[msdivy]

Originally Posted by am1m

I remember Indiranagar had overflowing dustbins that weren't cleared for days at every corner. The city just didn't have money back then to maintain everything.

Kind of disagree with this statement. It was not lack of money. It was apathy, indifference. If the contract was to clear garbage every day, the contractor did it once a week and with the lowest cost.

Secondly, that was a different model - having bins at road corners and garbage trucks collecting from those bins. That resulted in streets filled with garbage. This has been the result in other cities in the world as well.
Now the model is collecting directly from homes. This model is successful all over the world in keeping cities clean.

PS: Money wasn't the problem since plenty of infrastructure was being built in the 70s, 80s & 90s. Say Electronic city, BDA Complexes in every locality, fly-overs, BTS/BMTC.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Secondly, that was a different model - having bins at road corners and garbage trucks collecting from those bins.

Fair enough, thanks for the clarification. But what I meant to say was the city had a lot less money back then. Remember what BTS was (I used to take those old buses to school for 10 years), compared to BMTC today. KEB as opposed to BESCOM. How many times did you see maintenance staff sweeping the road back then, as opposed to today.

The larger point I was trying to make is we should not turn this in to an old resident vs new thing. All have an equal right to the city's resources and services for the taxes we all pay.

A lot of us "old" Bangaloreans have some rose-tinted view of the city in the 80s and 90s and want to blame everything on recent developments. And that's what the politicians love- turn people against each other and blaming each other so they can escape blame for what the city has become. Every city must grow. Isn't planning the growth the responsibility of those in power?

If my part of town is lucky enough to escape flooding, I'm still concerned about the flooding in the other parts of the city. I'm not going to be smug about it and post that on Twitter. And also blame the victims, or get offended and play down their complaints about the flooding. That's how the officials can even escape accountability. This suits their agenda perfectly.

[PreludeSH]

I used to visit my clients in Prestige tech park near kadubeesanahalli. If you look towards the Bellandur lake, there were trucks dumping construction waste into the storm water drains to narrow it down Used have photos of the trucks doing this but cant find them now !

The land behind the tech park is at the same level as lake bed. They were farms that were fed from the lake and such lands are usually at the same level as lake bed.

Add to this the topography is flat in that part of the City and water doesnt drain fast like it does in the western parts where you have hills and valleys. I had wished for a rain some day like it happened in Bombay for nature to show its disgust. Now I feel sad for the people who are living around there

The storm water drain itself flows right inside the park with it covered on the top also. What kind of allowing a buffer around storm water drain is this ? How will water drain ?

Solution is to keep the lakes at minimum level and allow it to absorb heavy rains. Would require having sluice gates on lakes. Now its all overflow that happens.

[InControl]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

How can I achieve this in an automatic?

I use the L mode in my Honda City CVT, keeps the revs higher. However, would still not be the same as dumping the cutch and pressing the gas in a manual

[mayukh42]

Originally Posted by am1m

the IT industry has brought in more revenues that have improved the city as a whole ... let's not take this thread into a "old Bangalore" vs "IT/new/economic migrant" thing. The more recent residents of the city are as much victims as the rest of the city. The only places where they can realistically expect buy a home are these new areas. And it's the builders and government who should shoulder most of the blame for sanctioning/encroaching these constructions.

+100

Every time I go to Rajajinagar, Jayanagar, I wish I could have stayed there. Was telling a friend who used to stay at Jalahalli (his office is in Yeshwantpur) that he should consider Rajajinagar/ Malleshwaram/ Vijaynagar if he can. That is the real BLR. Like for someone wanting to settle in Kolkata I would not suggest Sector V but Ballygunj/ Tollygunj/ New Alipore.

But can we really afford a home there? Also we need to factor the extra commute time (which might improve once metro is complete).

In all these discussions of old vs new, we seem to forget a fundamental thing. New IT folks are also old timers in their hometowns, and trust me they have seen better infrastructure, especially those like us who are from the original metros. We have come here for mutual growth, and it is best to think that way. If we compare with other metros, then only the weather would work for this city and nothing else, even without IT. And we all agree that that is a natural phenomenon.

Revenue that builds infrastructure in the west, comes from the very east and south east where there is hell to ride through. "Soft" engineers deserve way more than the infra that is thrown to them after taking their money which contributes largest to the city coffers.

Though I cannot deny that many people do not care and don't consider the city as their home - they are always trying to earn as much money and return back, put their homes to rent or sale and buy a plot among relatives back home. And I agree that buyers of "Lake" projects are also to take the blame. Even companies should consider before setting up offices on lake encroached projects. That would be a CSR well done.

But some of us are here to stay for good, because we like the city and its people.

[PreludeSH]

Originally Posted by mayukh42

+100



Revenue that builds infrastructure in the west, comes from the very east and south east where there is hell to ride through. "Soft" engineers deserve way more than the infra that is thrown to them after taking their money which contributes largest to the city coffers.

.

Karnataka has always been progressive since Wodeyars/Vishweshvarayas. One who starts early attracts talent from across India. Weather and adjustment culture retains them

I think free for all given to private builders and the resulting money to everyone has made matters worst. Sometimes I think land in big cities should be nationalized and govt should only lease it out for corporate/industry kind of buildings.

People who need to take care of these things have stake in most of these buildings. There is no way we can expect a different behaviour.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by PreludeSH

People who need to take care of these things have stake in most of these buildings. There is no way we can expect a different behaviour.

You are 100% spot-on. I know a family who owned a part of the land where one of the earlier IT parks now stands. ("Old Bangalore locals", btw.) The land was inherited, of not much value when I was a kid and used to visit their place to play with their son. Fast forward a couple of decades and how the land was converted for use as a commercial space, how it was sanctioned since it too was adjoining a catchment area and also defense land, are all very interesting questions. Some part of the answer might lie in the fact that a very high official in the urban planning(!) department took a stake in the matter. And my former friend from childhood still gets invited to parties at the former official's son's penthouse near that development.

But of course, let's blame the people who commute to work there for the mess and put the onus on them to fix it.

[msdivy]

Originally Posted by am1m

A lot of us "old" Bangaloreans have some rose-tinted view of the city in the 80s and 90s and want to blame everything on recent developments.

Even the old Bangalore was built on lakes, eg Majestic bus-stand, Football ground, Hockey ground. Over a period of time, drainage was understood and built. The same will happen in ORR, Sarjapur. This flooding will be a thing of the past.

[Raghu M]

Originally Posted by UPS_Guru

Employees were asked to report to work (mandatorily in SEZs) and some managers still prefer presence over productivity. Then, we have employees who want to impress their way up!
Many companies that have tried setting up offices in tier 2 cities, but getting top talent is extremely difficult.

Get your point but management needs some serious management lessons here. I work as a VP in my company, I never ask my teams to be in office if it's raining heavily. We have a simple hybrid work system and I totally understand the challenges employees face when it's pouring. First, the risk of getting wet and damaging the office laptop, second you never find a cab, even if you find one, you need to shell out your TDS equivalent amount as fare and third the productivity is never up to the mark as the attendance is always staggered.

On the contrary, when you message the entire team that the next week would be all work from home, the deliverables are met easily, there are no challenges and the biggest part is no one needs to work extra hours. I feel so relieved when I send those emails to the clients that the task is done. Can't understand how such simple logic is missed and people are always asked to be in office for every small thing.

[TorqueyTechie]

Folks lets put a stop on the "old vs new" people thing. The issue has been taken too far especially by few who are using that for every post (atleast the last few posts) and that too for something which was not even posted here.

Lets use this thread for what it is and post the issues related to Bangalore traffic.

Originally Posted by UPS_Guru

Employees were asked to report to work (mandatorily in SEZs) and some managers still prefer presence over productivity. Then, we have employees who want to impress their way up!

From what I have heard there is a central SEZ ruling saying all companies working from SEZ should have 50% of their workforce in office (monthly avg) from Oct 11. Every company have received the circular and ours for one is working out on the implementation part. One of the plan is to move out of SEZ too but it may be easier said than done considering the benefits.

I dread when this happens as the benefits of the past 2 years will get washed away in the river that is Bangalore traffic. (pun intended).

[am1m]

Originally Posted by msdivy

Even the old Bangalore was built on lakes, eg Majestic bus-stand, Football ground, Hockey ground.

Excellent point, and I feel pretty stupid for not remembering this because I even worked at one of the buildings that were built near the Hockey Stadium which of course as you have said used to be a water body.

Originally Posted by TorqueyTechie

Folks lets put a stop on the "old vs new" people thing. The issue has been taken too far especially by few who are using that for every post (atleast the last few posts) and that too for something which was not even posted here.

Fair enough, my apologies for my part in taking this thread off-track.

[commonman]

Being in Bangalore for more than 15 years, I had not seen so much water logging in this part of Bangalore. Earlier we had seen such water logging in EC. There must have been something new that had come up. Also remember there was some request from Karnataka Government to keep people from Work from Home as some more infrastructure development is happening in ORR.
Coming back to the citizen, we also needs to be blamed as our new apartments are made by blocking water ways or on lake beds.
Bengaluru used to have many small lakes, which have been filled and changed in to apartment complex. Where will the water go when the road is also tarred or concreted?
Somehow, having seen floods of Kerala, Assam and elsewhere, we blaming the government is not right.

[darkchild82]

Originally Posted by commonman

Coming back to the citizen, we also needs to be blamed as our new apartments are made by blocking water ways or on lake beds.

And who approved these apartment projects after collecting hefty bribes running into the lakhs and crores?! It's the job of citizens to investigate? We have to do THAT also now?

Originally Posted by commonman

Somehow, having seen floods of Kerala, Assam and elsewhere, we blaming the government is not right.

Kerala and Assam floods were right in the major cities? Where thousands of crores of tax revenue get generated?

Bengaluru's BBMP is the second richest municipality in India after Mumbai's BMC. Where's all that money going? People are to be blamed for the crooks in power? Yup, I guess so!

[gururajrv]

Sins of the past is made to be paid in the present & future, if not acted upon timely, which again is highly unlikely. Sins committed by those builders & authorities by encroaching lakes and water passage is being borne by the current residents. Harsh reality. But, nothing will change unless the private organisations or even individuals come forward to make some planning and execution to fix all this mess. I know it's not a easy thing. But, government will do absolutely zero to a city which has grown leaps and bounds because of their greed.

Regardless, Bangalore is showing it can't take this abuse from us anymore. Sad state.

[etrast75]

Look at the blue areas and you will see why it flooded when the lakes got full and breached.. All city planners had access to this information and chose to turn a blind eye. Ecospace and PTP should never have been built on these areas , atleast not to this level.

Nothing will change. This rain will stop and we will forget about it till the next time flooding happens.