Mangalore is one of the most happening cities of our country, being the ‘Education Hub’ and ‘Banking Bowl’ of India. Already having big industrial establishments such as MCF, MRPL and Infosys and attracting other IT giants like TCS and WIPRO, the number of employees in the city is bound to increase substantially in the days to come.
The population of the city is growing geometrically and is now transformed into a cosmopolitan center with the layout of most attractive M G Road, Multiplexus and shopping complexes rendering a facelift to the mundane urban look.
However, rapid industrialisation and adoption of transport mechanism in the changed economic and communication scenario has caused all types of pollution and more so air pollution.
Mangalore, located in the western coastal belt of Karnataka have a wonderful greenery all around and can not afford to get affected by the so called modernisation or commercialisation process. Widening of roads adds to its beauty and transforms it to a city of international standards. But this is coupled with deforestation and drastic reduction in the availability of space to induce fresh plantation thus paving way for the loss of lush greenery.
With the growing population on the one hand and availability of land for public utilities such as parks and gardens becoming lesser and lesser on the other, the citizens of Mangalore, who already face the problem of finding space for morning and evening walks besides getting pure air and water, may find living bad though not worse in the coming days.
Before the city turns hazardous, the authorities concerned shall prepare a blue print and a road map for the city to plant trees all around and establish parks and gardens in all the wards so that the future generation shall not curse us for this great menace.
Development and environment protection shall go hand in hand. The local administration, elected representatives, NGOs and more so the citizens of Mangalore should wake up from their deep slumber and advocate a crusade to make this a mass movement by organising mass programs to create public awareness to conserve nature and protect environment.
May we therefore strive to make Mangalore the ‘Second Garden City of Karnataka’. Let us not deprive our children their basic right to spend their evening hours in parks and gardens in the name of commercialisation.
Keerthan Rao
Std X, Canara Boys High School
Mangalore
Recommencement of road digging work
Our new Mayor, when she took over the charge, has assured the Mangaloreans that our damaged roads will be set right immediately and solve the long standing problem. No sooner she said this, our city roads are being dug up (BV road, Attavar, near Balmatta PO etc) to install cables. Naturally many questions arise in one’s mind. When will this digging stop?
I feel that this digging on the road side is a never ending business. Is it possible to set up right these dilapidated roads in the near future if this continues? Isn’t the tax-payers’ money being wasted on road repair for the fault of those who often spoil it by digging?
Our Mayor should stop attending the honouring functions and concentrate more on betterment of roads and other important development works as her tenure is very short and limited. She should visit certain places and inspect the works already carried out in the name of road repair. In many places they are half done and incomplete.
J F D’Souza, Attavar,
Mangalore.
(Readers may send their letters to The Editor, Deccan Herald, Yenepoya Chambers, 2nd floor, Balmatta, Mangalore or e-mail to dhmangalore@deccanherald.co.in)
