By Dr. K. Javeed Nayeem, MD

Despite numerous suggestions and appeals and a few feeble protests too, from some very sensible and concerned individuals and groups, our State government seems hell-bent on creating a new bus stand for our city, in the now beautiful Bannimantap area.

Yes, all protests in Namma Mysuru have always been very feeble. It’s sad but that has somehow always been the hallmark of Mysureans! A date has even been finalised for laying the foundation stone for the new bus stand and this fateful date is not far away, but just around the corner.

The good and bad that can come out of this Quixotic decision have both been highlighted by many learned people, with the emerging picture clearly indicating that there is very little good in it and much bad, that we Mysureans will have to see and endure for the rest of our lives.

But the unholy nexus between selfish politicians, bureaucrats and contractors, is a very malignant one. And, like most malignancies, this one too is certainly very lethal to our society and it needs to be countered with some very potent remedial measures.

When you add to this already deadly triad, the additional greed and might of some very hungry land-sharks, waiting in the wings, to multiple their earnings overnight, while the rest of us sleep, the impact on our city can only become deadlier.

But all this seems have so far gone over the heads of slumbering Mysureans, who perhaps need more than just a sharp nudge to awaken their sense of concern for the beauty and sustainability of our city. This is despite having seen a good many of the mutilations made to it, both in the distant and recent past, which now stand out as ugly eyesores.

The creation of our existing sub-urban bus stand on the Mother Teresa Road, amid surroundings which simply did not have enough room, either for the flow of traffic or for the movement of people, was one such blunder. We have all been seeing over nearly four decades, the chaos it has created in the once pristine environment surrounding our Palace and the lush expanse of our Government House, which are the pride of our city.

Today, this bus stand area is a huge island of utter chaos and confusion, separating these two beautiful landmarks.

Another blunder, a more recent one, was the plan to erect granite balustrades at great cost, along the entire five-kilometre route of our Dasara procession. The big-wig who tossed aside the opposition to this plan, and proclaimed that this project would create a ‘Rajapatha’ (also known as Raja Marga) that would not only rival but even outshine the one at New Delhi, the route of our Republic Day Parade (Rajpath, now renamed as Kartavya Path), is now completely out of sight and thankfully, out of might too!

The proposed five-kilometre-long project, which could march only at a snail’s pace, was quickly abandoned, even before it clocked half a kilometre. This was necessitated when the speed at which the already erected balustrades began crumbling, greatly exceeded the speed at which they were being erected and so, that was the end of the road for it.

But the dirty hands that had dabbled in it, even for the brief duration, had managed to collect their booty of cuts and commissions before they quietly vanished. And, the sadder part is that we, the all-forgiving Mysureans, holding on to our age-old tradition of being most benevolent, never insisted on any accountability, let alone recovery of the money wasted on the project that failed to do us any good.  The same story is all set to be repeated at an astronomical cost and permanent inconvenience to us, if this new bus stand comes up at Bannimantap. It is not that we do not need a better and more commodious bus stand to meet the needs of our fast-growing city. It is just that the location proposed for it at present is completely a wrong one, that will not only put citizens to much inconvenience but will also mar the beauty of the city permanently.

I have said this once in my article in SOM, six months ago and I’m saying it again too. We must remember that the Bannimantap Grounds, where our Annual Dasara procession culminates and where our iconic Torch Light Parade has been held for over a century and a half, is a de facto heritage site, that needs, not just to be retained as such, but also preserved and protected from any kind of development around, that can mar its beauty, antiquity and sanctity. I fail to understand how we will be able to conduct the nearly month-long rehearsals and the main Dasara procession itself, with a fully functional bus stand, that is going to be overflowing with buses and people during Dasara time, sitting in the middle of the procession route? Why has this point been so completely overlooked by all those at the helm of affairs?

Many concerned citizens have suggested alternate areas for one or even more bus stands, on the outskirts of the city, but which will be well connected with it, that can do us much good without doing any harm.

Star of Mysore too has given much publishing space for this topic and its Founder-Editor K.B. Ganapathy, too has written at length about the matter.

Prof. R. Chandra Prakash, a concerned citizen, has very recently given a very balanced and extremely detailed and very painstakingly drafted analysis of the pros and cons of having a bus stand at the proposed site in Bannimantap. This write-up alone is enough to enlighten and wizen those at the helm of affairs, including our home-bred Chief Minister and, if only they read and understand it with an open and unbiased mind, much good sense is certainly bound to prevail, in favour of what most Mysureans are asking for.

Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy, Founding President of city’s well-known NGO, Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP), has also voiced his opinion against this illogical bus stand project.

And, I must say this with much sorrow that, if they choose to brush aside logical counsel now, before embarking on the project next week (July 19), they will only be driving the last nail in the coffin of a most beautiful city. And, for not having acted in time to save our city from this disgrace, we Mysureans will only have ourselves to blame, for being drowned in it.

My dear Mysureans, time is short and the water is rising…let’s see if we rise up too, before it is too late!

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