They still live in sub-standard conditions. 

The implications are huge and many. We need to assess them before coming to any conclusion.