Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Road to the future

The year is 2050. The city of Bangalore is no where close to what was once called as the garden city. Although there has been considerable loss of greenery in this city, in the past five decades, it still has pockets of vegetation left. All the gardens have now moved on to the terraces.
The roads of Bangalore , infamous as always for the rash unpredictable traffic, has also multiplied for the worse. Road accidents are more common than tree felling which is a daily affair here. Hospitals, which once had Trauma and emergency now have a separate department right in the front of their buildings, dedicated only for road accidents. The situation looks bleak. The mentality of the motorists of the city has not changed.
They want to go, and go fast. Take the turn first. Overtake whatever, whenever and however! Roads are optional, footpaths are speedways. the honk is more important than the brake. Adding to this mentality is the ever increasing number of people taking to the roads everyday, with machines which have potential atom bombs as their engines!
At such a time, Gopal Ram, a zoology major in college, IAS topper and efficient administrator took charge of the Road transport ministry. His first task on the agenda was to reduce the road accidents. Using his zoology background he put forth an idea. He proposed that every vehicle in the city would be fitted with a detection system like bats, which would stop the vehicles before collision. An ultra sensitive radar which would avoid accidents in most cases. The idea was revolutionary and was passed as a bill. In-foe-sys , a company owned by the then chief minister's brother in law, came forward to produce the radar system. And with a little help from the Germans, they devised a exceptionally accurate and powerful device with the ability to stop the vehicle if it came "extremely" close to another. A massive drive exercised by the ministry made sure all the vehicles were fitted with these devices by August 15 2050. And they did it.
Today, August 15 2050, the road got its independence.
ALL 7 million vehicles of Bangalore are stalled on the roads, unable to move.
I am on what was once called Hosur road... and I know I got miles to walk before i sleep, miles to walk before i sleep...


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