The chat room: 'Why let this monster chomp our trees'

What does it cost to bring a 30-minute commute down to seven? A steel flyover? That's not the answer to all the city's traffic ills, says Priya-Chetty Rajagopal, executive director, leadership and board practice, RGF Executive Search India.

The soul of the city is being eaten away with infrastructure projects that are impractical and just plain wrong, feels Priya Chetty Rajagopal as we sit down for a quick cuppa.

The steel-flyover connecting Basaveshwara Circle to Hebbal Flyover comes at an estimated cost of Rs 1,790 crore and claim the lives over 800 trees along the stretch. Citizens have rallied together to stop the government from going ahead with the plan, which was approved at the end of September. But it may not stop the government.

According to a recent report, Bengaluru has already lost around 10,000 trees in road and metro projects over the last few years. Online petitions and even a PIL have gone in vain, with the Karnataka High Court dismissing the latter, allowing the government to go ahead with the project. The call-for-action is largely to improve the city's public transport system, although complaints and solutions alike have fallen on deaf ears.

“What is the BBMP thinking? Are they thinking at all?” asked an agitated Priya, adding, “Talking about Bengaluru makes me very emotional, the city I knew growing up doesn’t exist anymore. The steel flyover is a mistake, just like the BBMP's magic box.”

A once-beautiful city is now being burdened by a fast-growing population, badly-planned infrastructure and a politician-realtor tie up.

Infrastructure cannot be done in bits and pieces, with huge projects that only benefit a portion of our city-dwellers. “At the cost of tree cover, that too,” Priya said. “There are so many solutions to our traffic woes, but we need to put our minds to it,” she adds.

“Experts across the city have re-iterated the underlying cause of our problems for years - the lack of political will - a criticism which Priya echoes. “This is a pompous idea and it's not going to work. We don't need to cut down 800 trees in the name of improving infrastructure. The steel flyover is a symbol of everything that ails our city.”  

“We are struggling with the fact we have done plenty of damage already. It is about time we realised that the city needs to survive for a long time with its skin and soul intact,” she sighs.

But then what should we start with? "Why don't we have good, prompt connectivity through the bus network? Public transportation is not taken seriously enough in Bengaluru, unlike in the West or even in Delhi. The Kempegowda Bus stand is a mess. Start with that! Does the government not realise that there are 10 lakh people who go to the airport and 30 lakh to Majestic bus stand? It is tragic that nothing is done for these 30 lakh people,” she says.

“You just cannot set up a vision group and then not give them a chance to provide you with ideas. We have some great minds here, who are willing to work for the betterment of Bengaluru, but we don’t utilise their expertise. Tomorrow, the government will say Priya has vested interests,” she laughs. “Still, this is my city and enough is enough!"