The city

I was returning home from Dalhousie, feeling quite jaded. The day at office had been taxing, so it didn't help matters when we had to wait in a long queue for a bus to arrive at the stand. Even the metro train services had been disturbed due to some reason. The over-crowded bus, where I thankfully managed a seat, snailed its way through the evening traffic, stopping now and then at the frequent signals. Some of my fellow riders were shifting restlessly, as was I in my seat, while others were simply too tired. Several people started a talk on how their city had fallen behind, while others had progressed - traffic jams, pollution, politics and mismanagement, etc. etc. I didn't like it at all - I realized how, for many years now, Calcutta has inspired little but self-loathing among its own inhabitants.

It is a very dismal state of affairs for a city when its own residents consider it a shame to live there! Calcutta, in recent times, has come to represent all that is wrong in modern metropolitan life. The quality of the city's air, the filth on the roads, the lawlessness of traffic and the huge strain on the city's infrastructure by the high population density (almost 7 times that of London!!!) has made healthy and dignified civic life almost impossible to lead.

While financial resources, or the lack of it, may sometimes hinder change and development, in Calcutta's case, it is more of a lack of vision for renewal and the lack of a work culture to bring about qualitative change. Councilors here incorporate a political approach to civic management - their energies are spent mainly on scoring political points over their rivals!

Recently, much has been publicized about transforming Calcutta into London. Whether our politicians can make good their words remains to be seen! London has its problems too - busy, dirty with litter in areas, traffic jams, pockets of deprivation, crime, etc. Yet, politicians there aspire to bring out the best - helping its companies to grow, its communities to thrive, and its people to prosper. To reduce vehicular air pollution, there is even a congestion charge of 8 pounds for cars entering the city centre during the day. One just cannot imagine Calcuttans readily agreeing to pay Rs. 500 to do the same!

Drastically big measures are necessary for Calcutta's renewal - tackling air pollution, making the city more investment-friendly for international business, modernization of heritage buildings, beautification of open spaces and green patches, doing away with bandhs, vast improvement of transport services, incorporation of a better civic sense, and above all, good leadership to look after the needs of the common man. Involving experts in urban planning and management are more useful strategies than mindless populism!