Bangalore Metro by 2010/11? Think again!

I relocated to namma bengalooru in April '07. The big news here at that time was that metro rail system was in prorgess and the reckless traffic would dissolve into a peaceful ride in the air-conditioned coaches of the metro by early 2011! Its an year since then and I have only been seeing false promises, mismanagement and endless public land acquisition hearings; the reality is that NO progress has been achieved in this regard.

The initial phase was supposed to end at the beginning of 2008 and this included completion of the foundation work forthe rail line in MG road (Anil Kumble circle to Trinity circle -> as far as I remember seeing it on the Metro's information board placed at MG road!). I witnessed the beginning of the work myself. They raised barricades on either side of the road, halving the width of the arterial MG road! Though agonised by the traffic & pollution caused by these changes, the people were happy that the work for a better transportation, long overdue in bangalore, has begun.
Now, well past the deadline for completing the foundation work, the metro line in MG road has nothing to boast of; it has only increased the traffic woes. The BMRC has just started to put the pillars in place (view the pic i clicked just a month ago!) The workers were still struggling to place the pillar in the proper place and position. And to top it all, this was the first of the series of pillars to be erected on the MG road!! After months of starting the work, the BMRC has slowly coming up with different reasons for the delay - resource scarcity, land acquisition etc.

When they were handed over such a huge, didnt they had to plan and anticipate the troubles at the very start itself? With all these issues, the BMRC is still promising to complete the work in 3-4 years time!! I really wish they do. Afterall, no one can stop me from wishing!

Shaaz.

Where is the sense?

It was "Rama Navami", one of the very few functions that I celebrate. I got up early in the morning, took my bath and dressed up to pay a visit to the nearest temple. Luckily, the temple was not much crowded and I had a great darshan of the Lord. Once done with my prayers, I sat in one of steps (as was the practice after darshan) and watched the people who were queing up for something. "What is there?", I enquired one of those people. "We are registering our names for the special pooja for Rs.250" replied an elderly person. I was happy that the pujaris were making some money in this regard. I was in for a thought provoking incident outside the temple.

I had parked my vehicle a few hundred meters away and hence had to walk until there. On my way, I saw a young girl, visibly poor, holding a white polythene cover with "mallige" flower in it. She failed to notice me as I passed by and I could realise that she was totally lost and was desperately looking for something. A couple of seconds after I reached my vehicle, she approached me.
The following conversation ensued (translated kannada-->english):

Her:Please buy some flowers.
Me:Sorry. I really dont need them now.
Her:Please Sir. I have been trying to sell them off to people going in and coming out of the temple. But no one is interested in buying and the temple staff are chasing me away. (I vaguely remembered seeing this happen when I was at the temple)
Me:Ok. Fine. But I dont want flowers now.
Her:(With little tears in her eyes) My sister has to appear for her exam. I could not pay her exam fee. I am falling short by 100 rupees. I have been telling this to many people since an hour but not even a single person lent an ear to this. I dont tell lies and swear by God that I want to raise money!
Me:(I somehow get a gut feeling that the female isnt telling any story to me and has been desperate to raise 100 bucks) Ok. I trust what you are saying. Where does your sister study and what is her name?
Her:(tells the school name etc. and she is totally in tears now)
Me::(I am aware of it..) I hand out her a 100 rupee note in return of some flowers and leave the place with some disturbing thoughts in my mind!

Though I am a religious person, I fail to understand the way people think! I understand that people give importance to the rituals performed in the temple. But when it comes to helping poor people why do they back out? They readily shell out hundreds and thousands of rupees in the name of religion but not ready to spend even a small percentage of that amount for the community they live in!

I understand that every religion in this world promotes "Kindness and respect for fellow human beings". Hence the Gods would probably be much more happier if the "sevaks" helped the needy rather than chase them away!

I wish all people acquire greater "sense" in this regard.

Signing off,
Shaaz