The S M Krishna Government that came into power, holding out much promises for Bangalore
has changed gears of the city's infrastructure development programme. Bad roads and
inadequate power had in the past plagued Bangalore's residents and entrepreneurs alone.
This government's will to change things for the better has been showing positive results
already.
The first step was the speeding up of the fly-over projects that were progressing at a
snail's pace. Next, the pathetic roads were tackled. Road widening and re-laying works
were reviewed and suddenly the city roads wore a new look. The inner and outer ring roads
were completed and this to a large extent eased congestion in many areas in the city
limits. Trucks no longer use the city's main roads to pass through, enroute to
neighbouring States. The expressway on the Devanahalli route where the planned
international airport will come up will further strengthen the road network. With the
Mekhri Circle grade separator progressing on schedule and the Richmond Road-Lalbagh Road
fly-over nearing completion, traffic snarls in these areas will soon be history.
Another good development has been the self assessment of property tax scheme that has
helped the city corporation increase tax revenues. The revenue from property tax that the
Bangalore City Corporation earned was one of the lowest in the country. This new scheme
aims at changing this. The Municipal Bonds too augmented its resource to plough back into
infrastructure development.
The attempts at cleaning up Bangalore too have paid dividends. The scheme of the forbade
collection from doorsteps has eased the pressure on the overflowing bind and led to a
considerably cleaner city. The parks and lakes too are looking good with the government
paying attention to maintaining them. Both the Hebbal lake and Sankey tank are now
attractive spots where many Bangalorean's spend their evenings.
The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) set up an Export Promotion
Industrial Park at Whitefield and this has been a boon to the export sector. The
information technology corridor is a prime section of the city with the government sparing
no efforts at ensuring its maintenance in terms of road, power, water and lighting. This
has helped the city reinforce its credentials as the IT capital of the country yet again.
The telephone network in Bangalore is not good too with many exchange going electronic. In
many parts, phone connections are available on demand.
Apart from strengthened infrastructure, the cosmopolitan culture of Bangalore makes it a
favoured designation. The easily available skilled labour, and a good climate goes on long
way in business venture. Bangalore is easily assessable from any part of the country and
is well connected by air, rail and road.
Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in the sub continent. It is a city of peace
loving people and has never suffered the wrath of nature. Cyclones, floods and famines
have passed Bangalore by. It is not earthquake prone. The crime graph has been managed
well and it has not terrorist related problems. It is a good city to live and work in. And
in the coming years, will be even better. No wonder there are more people coming to live
in Bangalore than those leaving it.
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