Built to Break

/2 min read
The chaos on India’s city roads is not an accident—it’s the business model
Built to Break
(Photo: Getty Images) 

 No one who has ever been to Bengaluru is under any illusion about its roads. Wait times are intermi­nable for traffic and, with a very limited Metro network, there is not much of an alternative. On top of that, repair work has added another layer of torture. When one of the city’s leading personalities, Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, posts about the state of affairs, it is just another reiteration of common knowledge. And yet, the government still manages to get offended. As when Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar posted, “Ben­galuru has given opportunities, identity, and success to millions—it deserves collective effort, not constant criti­cism.” He followed it with a list of what they were doing to address the issue—10,000 potholes identified with 5,000 fixed, ₹1,100 crore sanctioned for repairs, etc—and asked every­one to “rise united”.