It is as if they want to try out every conceivable transport system ahead of the commonwealth games.
The metro project has, by and large, been a success. Although many citizens have been hassled by the process of construction, it has filled a gap for a mass transit system.
An aside here though. Some metro engineers and workers have not been sensitive to the fact that the area where they are working also inhabited by people. They have been using vibrating rollers for the roads without even taking into consideration the effect on the residents of neighbouring areas. The residents have suffered and complained but to no avail. Their complaints have fallen on deaf ears. The RWA members have not taken up their causes because mostly in such colonies, they live in the houses which are situated a considerable distance away from the site of construction and therefore don’t have to bear the brunt of the construction activities.
The vibrating rollers are to compress the pebbles and the earth together while fixing a road ( I do not the exact details, only the knowledge that has been gleaned by asking the construction workers at the site). They do so by sending across vibrations. The vibrations used to cause the adjoining houses to shake and sway. it was a terrible experience for the residents, especially for the ill and the elderly. The harried residents were denied their sound sleep at night since most construction activity would take place at night.
However, despite the trouble and the inconvenience, the general response to it has been good.
The BRT on the other hand, is a confusing issue. While I think that the idea of having designated cycle tracks and area for pedestrians is good, I think the plan is quite strange. There are so many weird things that I do not know where to start. Firstly, it is extremely odd to have the bus lane in the middle of the road, away form the pedestrian area. The pedestrians have to cross the road to board a bus. Secondly, I do not understand the reason to have constructed concrete dividers on lanes that bend and meander. The lanes are not straight. It is quite difficult to spot the dividers at night. The dividers can and do lead to accidents.
As a broad policy, I believe that the state transport system should not be a mess of different systems. The metro works fine for mass transit system, ie, when a lot of people have to travel to and from the same locations simultaneously. There should be a proper bus service, preferably courtesy dtc. It is absurd that the city should require a monorail when it already has the metro. Basically, guys, have something on your mind before you start working and do not start work helter skelter.
Another caution, there is a gianormous (read: giant and enormous) amount of corruption involved in such projects. Which is why ministers suddenly turn into supporters of bizarre projects, why consulting firms get strangely huge amount of consulting fees and so much other stuff happens that I may not even know about and I rely on you, dear reader to point it out. And, obviously the mandatory politics, to be practised for every issue, no matter small or large, significant or insignificant.
Ps: about medha patkar endorsing the brt as a vindication of the rights of the aam admi over the selfish interests of the car owner, I so agree with her.(she was reported as having said in the Indian Express something to the effect that noise over brt “failure” was raised by car owners who were unhappy because of less space for them) http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Delhi-underground/323240/
Dear me, how very selfish of the car owners to expect so much space for themselves. Isn’t it bad enough that they complaint and grumble incessantly about the traffic delays when the
Btw: what about the aam aurat?
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