South is cooler than North
North has a long way to go in comparison
to south in terms of infrastructure and governance
Recently the Outlook
magazine carried a cover story on how Northern India is rising in comparison to
Southern. I may partially agree but if we compare the living standards in
Northern India and Southern, it’s better to get down a bit.
Living in North for the
past four years, I always feel better in any southern country to take in air in
your lungs than northern. The infrastructure is still terrible and managing the
infrastructure is a step ahead by the administration. Though southern
administrations are better enough but at least the management is logical. For
instance, I have lived in Lucknow for two years and there was a two way road in
the posh area of Gomti Nagar. Always we were made to use one road because the
other one is dugged for some reason other. The soil of southern region is
comparatively amorphous, so it’s all us around. Then too I have never tread is
full done two way road that lead to Patrakarpuram till the railway crossing in
Lucknow.
Similar experience I felt
in Agra. Dayalbagh is said to be greener place in the city and I live there.
But the quest of high handedness and sheer foolishness of administration is admirable.
After two years a two way road was finally built as Uttar Pradesh went to
elections recently. Then the footpath was done over. Now the task of the footpath
is to stop duty laden streets and give public a space to walk upon. Here it’s different.
The dust of footpath that was poorly completed went on to the street. There
were gaps between the footpath and the road that lead the amorphous dust into
our noses. The road was also dugged thereafter by Jal Nigam and it is still to
be done rather covered by ordinary soil.
Being a journalist I went
and asked the officials about this and they said, ‘Ab kis kis ko jimmedar
theraoge” (Now to whom we can accuse for the mishap). On a macro level the
figures are just not comfortable for an ordinary Indian. North is growing but
south is way ahead. Agra till today has three industries- tourism, Education
and leather. Any other industry has still to come over.
The eastern state is
still better. One can hardly found any dust here. There were numerous articles written in
regional media in UP about its poor infrastructure and dust laden streets but
it all results in deaf ears. I write an article in The Times of Agra, a
supplement of The Times of India, Agra Aligarh supplement on “to whom Agra
roads belong”. You can never accuse a single department for the poor roads in
Agra. It’s all shared between the Agra Municipality, PWD, Electricity Board,
Jal Nigam and Jal Sansthan (I find no pii t in having two water bodies for a
single area) and others. These all help while the media questions and the
department passes the buck to other. Government department work more on face saving
and less the actual task in hand. This is not an allegation but a truth every
journalist and government servant knows.
North is coolest and
hottest in India. While monsoons come calling in south, the north is still
reeling under high temperatures. The temperature varies from 0 degree to about
45 degree. Don’t you think it’s atrocious?
Then how come North is
better or growing better than South? At least on count of living standards and as
per my experience it’s not.
Post Script- Now I am
enjoying the cool breeze in Rourkela, Odisha than to reel under power cuts and
high temperature in Agra.
(This article is
personal view expressed under Right to Expression)
