BANGALORE, INDIA: After Kolkata and Delhi, its Bangalore's turn to have a metro system.

With the city having expanded almost exponentially in recent times, public transport has become a nightmare.

Bangalore's biggest problem is perhaps its terrible traffic. This has thwarted the Garden City's hopes of becoming a truly metropolitan city.

But with the upcoming metro rail project - promised in this year's budget - Bangaloreans have new reason to hope.

Bangalore, the IT capital of India, has seen the number of vehicles double in the last six years.

Things have become so bad that some companies have decided to shift their base away from Bangalore.

Mismanaged traffic

But with Bangalore having a brand identity of its own, foreign companies are not quite happy with this idea.

"If the metro rail comes it will be a good thing but it'll take 5 years to come then it will be difficult for us. Karnataka can say go to Mysore and Mangalore, but outsiders don't know these places. So they wouldn't risk it," said Pawan Kumar, Executive, NASSCOM.

Mismanaged traffic is not the only problem. Bangalore, despite receiving international flights, still does not have a genuine international airport, which has been in the pipeline for years.

Major setback

The state government's decision not to fund the project has come as a major setback.

The international airport project was sanctioned 4 years ago and the work should start this year. If the funds are freezed, it will take longer time. Bangalore has a 67% literate population and with its famous moderate weather, does have a lot going for it. But civic amenities have to improve," said Kalpana Kar, President, Bangalore Agenda Task Force.

"Citizens have a role to play. On one hand people clean the roads and on the other hand they dump garbage," Kar added.

"What people should do is they have to get together and act. They should aim to make Bangalore a metropolitan city," Kar said.

It may never again be a pensioner's paradise but Bangalore can be saved if the city's people and the government work with a will.

Source:
http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Bangalore+gears+up+for+metro+system&id=69397