<p>Bengaluru is concerned about a host of problems: traffic management, mobility, lake and land encroachment, and language.</p>.<p>Members of Parliament are federal lawmakers, and can bring about change by pressing for laws that make the lives of their constituents better.</p>.<p>Bengaluru citizens are constantly worried about mobility, stuck as they are in endless traffic jams. The Karnataka government wants to build a 102 km elevated corridor cutting across the city, but citizens’ groups are protesting, saying it wastes public money and causes inconvenience for years while it is being built. Encroachment of lakes, parks, footpaths and public spaces is another worry, with no party taking a clear stand on what is to be done with current encroachments.</p>.<p>Among the other contentious issues are language and identity, and Metrolife asked candidates to reveal their stand. Not all candidates spoke about all concerns, and their answers were careful not to offend anyone, but they did say enough for you to get an idea about where they could take the city.<br /><br /><span><strong>Bengaluru South</strong></span></p>.<p><strong>BK Hariprasad, Congress</strong></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: The city needs an elevated corridor as it is expanding. But it shouldn’t be built only to move traffic; we need multi-level parking too. Like Mumbai, Bengaluru should also have suburban railway; it should be properly planned.</p>.<p>Language and identity: Bengaluru is known for its beautiful cosmopolitan culture, and nobody can impose any language and culture on this city. We are fine with any language but imposing it is unacceptable.</p>.<p>Land and lake encroachment: I am for clearing all the encroachments; no further encroachments should come up. We also have to rejuvenate the lakes.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: Bengaluru South will get a botanical garden, a startup corridor, multi-level parking, and efficient garbage and drinking water management.</p>.<p><span><strong>Bangalore Central</strong></span></p>.<p><strong>PC Mohan, BJP</strong></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: Before approving the project, the state government should have consulted the public.</p>.<p>Suburban rail: I have been fighting for a suburban railway service for many years now. Suburban railway is a necessity now. Also, BMTC buses carry 65 lakh passengers a day and the number keeps going up. Our public transport is not up to the mark. The rates are also high. My aim is to complete the suburban railway project in five years. If that happens, 35 lakh passengers can travel a day and bring down 25 per cent of the traffic on the road. I am also working on last mile connectivity. Cycle tracks are a new concept, and difficult to implement right away.</p>.<p>Land, lake encroachment: Public property is under different agencies. My suggestion is that they should all come under the same body. One agency should look after all Bengaluru lakes. Akrama Sakrama is a large subject. All I can say is that the government should think before it acts.</p>.<p>Language and identity: I don’t think Hindi is being imposed on Kannadigas. In fact, non-Bengalureans are making an effort to learn Kannada and that is a good sign. I have seen non-Kannadigas celebrating Kannada Rajyotsava. And we aren’t imposing any language on them either. Bengaluru is a city of languages.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: Traffic is the biggest problem so that will be my priority. Next comes lake revival and regeneration.</p>.<p><span><strong>Prakash Raj, </strong></span><span><strong>Independent</strong></span></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: I am not in favour of the elevated corridor. They are investing in it to curb traffic. But I would rather invest outside Bengaluru to stop the influx of people. Ten years to build the corridor, and the chaos is not what we want. We want a sustainable traffic solution. It needs a scientific temper and vision.</p>.<p>It is important to have a suburban railway system and strengthen the Metro service. We also need cycle tracks.</p>.<p>We should plant more native trees than flowering ones. We need to make Bengaluru a garden city again.</p>.<p>Language and identity: India is democratic and federal in spirit. The approach should be inclusive. Just conversing in Kannada wouldn’t enhance it, introducing it as a subject in schools, teaching the literature and culture will; it is not just a medium, there’s history to it.</p>.<p>Housing: On the one side, there are lakhs of unoccupied houses as they are not affordable, while on the other, there are the overpopulated slums. We can’t relocate people living in the slums, but we can provide proper housing where they are.</p>.<p>Land, lake encroachment: It is not right to build temples, layouts, apartment blocks on land grabbed from the public; a crime is a crime. If it is illegal, they have to be kicked out.</p>.<p>Vision: In five years, I will make this a city that has found its own solutions. As citizens, we must understand the mistakes committed by us and others and correct them.</p>.<p><span><strong>Rizwan Arshad, </strong></span><span><strong>Congress</strong></span></p>.<p>Traffic and Elevated corridor: Whatever infrastructure we want to create for the city has to be scientifically vetted. All stakeholders should have a say and the government should create a platform to understand the concerns of citizens and then take a call.</p>.<p>When it comes to the suburban railway, it is one of the most important services in a city. Bengaluru is late in providing the service. I would be the first votary for it.</p>.<p>People also should understand that the solution isn’t to use only private vehicles. What is missing in today’s transport system is the last mile connectivity.</p>.<p>Language and identity: Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city, with a predominance of languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. BJP doesn’t respect south Indian and regional languages. I advocate mutual respect for all languages and cultures.</p>.<p>Land and lake encroachment: Encroached land has to be cleared and recovered. Public land is for public use.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: I aim to be vocal about Bengaluru Central constituency in Parliament. With the city as my priority, I will fight for it and its people.</p>.<p><span><strong>Tejasvi Surya: What corridor?</strong></span></p>.<p>When Metrolife asked Tejasvi Surya, BJP candidate from Bengaluru South, about his opinion on the 94 km ‘elevated corridor’ proposed by the state government, he said his team would answer the question.</p>.<p>Reporter: What is your view on the elevated corridor project?</p>.<p>Surya: Which corridor are you talking about? Is it the steel bridge flyover?</p>.<p>Reporter: No, sir. It is a very recent project opposed by a lot of citizen groups in the city.</p>.<p>Surya: I will have to look into this and then make comments. I will ask my team to get back to you on this. Thank you.</p>.<p><em>(His team texted to say he was busy)</em></p>.<p><span><strong>No show</strong></span></p>.<p>Metrolife tried contacting Bengaluru North candidates Krishna Byre Gowda (Congress) and D V Sadananda Gowda (BJP), but they didn’t respond, and their assistants said they were busy campaigning.</p>
<p>Bengaluru is concerned about a host of problems: traffic management, mobility, lake and land encroachment, and language.</p>.<p>Members of Parliament are federal lawmakers, and can bring about change by pressing for laws that make the lives of their constituents better.</p>.<p>Bengaluru citizens are constantly worried about mobility, stuck as they are in endless traffic jams. The Karnataka government wants to build a 102 km elevated corridor cutting across the city, but citizens’ groups are protesting, saying it wastes public money and causes inconvenience for years while it is being built. Encroachment of lakes, parks, footpaths and public spaces is another worry, with no party taking a clear stand on what is to be done with current encroachments.</p>.<p>Among the other contentious issues are language and identity, and Metrolife asked candidates to reveal their stand. Not all candidates spoke about all concerns, and their answers were careful not to offend anyone, but they did say enough for you to get an idea about where they could take the city.<br /><br /><span><strong>Bengaluru South</strong></span></p>.<p><strong>BK Hariprasad, Congress</strong></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: The city needs an elevated corridor as it is expanding. But it shouldn’t be built only to move traffic; we need multi-level parking too. Like Mumbai, Bengaluru should also have suburban railway; it should be properly planned.</p>.<p>Language and identity: Bengaluru is known for its beautiful cosmopolitan culture, and nobody can impose any language and culture on this city. We are fine with any language but imposing it is unacceptable.</p>.<p>Land and lake encroachment: I am for clearing all the encroachments; no further encroachments should come up. We also have to rejuvenate the lakes.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: Bengaluru South will get a botanical garden, a startup corridor, multi-level parking, and efficient garbage and drinking water management.</p>.<p><span><strong>Bangalore Central</strong></span></p>.<p><strong>PC Mohan, BJP</strong></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: Before approving the project, the state government should have consulted the public.</p>.<p>Suburban rail: I have been fighting for a suburban railway service for many years now. Suburban railway is a necessity now. Also, BMTC buses carry 65 lakh passengers a day and the number keeps going up. Our public transport is not up to the mark. The rates are also high. My aim is to complete the suburban railway project in five years. If that happens, 35 lakh passengers can travel a day and bring down 25 per cent of the traffic on the road. I am also working on last mile connectivity. Cycle tracks are a new concept, and difficult to implement right away.</p>.<p>Land, lake encroachment: Public property is under different agencies. My suggestion is that they should all come under the same body. One agency should look after all Bengaluru lakes. Akrama Sakrama is a large subject. All I can say is that the government should think before it acts.</p>.<p>Language and identity: I don’t think Hindi is being imposed on Kannadigas. In fact, non-Bengalureans are making an effort to learn Kannada and that is a good sign. I have seen non-Kannadigas celebrating Kannada Rajyotsava. And we aren’t imposing any language on them either. Bengaluru is a city of languages.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: Traffic is the biggest problem so that will be my priority. Next comes lake revival and regeneration.</p>.<p><span><strong>Prakash Raj, </strong></span><span><strong>Independent</strong></span></p>.<p>Elevated corridor: I am not in favour of the elevated corridor. They are investing in it to curb traffic. But I would rather invest outside Bengaluru to stop the influx of people. Ten years to build the corridor, and the chaos is not what we want. We want a sustainable traffic solution. It needs a scientific temper and vision.</p>.<p>It is important to have a suburban railway system and strengthen the Metro service. We also need cycle tracks.</p>.<p>We should plant more native trees than flowering ones. We need to make Bengaluru a garden city again.</p>.<p>Language and identity: India is democratic and federal in spirit. The approach should be inclusive. Just conversing in Kannada wouldn’t enhance it, introducing it as a subject in schools, teaching the literature and culture will; it is not just a medium, there’s history to it.</p>.<p>Housing: On the one side, there are lakhs of unoccupied houses as they are not affordable, while on the other, there are the overpopulated slums. We can’t relocate people living in the slums, but we can provide proper housing where they are.</p>.<p>Land, lake encroachment: It is not right to build temples, layouts, apartment blocks on land grabbed from the public; a crime is a crime. If it is illegal, they have to be kicked out.</p>.<p>Vision: In five years, I will make this a city that has found its own solutions. As citizens, we must understand the mistakes committed by us and others and correct them.</p>.<p><span><strong>Rizwan Arshad, </strong></span><span><strong>Congress</strong></span></p>.<p>Traffic and Elevated corridor: Whatever infrastructure we want to create for the city has to be scientifically vetted. All stakeholders should have a say and the government should create a platform to understand the concerns of citizens and then take a call.</p>.<p>When it comes to the suburban railway, it is one of the most important services in a city. Bengaluru is late in providing the service. I would be the first votary for it.</p>.<p>People also should understand that the solution isn’t to use only private vehicles. What is missing in today’s transport system is the last mile connectivity.</p>.<p>Language and identity: Bengaluru is a cosmopolitan city, with a predominance of languages like Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi. BJP doesn’t respect south Indian and regional languages. I advocate mutual respect for all languages and cultures.</p>.<p>Land and lake encroachment: Encroached land has to be cleared and recovered. Public land is for public use.</p>.<p>Vision for the city: I aim to be vocal about Bengaluru Central constituency in Parliament. With the city as my priority, I will fight for it and its people.</p>.<p><span><strong>Tejasvi Surya: What corridor?</strong></span></p>.<p>When Metrolife asked Tejasvi Surya, BJP candidate from Bengaluru South, about his opinion on the 94 km ‘elevated corridor’ proposed by the state government, he said his team would answer the question.</p>.<p>Reporter: What is your view on the elevated corridor project?</p>.<p>Surya: Which corridor are you talking about? Is it the steel bridge flyover?</p>.<p>Reporter: No, sir. It is a very recent project opposed by a lot of citizen groups in the city.</p>.<p>Surya: I will have to look into this and then make comments. I will ask my team to get back to you on this. Thank you.</p>.<p><em>(His team texted to say he was busy)</em></p>.<p><span><strong>No show</strong></span></p>.<p>Metrolife tried contacting Bengaluru North candidates Krishna Byre Gowda (Congress) and D V Sadananda Gowda (BJP), but they didn’t respond, and their assistants said they were busy campaigning.</p>
