Guest Column | Are we a metro to have a Metro
Chandigarh has grown and, with satellite cities of Mohali and Panchkula mushrooming on both ends, the place is now referred to as tricity; however, the culture of nine to five remains dominant
My father acquired this house where we stay, at Sector 28 in Chandigarh, during 1973. The sector was commonly perceived as the one in a corner and at a distance from the city centre of Sector 17, which was the main shopping plaza, hub of activity and an identity of the City Beautiful. The city during those times was an abode for babus and veterans. Wide roads, unending landscape, and beautiful flora and fauna made it a serene destination for the retired. This probably was converse for youth exploring opportunities for a fruitful career. Thus,they flew far and wide after basic education. The situation in this regard remains largely unchanged.
Chandigarh has grown and, with satellite cities of Mohali and Panchkula mushrooming on both ends, the place is now referred to as tricity. However, the culture of nine to five remains dominant. My sector, considered as at one end, has assumed the identity of a central place in the tricity. What used to be a five-minute drive to Sector 17 is now a 10-minute trip and one end of the tricity to another takes 30 minutes commuting time at best during peak hours. Corporate business and commercial activities have had cosmetic accretions, though a conscious drive to bring it at par to other metros in the country is on going with regard to education, health, hospitality and so on. This drive to evolve the tricity as a metro is visible but the primary culture of Chandigarh is deeply ingrained and that if I may say is “ No fire on, live life flexible. Mantra is be on your own!” Chandigarh has the maximum density of automobiles per mile in the country. Distances, work commitments and social engagements make ‘Chandigarhians’ pretty self-contained people. Then why disrupt their life and work against the basic culture that dominates the region.
I get reminded of my days in the army. We got a commanding officer (CO) who hailed from an upscale urban background. He wanted to modernise the living conditions of soldiers in the unit. The drive started in all earnesty with the motto “Improve living conditions for soldiers”. Well, he carried out major renovations in the dining halls and introduced club culture for ranks. His logic was simple, “enhance the quality of life”. Thus, the ‘break and brick’ construction commenced putting normal life out of gear for the unit’s time-starved personnel. The euphoria around, though, was palpable and a lot of regimental funds were spent to kit up other ranks’ dining halls and provision a separate bar facilities, which heretofore were restricted to customary issue days through a well-oiled and controlled system called, “Issue parade”. Feedback of these so-called innovative improvements was positive since negative feedback on an initiative of the boss had no place in the organisation. During routine rounds in evening, the facilities were found to be under-utilised. For a fighting unit like ours, a culture of training, discipline and a structured routine precluded optimum utilisation of club facilities. With almost 100% soldiers hailing from rural backgrounds, the cosmetics of renovated dining halls held no fancy for the fact that after a hard day’s job and pressure of a strict regimen, what mattered was better food. Well, this department was left with much to be desired. The CO was distraught with this lukewarm response to what he thought would be a revolutionary step. Wisdom dawned and a thrust was directed towards improvement of services (food and welfare) and everyone lived happily thereafter!
There have been conflicting views on introduction of a Metro in Chandigarh and the fact that the project is still to see the light of the day, despite more than two decades of consideration, proves that the city is happy without it at the moment. My views echo in the latest development of Metro being touted as ‘unviable’ due to low ridership concerns as a variety of alternative transportation solutions, such as pod taxis and better management of traffic, are being promulgated. This would keep the culture, concept and heritage of Le Corbusier’s Chandigarh intact. Cost effectiveness of the project including operational costs and high tariffs from commuters may, for the time being, put the project on hold till an incisive feasibility study is put in action.
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