A recently concluded survey
has rated Chennai 150 out
of 221 international cities assessed
for the quality of life they
provide. While that figure may
not seem all that bad (after all,
we continue to be a developing
nation), what is of concern is
that, out of five Indian cities included
in this survey, Chennai
has been ranked fourth, way
below Bangalore (which scored
the highest among Indian cities
– ranking 139), New Delhi and
Mumbai. It is some small consolation
that Kolkata scored below
Chennai. It just goes to
show that all is not well with our
metropolis and it is not the
world-class city that our Government
claims it is.
The survey ranked the cities
on the basis of 39 factors. In the
past years, some of the factors
had related to the political and
social environment, education
and medical facilities and the
cultural atmosphere. This year,
the study included in its list
water, electricity, public transport
and other infrastructure
facilities and it is generally
believed that these have pulled
Chennai down.
This should not come as a
surprise to those who are concerned
with the quality of life in
Chennai which is steadily going
downhill. For, here are some of
the glaring issues, listed for the
benefit of those in charge and
who hopefully read this.
Civic hygiene – Surely, this
cannot be an international city
if its garbage problems regularly
make them to the headlines.
And when the garbage is collected,
it is done in such an unscientific
manner that it beggars
all description. Waste may be
segregated at source by a few
well-meaning individuals and
organisations, but it is invariably
mixed in collection and
then in disposal. Chennai has
no scientific solution in place
and it would do well to quickly
come up with an answer if it
hopes to make it to world standards.
Water – One Kapaleeswarar
temple tank does not make the
city water-surplus. You just
need to see the number of ill-maintained
public water-bodies
and the rampant encroachment
that goes on upon or around
most of them to come to the
conclusion that Chennai has no
water policy to speak of. This
has proved a rain-deficient year
and, thanks to poor implementation
of rainwater harvesting
schemes after the initial enthusiasm,
we are left with no choice
but to look to the sky, water
tankers and plastic pots in the
coming year.
The public transport –
Chennai's most visible symbol
of public transport is the
autorickshaw. The attitude of
the drivers and their tendency
to fleece the public with utter
disregard for their meters are
now spoken about all over the
country. We also have Government-
run transport services
whose individual arms are not
in any way connected with each
other. A creaking bus service,
notorious for its poor maintenance,
rash driving and accidents;
a suburban train service
that operates on a limb; and an
MRTS that is in no way connected with any other transport
together complete the picture.
The Metro Rail is promising
much. How that will pan out
will need to be seen.
The waterways – Ask any
number of outsiders and they
will tell you that they know
when they are entering Chennai
thanks to the odour from
the three waterways that crisscross
the city. There are lesser
canals as well, all in the same
condition as the first three.
These could be harnessed for
some transport if maintained
well. But with no visible results
after several crores of rupees
have been spent, it is a sad state
of affairs.
Noise pollution, traffic indiscipline,
lack of maintenance
of walking areas – These
are endemic to all Indian cities
and Chennai perhaps ranks no
worse than the others. But if the
aim is to be an international
city, does it not have to rise
above these bottlenecks?
Where are the concrete and
planned efforts towards their
improvement? On the other
hand, we appear to be sliding in
the opposite direction. Political
rallies that block traffic, public
worship practices blocking
roads, and hoardings and cutouts
welcoming political leaders
are the order of the day. The
ban on defacing city walls with
posters has more or less been
forgotten.
So where are we truly international?
If we are not anywhere near
any count, then we need to be
concerned about how is this
ranking going to affect Chennai.
For one, multinationals
planning to set up base in India
use this study. Secondly, hardship
allowances for expatriates
are calculated keeping such
studies in mind. And so, if we
are seriously thinking of marketing
ourselves, the power situation
notwithstanding, we may
as well begin with a serious perusal
of this survey.
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