Today as I was walking towards Cafe Coffee Day on100 ft road in Indiranagar, I saw a huge crowd gathered there by the roadside. When I inquired, I was told that a 13 year kid was knocked spot-dead by a BMTC (Bangalore Municipal Transport Corporation) bus. The kid was apparently riding on a bicycle.
Over the period of my stay in Bangalore, I havent stopped noticing the umpteen number of people who ride bicycles in Bangalore. When I first moved to Bangalore from the US, I too bought a bicycle. But the carbon dioxide/monoxide that I had to inhale on the signals along with the dangers of riding (a bicycle rider is not even considered as important as a mosquito by bike-riders and motorists) made me give it up soon.But there are a huge number of Bangaloreans who need a bicycle to make their living. It is as dangerous a living as fighting on the LoC, I think.
Huge number of Bangaloreans also travel by buses everday. One needs to watch the crowds on various bus stands. Who cares for their comfort? The Kumarswamis of this world (and thanks heavens he is not a CM now) buy huge buildings which they rent out to IT companies, once they become CMs. Can they be even remotely called representatives of the people ?
And now there is this so called Lead India initiative. What percentage of Indians can read English in thefirst place? How dare an English paper even claim to represent India , let alone lead it? No wonder, Mayawati has been hailed as an upcoming world leader. Her corruption apart, certainly, she can at least probably claim to speak the language of the people, unlike the likes of Times of India.
regards,
Samir
2 comments:
One essential measure required to pedestrianise a city area would be to introduce bicycling as a primary mode of intra-city travel. But commercial interests, lethargy of citizens and pollution kill such initiatives. It's a Catch-22 situation. You have cycles, you cut pollution. But you have pollution, so you have no cyclists!
When the literate & well-employed (BPO, Software Companies, etc) behave as though they are ashamed to use public transport, namely BMTC, how can we expect widespread usage of bicycles? The transport department should be worried about stopping any more registration of Autorickshaws & Cabs that ferry the BPO & Software Company employees. Bangalore's roads are overflowing with yellow-tops (meaning Autorickshaws)& menacing cabs and a vast majority of the road mishaps & road-rage incidents are because of these two.
Post a Comment