[deehunk]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Well.. it was great while it lasted.
There is far too much money at stake for the politicians and bureaucrats to sit quietly and allow it to be rejected.

This will be the end of Bangalore’s 3rd tier governance as we know it.

I am eagerly waiting to see how the land prices may increase by 2026, but many areas around Electronic City, Anekal, and Sarjapura Road are really short of good infrastructure.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

This will be the end of Bangalore’s 3rd tier governance as we know it.

Can you explain why? Even during the BBMP days did the three-tier Panchayathi Raj system worked efficiently? BBMP itself was a kind of non-elected body with only IAS/KAS officers running the show like a government department. Was there any kind of fund devolution mechanism from BBMP to any other body reporting to it?

[deehunk]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Can you explain why? Even during the BBMP days did the three-tier Panchayathi Raj system worked efficiently? Was there any kind of fund devolution mechanism from BBMP to any other body reporting to it?

The system worked somehow until the number of MLA seats in Bangalore was increased. Due to polarization of votes, there was a fight for power sharing between 3 political parties. Then there was a discrepancy in fund allocation; just see how areas beyond Bommasandra have been destroyed by the local panchayats without any sense towards building a good infrastructure.

Even in the new ward structure, you can see that more emphasis is on Mahadevapura, KR Puram, and Whitefield. I have very little hope that with just one ward for Anekal they can handle the messy areas of Chandapura, Bommasandra, Attibele, and Dommasandra.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by sachinpk

Can you explain why? Even during the BBMP days did the three-tier Panchayathi Raj system worked efficiently? BBMP itself was a kind of non-elected body with only IAS/KAS officers running the show like a government department. Was there any kind of fund devolution mechanism from BBMP to any other body reporting to it?

The objective behind constituting 3rd tier government is to decentralise power, ensure accountability, and invite public comments / participation.

With this new Bill and its implementation, it centralises power and keeps it with the MLAs and the State Government.

Whether it worked previously or not is immaterial, because the new proposed system effectively removes any public participation or decentralisation envisaged under the Constitution.

The proposed system is purely self serving for the politicians who will not be accountable while also float vanity projects through which they can siphon public funds.

Your questions are also answered in the video below and in my post from this very thread a few pages back:

Originally Posted by suhaas307

https://Youtu.be/lV7s_aks_4A?si=VHytYNifat9Wgzby

Here is a fantastic video that illustrates the systemic issues that have cropped up in Bengaluru.

It touches upon my rant in this thread from earlier.

Worth a watch!

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I agree with the idea, and in theory it should work.

But, and this is a big BUT.. the object / intent / motive needs to be examined closely and I don’t mean a mere a surface level examination of the proposed Bill.

Few things to be aware of:

a) There already exists a mandate and provision to constitute a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) under the Constitution (74th Amendment).

b) There already exists a municipality wherein elections are to be conducted mandatorily and an authorised representative is to be elected in order to oversee the municipal works and undertakings.

Now, this proposed Bill would have been worth exploring, if…

1) The MPC had already already constituted 5-6 years ago, and

2) The BBMP elections (pending for almost a decade) were conducted and an elected representative was appointed…

..and the constitution of the MPC and election of the municipal body’s representative did not meet the desired object during the last 10 years.

However, the remedy already available to the government through the Constitutional mandate was not exhausted, before exploring other avenues, namely the Bill in question.

And this begs the question - why were these remedies not exhausted?

The answer is simple - if the MPC is constituted and the representative is elected, the State Government cannot exert its unbridled control over the MPC, and the elected representative of the municipal body will be held accountable for any municipal related issues that will occur.

Relinquishing control over the municipality and planning committee would mean public works and tenders cannot be dictated by the State Government.

The State Government does not want these scenarios. The object and motive behind the new proposed Bill is to dilute the existing powers of the MPC and the municipality, with the sole intent to exercise complete control over the municipality, and not have the MPC dictating terms to it.

Hence, the reluctance to constitute the MPC and appoint a representative for the existing municipality.

Here is where things get even more murky - by doing this, the State Government’s intent is to hold sessions in the same way the PM holds sessions with his cabinet, and specific MLAs of the CM’s cabinet will be appointed to oversee the 7 proposed municipalities, with the sole intent and purpose of identifying specific wards in the city that generate the highest revenue and accordingly milk these wards for what they’re worth until they are completely dry.

The bottom line is - these babus are not from Bengaluru city. They are from other parts of Karnataka. They hold absolutely no attachment to the city. They do not care about the traffic snarls, water shortages, waste segregation and management, water logging, etc. They only care about making money - evidenced by their proposals to start lofty infra projects like the tunnel road project and steel flyover so that the tenders are awarded to the “right” winning bidder and the project can be commissioned at 60% of the proposed value while the rest of the money is pocketed before they are ousted from their seats. And once the mechanism is in place, the new government will be in the prime position to capitalise on the mechanisms placed by the incumbent government and continue to bleed the city dry.

Before someone flags this discussion as off-topic, let me clarify that this is very much on topic, and in fact goes to the very root of the issue that is traffic woes and water logging issues that could have been addressed if we have the MPC constituted for the purpose prescribed under the Constitution.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by deehunk

I have very little hope that with just one ward for Anekal they can handle the messy areas of Chandapura, Bommasandra, Attibele, and Dommasandra.

As a resident in these surroundings, I say that the current system may work better. Chandapura is a TMC and so is Anekal. The TMC elections happen regularly, and the TMC has the rights to use the funds for them. In fact I have observed that even a few Panchayaths in Anekal Taluk have shown good political leadership. They already have started proper treatment of wet & solid waste, door to door garbage collection happens, they operate libraries, schools and at times even day care centres for mentally challenged people.

Originally Posted by suhaas307

The objective behind constituting 3rd tier government is to decentralise power, ensure accountability, and invite public comments / participation.

Thank you for the detailed explanation.

The bottom line is - these babus are not from Bengaluru city. They are from other parts of Karnataka. They hold absolutely no attachment to the city.

I feel this is the case with many of the 'top rank' politicians as well. They all happen to be in Bangalore, because Vidhan Soudha is in Bangalore. If it was say for example in Bellari, these folks would have destroyed that place as well. I don't think there is any real "son of the soil" politician who lived in Bangalore and loved the city, and want to see it improve (in a positive, holistic way).

[itwasntme]

That Sadahalli Gate signal is a menace with multiple accidents over the years.

The latest one:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../120773964.cms

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

That Sadahalli Gate signal is a menace with multiple accidents over the years.

The latest one:
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/.../120773964.cms

The authorities closed off that stretch for multiple years making us use the service road, dilly dallied on whether to build a flyover or underpass, then finally just went back to as-it-was dangerous signaled junction.

It's unnerving stopping there irrespective of time of day

[Sreesh1009]

Want to share an experience that may make people question the authenticity of this post.

I had to drive down to Kanakapura from Banaswadi last evening. Now I generally take two routes to reach the PES College (Banashankari) NICE road entry:

1.Banaswadi-Maruthi Sevanagar-MG Road-Kasturba Road-Mysore Road-PES
2.Banaswadi-Hebbal-Yeshwantpur-Nagarbhavi-PES

On a normal day it would take me 1.5 hours to reach Kanakapura using either of these two routes but I was tired of them and wanted to try something different. This time I decided to go via HSR and connect to the NICE Road Entry close to E-City.

This was a great decision (patting my own back), the drive from home till Kanakpura was equivalent to driving through a green corridor. Not one traffic stop, not one hint of congestion. To add to it were showers with a beautiful sunset on NICE Road. The total travel time for 50kms was a 1 hour and 10 mins.

On the way back, we took the usual Kanakpura-PES-Mysore Road-Kasturba-Lavelle (quick stop for ice cream)-Maruthi Sevanagar-Banaswadi. Which is about 40 odd kms with a travel time of 1.5 Hrs.

Obviously, it was a Saturday and most of the roads were not as crowded as the usually are. However, after a very long time I was happy driving in Bangalore and even the odd pothole didn't annoy me.

Thought I'd share this here just to remind myself of the good days one rarely gets driving in Bangalore

[curiousElf]

I’ve been in Bangalore for a while now, yet the mystery of the traffic signal at Trinity Circle still eludes me. Maybe some of the veterans here can decode it.

Scenario: I’m coming from the Trinity Metro side and want to get to Indiranagar/Cambridge Layout. There are two signals barely 30 m apart.

First signal: The practical options are straight (towards Lido Mall/Indiranagar) or right onto Trinity Church Road. Oddly, it also shows a left-turn arrow, more on that in a moment.

Second signal (at the Taj corner): Allows straight ahead and a left turn.

Most of the time, the first signal keeps the left arrow green for vehicles leaving Trinity Circle while also letting traffic from Trinity Church Road head north. Meanwhile, a bunch of us just want to go straight toward Indiranagar, and the whole thing turns into a messy jig.

My best guess is that the first signal expects you to take that “left” (which actually feels like going straight) only if you plan to take the very next left, a turn that’s hard to spot if you’re new to the area.

Am I missing something here? This is one of the city’s oldest stretches; it can’t really be this confusing, can it? What does that left arrow in the first signal actually mean?

(Annotated map attached legend: red = red signal; light green = north-bound green from Trinity Church Road; dark green = left-turn green at the first signal.)

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by curiousElf

My best guess is that the first signal expects you to take that “left” (which actually feels like going straight) only if you plan to take the very next left, a turn that’s hard to spot if you’re new to the area.

Correct, ideally at the first signal BTP should replace the standard round signals with a switchback green/red arrow pointing straight. The green free left can then stay on as required, while the switchback arrow can signal whether vehicles can go straight or not.

Of course, this works for rational courteous drivers/riders only.

[itwasntme]

Tender it and forget it? Many infra works stall citywide
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/k...tywide-3534995

A depressing read

[binand]

Originally Posted by curiousElf

I’ve been in Bangalore for a while now, yet the mystery of the traffic signal at Trinity Circle still eludes me.

First signal: The practical options are straight (towards Lido Mall/Indiranagar) or right onto Trinity Church Road.

Second signal (at the Taj corner): Allows straight ahead and a left turn.

Trinity Circle is a regular 4-way junction (excluding Richmond Road). It is made complicated because (a) Trinity Church Road and the road coming from Ulsoor are not exactly aligned head-to-head, and (b) the metro line. What you call the "first signal" was there before the metro was constructed and was the primary signal for traffic coming along MG Road (probably it was relocated from the middle of the road to the island). Right now it is used only by vehicles turning right, to know when they can. Those going straight or left use your "second signal" - the first might not even be visible to all of them because of the metro pillars. I don't think these two show different aspects at any time.

[Chetan_Rao]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Tender it and forget it?

It's a well-known modus operandi by now.

Nobody involved actually has any intention of completing a project. Their entire focus and intent is to start work, do just enough to show evidence of progress to get the first tranche of payment released, pay the necessary cuts, then stall and move on. Repeat ad infinitum.

Presiding state government doesn't matter. There's plenty of stalled projects spanning all flags to choose from, based on who one feels like criticising on a given day.

[Rajeevraj]

Couple of suburban train travel updates. I have fairly easy access to Carmelaram Station on Sarjapur Road and look for opportunities to take the train. Unfortunately, since there are only 2-3 passenger services in the morning and evening, most of the time it is not feasible.

Experience 1
Last week had to attend a meeting at Yeswantpur at 11am. On checking the location, found that it was around 400mtrs from Yeswantpur Station. Those staying in this area know how gridlocked and unpredictable Sarjapur Road and its arterial roads have become especially in the morning peak hours from 8am onwards. I did not want to drive and with Blusmart gone, had to rely on Uber which is typically hard to get in the morning. On top of it all, to manage all these dependencies, I had to ensure to leave by 8.30am.

Since the destination was near the station and the timings matched with the morning Hosur-Yeswantpur MEMU passenger train, decided to try it out.

The timing at Carmelaram was around 9am. This particular train does not get delayed much and there are Telegram groups giving minute by minute updates.

• I get to the station by 9.10am (Leave home at 9am) as the train was expected by 9.20am. Ticket was already booked via the UTS app. Carmelaram to Yeswantpur ticket cost is INR 30.
• The train came at 9.20am. Being a popular service, this train is packed with seats taken and a good amount of standing passengers. This is a 16 coach train, so you can imagine the number of people who depend on it. Lot of people who commute from Hosur, Anekal, Heelalige(Chandapura) get down at Carmelaram to go to RGA Tech Park on Sarjapur Road and also RMZ Ecoworld. At least a 100 people board to go towards Banaswadi and Hebbal.
• 9.25am: Train reaches Belandur Road station(which is technically Panathur) in 3-4 min. Lot of the crowd headed to ORR get down here. Kadubeesanahalli and its surrounding tech parks are around 1km from the station.
• 9.40am: In another 15 min the train is at Banaswadi
• 9.50am: Reaches Hebbal where all passengers headed towards Manyata or Yelehankha side get down.
• ~10.10: Pulls into Yeswantpur Station
• 10.25: I am at the office.
• Summary: Around 1 hour 20 min and INR 30 spent, I am at my destination.

Experience 2

• Had to take a domestic flight at 10pm on a Friday night. I was traveling alone and had only a backpack.
• This meant getting to the Airport by around 8pm. Which again meant navigating Sarjapur Road-ORR-Hebbal at peak times. Hard to predict buffer time needed. At 5.30pm google was showing 2hr 15 min. So this is what I did.
• I knew there was a MEMU train to Yeswantpur at 6.15pm. Decided to take that to Hebbal.
• Train came only at 6.40pm which caused a little bit of tension.
• Luckily, no delays on the way. Reached Hebbal at 7.10
• 10-15 min walk to end of Hebbal flyover. Reached at 7.25
• All Airport buses anyway come here. Got a bus immediately. Was at the airport at 7.55pm.
• Summary: 1.5 hour travel time in total. Cost INR 30 for the train and INR 190 for the bus. Total: INR 220

Concluding Thoughts

• Everything is not perfect. Most of the tracks are single lines which means trains stop for crossings at stations. Making it unreliable. Current stations are not easily accessible.
• For some reason, most services go to Yeswantpur and do not touch Baiyappanahalli. If it does, it directly connects to the Metro.
• Still made me wonder again and feel disappointed why the administration has not prioritized suburban trains. Even in the current avatars. It is a very low hanging fruit. The number of people using the current, not very reliable services in the Hosur-Bangalore-Hosur, Bangalore-Whitefield-Bangalore, Tumkur-Bangalore is an indication on how useful it is and how much more useful it can be.
• Just needed to ensure double tracks in the network, add a few more stations (Hoodi station was added a few years back at a cost of I think 5cr) and increase the services.
• The Hosur Baiyappanahalli line is getting doubled now. Like the Ejipura Flyover has been going on for years. There is some urgency now and should be complete in another year. This can ensure more punctuality and enable additional services.
• These MEMU services are fast. Accelerates quickly, can go to 90-100kmph in no time. Makes the journeys fast. Imagine Sarjapur Road to Panathur in 5 min, Baiyappanahalli or Banaswadi in 20 min, Hebbal in 25-30 min and Yeswantpur or Bangalore City in 45min.

[after]

Originally Posted by itwasntme

Tender it and forget it? Many infra works stall citywide
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/k...tywide-3534995

A depressing read

Saw this and intentionally didn't click on it. Can't handle reading about more incompetence.

Just a couple of days ago, saw this news article. I immediately felt like I got punched in the gut, I was so overwhelmed with anger / frustration / despair / <insert negative emotion here> just thinking about the amount of money wasted in bribes, dust, crappy roads, construction noise, etc.



I try to avoid reading such news articles now because I truly believe I'll have to go to Europe or something for good infra. Nothing's changing here in my lifetime.

In the meantime I've come up with some guidelines for myself to have some more mental peace moving around the city

1. Any plan in Koramangala (or any place without metro), sorry I will not be attending. I would rather meet you at Ikea after 1.5 hours of traveling peacefully in metro
2. N95 mask + noise cancelling headphones everywhere, to combat dust, garbage burning smoke and honking
3. If I end up in CBD, Indiranagar, or those few pockets of fancy neighbourhoods, walk around as much as possible since these are few places with decent walkability. It deludes me into thinking the pedestrian infra is better than it actually is
4. No matter what, never ride/drive to work. Vehicles are an escape for me and I don't want have any negative associations with riding/driving because of idiots in rush hour
5. AVOID OUTER RING ROAD AFTER MIDNIGHT. You WILL get stuck in a traffic jam due to construction. It feels infinitely worse than rush hour because who even expects a standstill at 2AM

Obviously these rules can't always be followed but it's helped a lot. Living in my own manufactured bubble is better than seeing the depressing reality daily, even if I'm aware of the existence of said bubble. Rant over.