21 October,2011 10:46 AM IST | | Team MiD DAY
The city was in a jubilant mood as the Metro was flagged off. For many, the joy of Diwali began early this year. Bangalore was decked up with a million lights, as if to welcome the Metro that would cast away all the traffic problems in the city. MiD DAY brings you a special coverage of the day that would go down in the history of Bangalore as a Red letter day
I just got a ticket, took a ride and came back. It is a good thing to see the metro running at last. All the systems seem to be in place and everything looked bright and new. It was a good experience. Also, with 1, 000 people taking one Metro means that it will take the load off 10 buses, which means less traffic. Bangalore was supposed to have a Metro and it has now got one. It has got nothing to do with the culture, when the population explodes then transportation is required. But the future of the metro is in the hands of the citizens. We need to keep it clean. It is not the job of the Government alone.
Arundhati Nag, Noted Theatre Personality
We have seen it all, from inception to execution and now the inauguration of Namma Metro. But we must remember the job is still not done, 36 kms of work on Reach I is still pending, and 9.3 kms of under ground stations work is yet incomplete.
The need of the hour now is that people should show a sense of belonging and treat the Metro as their own. The attitude of the citizens aboard the Metro is a worldwide problem, and if monitoring fails then the Metro will fail.
MN Sreehari, Advisor, Traffic, Infrastructure, Karnataka Government
Thus far the Metro hasn't really marketed itself though it has the capability to do so. The best way to do that is to ensure product quality. The best thing for the future is to build a sense of ownership around it. It should be marketed as Bangalore's pride after the Vidhana Soudha.
For an overseas traveller, it definitely gives Bangalore an upper hand for having a Metro. In such cases, a seven-day travel pass would be well received. Reach I surely has put Byppanahalli on the world map.
Harish Bijoor, Brand Expert
Global voices
Ema Trinidad, Philippines
This will put Bangalore on the global map and I am very excited. Auto drivers used to exploit us a lot, now that Metro is here, we will not face this issue. I hope the Metro connects to the BIAL soon.
Griffith David, California
This is a very interesting infrastructural development and I congratulate Bangalore on this achievement.
Rashmi Prabhakar, Singapore
Metro has been a great transport help in all big cities across the globe. But it will take a while for people in Bangalore to get used to it. The authorities need to spread awareness about the usefulness of the Metro to encourage citizens to use it. Bangalore will be on the global map depending on how fast work on the other phases is completed.
Chilko Perry, Japan
Metro is a landmark in the history of the city. It is a citizen friendly transport system. The Japan Government had an integral role to play and so we are all excited about this.
