2. Bangaluru - a Boom city that went Bust (Part 2 of 7)

A Boom City

Bangalore, in many ways, is unlike the other great cities of India. Most of

the other cities in India remind one certainly of the present, certainly of the

future but essentially of the past. But Bangalore, as I said, more than any

other great city of India is a picture of the future....

Jawaharlal Nehru, July 17, 1962

Nehru’s appreciation was justified, Bangalore of pre-ninety eighties was indeed “in many was, ..unlike other great cities of India. However, as explained earlier things were fast changing, and changing beyond Nehru’s prediction! India Today 15 th April 1983 issue focused on Bangalore as The Boom City of the country. However, the two consecutive decades - 1990s and 2000 - changed the entire edifice of Bangaluru. Economic Policy of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization [LPG], during 1990s stimulated the growth of large private sector units, and thousands of ancillary and small units supporting them, in and around Bangaluru. The city was stormed by an influx of economic activities. As if that was not enough, the global fear of Y2K became a stimulant in the growth of Information Technology [IT] units in Bangaluru. Quick solution from Bangaluru to the Y2K fear not only prevented the IT crisis all over the world, but it also created a second Silicon Valley of the world in Bangaluru.

With a fantastic growth rate of 76 per cent in the last decade, Bangalore has outstripped the 12 other cities in the country which have a population of more than 10 lakhs. Only Jaipur with 57 per cent and Delhi with 56 per cent come anywhere close to matching Bangalore's phenomenal growth rate. The percentage growth for the other nine cities in the last decade was - Pune: 48, Ahmedabad: 43, Hyderabad: 40, Nagpur: 39, Bombay: 37, Madras: 34, Kanpur: 32, Calcutta: 30, and Lucknow: 23. The all-India average for cities was 46 per cent. Bangalore is now estimated to be among the first 10 fastest growing cities in the world. 

The demand for housing was so rapid and high that the existing residential layouts were overrun.

People started to let their spare accommodations for making money. Factories and Offices also

demanded greater land spaces. The demand for land outpaced the availability within the planned

residential, commercial and industrial areas. Consequently the villages adjoining the city

automatically became the extended part of the city without even waiting for formal inclusion

within the city planning area.

The Kiss of Death

The negative impacts on the garden city were very severe. City planning gave way to post-facto

absorption of chaotically grown adjoining villages into the city folds. City planning became a

misnomer. Density of population graph had hit the north pole! Once the compromise on

planning was forced, it laid the foundation for corruption and huge unplanned growth of

buildings of all kinds. Land mafias made their diabolic presence. Residential zones got merged

with the commercial and industrial complexes. Open spaces and gardens started to vanish.

Sanitation and hygiene were out of gear. The presence of State Government in this capital city,

instead of becoming a controlling point, seemed to have become an accomplice in the fast

deteriorating conditions. A Garden City systematically got converted into a Garbage city !

The consequences of such unprecedented growth of Bangalore was not unknown to the

authorities. As apprehended by Ramakrishna Hegde, the then Chief Minister of the state,

Bangalore did continue to explode haphazardly and the boom did bring it such a prosperity

which did become its Kiss of Death!

If immediate action is taken to control the crazy, unplanned

growth of the city it would be possible to make this city liveable.

Otherwise it may go the way of other big cities. We must

regulate Bangalore's growth." Or else if Bangalore continues to

explode haphazardly the boom that brought it so much

prosperity may easily be the kiss of death. -- the then Chief

Minister R.K.Hegde

Hosur’s Growth – Its Impact on Bangaluru

Tamil Nadu government had correctly assessed the crucial location and growth prospects of

Bangalore quite early, as early as in 1970s. It put up Industrial Estate at Hosur, located at the

periphery of Bangalore, and its borders with Karnataka state. Making use of the financial and

infrastructural incentives available in this Industrial Estate and also because the advantages of

the airport facility and residential facilities in neighboring Bangalore a large number of

industries started to locate themselves in Hosur . Over a period Hosur went on to develop in to a

very large industrial complex. Its growth heavily taxed the infrastructural facilities available in

the city of Bangalore.

Government of Karnataka was lethargic in countering the attractions provided by the Tamil

Nadu state in Hosur Industrial complex. Consequently, Hosur and Tamil Nadu bolted with a very

fast economic growth in the area. Whereas, Bangalore was burdened by the influx of population

and traffic without much revenues either to the city’s municipal administration or to the state

exchequer. Tamil Nadu gained at the cost of Karnataka! Tamil Nadu’s gain was Karnataka’s

huge loss.

Twin Blunders that undermined Bangaluru

There are multiple factors which have resulted in the downfall of Bangaluru during the past 25

years. But here we will analyze two main factors only. These are the factors which would have

prevented Bangaluru from becoming highly congested and losing its grandeur of the past.

First, the Dropping of Bangalore-Mysore NICE Corridor Project. During the later part of

1990s Karnataka Government entered into an agreement with the Nandi Infra-structure Company

to build under PPP model a new road linking Bangalore with Mysore to relieve the traffic

congestion on the existing state highway between the two important cities of the state. This new

road was to by-pass Kanakapura, Malavalli and reach Mysore via Bannur. It was a grand plan

which would have benefited both Bangalore and Mysuru. Idea was to develop these two cities as

twin cities like Mumbai and Pune had become due to a new Express High Way link.

A lot of enthusiasm was generated by this project. The land acquisition rights were also granted

to the company and the company started to acquire the land. Suddenly the project got stalled due

to the disputes regarding the road alignment at several places. Government and the Company got

into legal tangle. And the PPP gradually got into cold storage. There were a lot of stories floating

thereafter. Some alleged that some lands belonging to a big political family caused it, some

stated that the percentage of commission to be given to the decision facilitators was the cause,

some said that the competing enterprises sabotaged the entire project by planting discord

between the politicians and the PPP developers and so on. Consequence was legal battles and

total end of this very ambitious project that could have saved Bangalore from its present

situation.

Just imagine for a moment, had this project got through as scheduled, Mysore would have

grown into another industrially well developed city of the state and the country. Lack of political

sagacity and corruption at the top level killed this project as also the prospects of smooth growth

of two important cities! And the central government need not have spent rupees nine thousand

crores on expansion of Mysore – Highway which it is doing now, and the two cities would have

had the advantage of two highways servicing them, instead of only one! The opportunity cost of

such irrational decision to drop the NICE Economic Corridor project have been tremendous,

both in financial terms and in term of economic development.

Has Mysuru Gone Bengaluru Way..? (Part 1 of 7)

 

1. Bangalore’s Glorious Days

During our several meetings with MUDA in connection with Draft of Mysore-Nanjangud Master Plan- 2031 time and again we were assured, both by the Master Plan  consultants and the MUDA top officials, that their main objective was not to allow Mysuru go the Banagaluru-Way. That was between 2013-14. Now  the approved Master Plan is under implementation for nearly past 5 years. The conditions in and around Mysuru, as they stand today, do not seem to support the assurances made by the concerned authorities back then. It looks as though Mysuru has already gone Bangaluru-Way! To understand this stark reality one has to first understand what is meant by Bangaluru-Way? Briefly, the Bangaluru-Way means a ‘failed city.’

Bangaluru- A “Failed City”

In a very recent Editorial a leading newspaper of the state has this to say about our Capital city – “For about a quarter of a century now, one Karnataka Chief Minister after another has been promising Bengaloreans the moon – or rather promising to turn it into a Singapore, a Dubai, a ‘Smart City’, or other dreamscapes. In reality, though, Bengaluru has remained closer to a cratered moon and every aspect of the city and life in it has deteriorated over the years. We are rapidly hurtling towards a point of no return....

...Bengaluru is a failed city in nearly every sense of the term. Not even a single stretch of road is free of potholes, walkable footpaths are non-existent in most areas, building violations and illegal constructions are the order of the day, waste management is a disaster, lakes are fast disappearing or are utterly polluted, the stormwater drain system has been destroyed by the builder-official nexus and the city gets flooded with every downpour, and potable water is still a pipe-dream for many. Even Namma Metro continues to  progress at a snail’s pace and will not have the extensive presence it must have to relieve the city of its traffic mess until well after 2030. Civic bodies and utility agencies remain rampantly corrupt and inefficient and promises to reform them remain unfulfilled.”

Above quote substantially establishes the pathetic conditions prevailing at  present in Bengaluru. But why are we moaning this condition of Bengaluru when most of our major urban centers, not excluding the national capital, are in similar condition? To understand this we will have to very briefly visit the unique place of Benglauru in our state’s and national history.

 

Bangalore – A City with a Touch of Europe!

Magadi Kempegowda is credited with laying the foundations for this city in 1537 with a mud fort. His vision for the city’s expansion could be seen in the boundary pillars he had erected nearly 500 years ago! If Hyder Ali waged a war to claim the control of Bengaluru, his son Tipu Sultan, born in Devanahally,  had left his palace as a memory of his relationship with this city. The British found out that Bangalore (the earlier format of the name) with its higher altitude and thousands of lakes around had a  salubrious weather all round the year. Hence, they established in Bangalore a very important Cantonment. A large number of British citizens, including Winston Churchill, lived here. Europeans and Anglo-Indians who worked and lived in the neighboring Kolar Gold Field gold mines [KGF] patronized Bangalore for their social and commercial requirements. Thus, this city  became an active centre for the Europeans and the Anglo-Indian population. Consequently, Bangalore acquired a shade of an European town!  The Parade Ground and the surrounding complexes of Cinema Houses, the Brigade Road, the Commercial Street and the Mahatma Gandhi Road were full of European touch.

The contributions of the Wadeyars was also substantial in making Bangalore what it was. Even when Mysore City was the Capital of erstwhile  Mysore State Wadeyars had  developed Bangalore with special interests. Town Planning was the fulcrum around which this city grew.  They planned the residential layouts with parks, well laid out roads, road side trees, conservancy lanes,  underground drainage, and the electricity. They also built the palace, buildings with gothic archtieture and  huge gardens. Lalbagh Botanical Garden [Lalbagh], is an old botanical garden in Bengaluru. Said to be first planned and laid out during the dalavoyship of Hyder Ali and later managed under numerous British Superintendents, its Glass House is a model for other gardens.  Huge Cubban Park is another land marks of this city. No surprise that  over a  period  this city came to be known as a Garden City.

As a part of their progressive administrative policies for the State Wadeyars had implemented Regionally Balanced Socio-Economic Policies. As per this suitable industrial units were located in different parts of the state. Bangaluru had got its own share in the form of  Government Soap factory,  Government Electric Factory and many others. However, industrial development being part of planned city development never caused adverse effects on the urban life. Rather it contributed to its socio-economic dynamics.

Post Independence - Dynamic Political Leadership

During the first two decades after independence the state had the good fortune of a very dynamic political leadership. They were men of eminence and integrity coupled with high degree of local concerns. Politicians such as Kadidal Manjappa, K.Hanumanthaiah, and Nijalingappa had national prominence both in the government and the Indian Congress Party.  They gave importance to the socio-economic development of the state in general and the Bangalore city in particular by choosing it as the state capital under great odds. Maintenance of the Heritage of the city was given its due prominence. Location and the architect of Vidhana Soudha stand testimony to the political culture of the time.

A National Industrial Hub

Because of very conducive socio-economic-political environment Bangaluru attracted a series of Public Sector enterprises (many connected with the defense), like HAL, HMT, ITI, BEL, BHEL, Railway Wheels Factory, DRDO, ISRO and many others, which had huge campuses of their own. Even Private Sector, like Kislokar, MICO and  Kisan,  had put up a few important units in and around this city. Foreign collaborations in some of these industries gave Bangalore an international image.  Over a time the city acquired the honor of having Asia’s largest Industrial Estate of ancillary and small units in Peenya. However, industrialization of Bengaluru did not damage the landscape of the city as either they were non-polluting in nature or they were located away from the residential layouts.

Industrialization  enhanced the employment prospects of the citizens. As other major cities of the country had become highly congested and polluted, Bangalore glittered for its elegance, gardens and laid back large city. All over the country Bangalore acquired prominence as a well planned and clean city and a sophisticated large  urban center of the country. So much so, during 1980s when well established businesses houses and industrial units found the Communist rule in Calcutta oppressive,  many of them shifted to Bangaluru. Businessmen and Business Houses from Bombay and Delhi found Bangalore an attractive investment destination as also a very tantalizing living place. By the eighties Bangalore was turning into a large industrial, commercial and a residential city of the country.