Illegal mining scams, denotification scams, land grabbing scams, site allotment scams….
For a State that makes much of its nela (land) and jala (water), it is no surprise that all the rapacious rats who have been caught with their half-pants down—B.S. Yediyurappa, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Katta Subramanya Naidu et al and, horror, the man who was supposed to read the rulebook to them, Justice Shivraj Patil—were literally living up to their “sons of the soil” appendage.
No surprise, then, that the temple of “god’s work”, the Vidhana Soudha, too should look shaken, ravaged and teetering on the brink, like any real estate project in town, as work proceeds apace on the Namma Metro project on Ambedkar Veedhi, in Bangalore on Monday.
Photograph: Karnataka Photo News
Also view: The complete Namma Metro photo portfolio
churumuri 
Unlike the Delhi Metro or Hong Kong or Tokyo or Singapore Metro or any other efficient, modern and extremely convenient metro in the world, our eagerly awaited, Namma Metro is sadly headed for total disappointment and probably disaster, all because of a shocking lack of professional competence in design, investment, experience, greed and foresight!
All other metros in the world, even the poorest countries have a minimum of 6-7 entry gates for passengers swiping the card. During the much publicized trial run, it was shocking to see the snap of Sadananda Gowda, Askoka, MD N Sivasailam and ministers crowding and muscling over each other to enter the MG Road plaza station, thanks to only 2+1 entry gates!
There is only one single ticketing counter, perhaps intentionally designed to help black marketing of tickets.
Once inside, the escalator (not multiple escalators) and the stairs taking you to the concourse area are so narrow that it defines imagination. Imagine this is in the so-called largest, show case and nodal station!
The concourse on the first floor connects you to the platforms above or the plaza. No toilets or basic amenities, not even chairs for elderly to be seated. Due to public complaints, they are now installing two paid-toilets!
There are no clear signs guiding you anywhere, obviously none in Kannada, that are needed to help you take the up route (MG Road to Byappanahalli) or the platform for the down route (Byappanahalli to MG Road).
For those handicapped, forget wheelchairs or any noticeable facility, in the various stations, there is not even special access or toilet facilities. Pls come with an escort and disposable plastic bags.
Namma Metro will only have, hold your breadth: just 3-car trains (only 750-800 people per trip only). This is indeed shocking considering the investment to serve society and fact that all other metros in various cities carry hundreds of thousands on average, every day.
The only provisions for safety in the metro ride include two emergency button boxes that will switch off the power at the station when pressed or send an immediate signal to the station master. Chain snatchers and molesters are most welcome to Namma Metro. There are no closed CCTV camera to link the inside and outside control rooms or police stations, no predictive alarms, no scope for commercial announcements, no safety tips, no portable fire extinguishers, no warning signs, no mention of dangerous items, no mandatory fines for smoking or eating inside trains or on platforms or spitting pan, no revenue generating giant screens…nothing!
Perhaps, most important of all, while almost every key station in all the major metros of the world have thick-non-breakable, automatic glass doors in the stations and glass barriers to prevent people from accidently or intentionally falling on the electrical tracks, there is nothing now or planned in any of the stations in Namma Metro. Are they waiting for a celebrity wife beater or scam-tainted caste-oriented politician to fall on the tracks?
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Perhaps as a discrete warning and sign of the dangers involved, on the way back, the ‘black colored’ tokens with a built-in- chip for recognition have to be deposited at the exit gate.
Despite so many shortcomings, the Railway Board has finally declared Reach 1 open for public carriage. While everyone is keen on claiming credit, key brains and leaders behind the ‘world class project’ are rumored to be Sivasailam, Muniyappa, Dinesh Kumar Singh, Yeddyurappa and ‘noted’ family, real estate tycoon minister Ashoka, Gowda and cronies.
Among the many regrettable feats and in a classic greedy case of the politicians putting the cart before the horse, the state-run corporation has been selling pre-paid travel cards a month before any train is expected to run. CM Gowda who keeps claiming the Metro is world class (while Yeddi previously claimed it is world’s best), Ashoka, Suresh and team were offered the first three smart cards of Rs.100 denomination, which will entail them to commute in the air-conditioned Metro coaches. Perhaps it is time for Janardhana Reddy to move over; the ministers and MLA’s don’t need your helicopters anymore ;-)
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But, despite all the short comings, Mr. Ravi Shankar, we have named it Namma Metro in pure Kannada (well, forget the ‘metro’ part, there is no Kannada equivalent of it, atleast until someone comes up with it). And not to forget announcing in Kannada first, tickets and train numbers in Kannada etc. And probably beating chests for our great cultural heritage inside and outside the train. That should make up for some of the deficiencies.
Well, if you are still not convinced, make an online poll of which is the best subway on earth, you will have 1 billion people dying to vote for namma metro.
We get substandard quality because we are happy with it. There is no point in logical talking points anymore.
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@FirstReality
‘we get substandard quality because we are happy with it’
Yaake Guruve, Enu nimma problem?
Do you know the number of molestation cases in Delhi metro due to which the they reserved bogies for women?
I don’t want any metro below delhi standards. Clear!
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Prakash – So your golden standard is Delhi metro? You prove that which is to be proven.
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Great & revealing facts by Ravi Shankar!
I wonder if FirstReality is one of the contractors or beneficiaries or probably a flunky of Yeddi, Ashoka or Gowda clan.
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@FirstReality,
i dont know what you meant.
but anyways the points raised by Ravi shankar are very important .
We dont want conductor like features roaming like devvas in metro stations.
We want proper smart cards at customer cares giving all information about routes in city in a friendly manner.
We want tokens to be distributed with proper change and not like those KSRTC thugs waiting for chillare kasu.
We want security police – men and women to check everyone properly.
We want neat and clean Infosys maintained toilets (atleast they come handy here) – this will be add on over bad toilets of delhi.
We need lifts for old people.
Rickshaw and taxis and auto thugs should be banned to a further distance since they are more horrendous than delhi ones here . they will surely be a door to prostitution and pickups if this is not maintained.
And above all there should be a policemen – a Bengaluru police squad has to be formed who stands behind yellow line to instruct people to go in line and stop when filled, else bloody losers won’t even wait for 2 minutes for next train.
Frequency of trains should be good during peak hours.
There should be no VIP cabin as rumours are spread.
As you said Kannada should be at top.
These are present is Delhi metros and we can have something better than that but never below than that.
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@FirstReality
“despite all the short comings, have named it Namma Metro in pure Kannada (well, forget the ‘metro’ part, there is no Kannada equivalent of it, atleast until someone comes up with it). And not to forget announcing in Kannada first, tickets and train numbers in Kannada etc. And probably beating chests for our great cultural heritage inside and outside the train”
Namaskara.
I am a Kannadiga too but feel utterly ashamed when folks like you are so obsessed with the language that everything else, however true, gets blinded or ridiculed!
Public transport is supposed to be convenient, safe and helpful. After all, it is built and maintained using the tax payers money, most of which anyway gets ruthlessly looted by the politicians.
Sadly people like you continue to get brainwashed by the likes of KRV, Muttapa Rai, Pramod Muthalik and other sene’s, whose canny leaders have made millions and now live in palatial houses, thanks to ignorant or gullible people like you.
Forgot about the basic or mandatory facilities in metro trains or stations abroad, other than the ‘world class BTS buses’, have you ever travelled in any metro or visited any station? Have you ever been mugged or pick-pocketed or molested? Do you realize that the eldery can’t stand on their weak legs? I assume you will be happy as long as Kalasipalyam is renamed as U R Ananthamurthy Station or M G Road is renamed as Deve Gowda Station or Byappanahalli is renamed as Katta Naidu Station or Ulsoor is renamed as A. Raja Station!
Incidentally, some time back there was great criticism that the new Blr International Airport is basically a industrial shed with no facilities. The crafty and most corrupt Yeddi, who had just returned back after a so-called study tour, experiencing the ultra modern Beijing’s Capital Airport (54-square-kilometer site handled 74 Mil passengers), silenced the masses by announcing that the Blr airport will be named after Kempegowda!
Well, despite Jan Lokpal, Anna Hazare, Santosh Hegde or Baba Ramdev..etc, as long as we have people with the psyche and attitude that you have, our country can only take one step forward and two steps backward.
Pls keep beating your chest about our language, culture…etc.
But for Gods sake, pls don’t pull down others who are probably trying to create awareness or pushing for a positive change in our country or state.
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Laughing out loud.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm
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FirstReality baredirodu vyngya kanappa, Vijaya.
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Folks, the harebrained ‘FirstReality’ is none other than ‘noted’ minister Renukacharya trying his talent as a journo on the cyber-space!
In our great Kannada Nadu of genius’s like Yeddyurappa, Kumaraswamy, Sadananda Gowda, Muniyappa, Karge, Moily, Oscar, Yogeshwar, Katta Naidu, Reddy, Somanna, Ashoka, Dharam Singh, Bangarappa, Jafer Sharief, Deve Gowda, DKS and many others, most popular public servants who continue to toil hard while the sun shines, it is not surprising to see such dodo’s ‘beating chests for our great cultural heritage and language’ while shamelessly mentioning that ‘we get substandard quality because we are happy with it’ !
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There is Metro fever in Bangalore with the 70MM smiling CM going overboard to grab maximum publicity, perhaps in the hope of diverting attention from his highly corrupt ministers and ex-CM Yeddi who has successfully evaded the Parapanna Agrahara jail until now.
Chrumuri has had a few first hand accounts of Namma Metro…I think they are very revealing and rather shocking too…..
I would warn would-be passengers to ensure they have a ‘life insurance certificate’ before venturing for a ride and slipping-off the deadly platform on to the 1000V electrically live rails, yes, considering the population of Bangalore and the crowds expected, its a ‘shocking platform’ that does not have the mandatory secure-safety doors!
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Metro-coming-dont-go-to-the-edge-of-the-platform/articleshow/10262162.cms
http://www.ndtv.com/article/cities/bangalore-metro-gets-poor-reviews-from-senior-citizens-132045
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