JOIN USThe New Year is just around the corner and Bengalureans wish to see a lot of positive changes take place in the city. Citizens look forward to government agencies, such as BBMP, BMTC and BMRCL, pulling their act together to bring about changes in the city.
People want to see a more effective and workable plan replace the existing garbage management programme, wider road and more walkable pedestrian paths. While young Bengalureans want a cleaner and greener place, the older folk feel better transport facilities and last mile connectivity should top the list of priorities in the coming year. Many feel that the development of infrastructure has not kept pace with the increasing vehicle population in the city. Anand Rao, an IT professional, hopes the authorities will work on improving transport facilities, so that people will start using them more often.
“One of the main reasons why people use their own vehicle when commuting is because the transport facilities, whether buses, Metro Rail or autorickshaws, are not up to people’s expectations. Carpooling must be made mandatory because this will instill a sense of discipline and also reduce congestion on the roads,” says Anand.
There have been several small groups that have got together and done their bit to clean the city but their efforts don’t seemed to paid off. Afreen, a youngster, feels a sustained effort towards any project is the need of the hour. “We saw several groups painting the walls across the city but still you find people dumping garbage in the same spot after a while. People seem to lack the basic civic sense; they come across as indifferent to the changes being brought about in the city,” feels Afreen. She also hopes people will do their bit to save the existing trees and plant more saplings.
A few others like Waseem, an IT professional, wishes to see a cleaner and more transparent administration.
“The government agencies must work in such a way that people repose faith in them. Good roads and better transport facilities are what is required. Seamless and hassle-free connectivity is needed to ease the congestion on the roads,” reasons Waseem.
A few youngsters, like Shruti Raghavan, a software consultant, want better policing in the city. “Safety of women must be a priority for the Bengaluru City Police. Women must be able to walk freely and fearlessly, even in the wee hours. This will make Bengaluru a safer place for everybody,” she says.