COCHINITES(Kochiites) to move to a healthier life in the suburbs

Moving to cleaner, greener pastures

Traffic blues, heavy pollution, peak hour rush, water scarcity and rising noise levels are forcing many Kochiites to move to a healthier life in the suburbs, says HEMJITH BHARATHAN. They lament the deteriorating quality of life in the city

This might be something right out of fantasy or a fairy tale. No traffic lights, horns, pollution and lots of parking space. Life is tranquil and moves at a leisurely pace. Whatever be it this is what many residents of Kochi, maddened by the commotion and chaos on the roads, desperately long for today. Kochi too, like other cities, is turning into a city of excesses forcing many to move to the less congested, neighbouring areas like Aluva, Poothotta etc.

The city maybe an investor's paradise, but the consumer boom does not suit everyone. Many who prefer peace and live with certain ideals are apprehensive about the future of Kochi. There are many who fear that the city will be taken over by the gangs of software engineers who are out to transform Kochi into an automated roller coaster.

Latheef, an NRI says, "Dubai is getting more and more congested by the day. The traffic moves at snail's pace. But when we come home on holidays, to escape the rush there, we find that Kochi is the same. Crawling traffic, crowded, polluted streets and lack of parking space. I will be shifting from my apartment at Kaloor to a river-view apartment at Aluva to enjoy the quietude and scenic beauty."

Choking smog


Kochi is slowly turning into an environmentalist's nightmare. The car boom, due to man's unending love affair with automobiles, has polluted and crammed the city. Car exhaust, multiplying in proportion with our passion for anything on wheels, is blanketing the city with thick smog. The fumes get trapped among the mushrooming tall buildings. Are we moving into the dark ages?

Bhaskaran, who sold his flat off M.G. Road to settle down in the lush, surroundings of Silent Valley says, "Kochi is becoming uninhabitable due to the grime, dust and pollution. Lack of proper drainage adds to its woes. Its narrow infrastructure cannot contain its rapid development. On certain mornings one sees a mysterious fog with a strange chemical odour that obscures the atmosphere. Doctors have warned that this can be harmful for respiratory organs. The city is thus choking in its own growth."

Seeking a cleaner atmosphere is what makes many leave the city. According to a recent report breathing the polluted air in Mumbai is equivalent to smoking two packets of cigarettes a day. Will Kochi be trailing far behind? Sapna Prabath, a homemaker who has shifted to Poothotta says, "the air is definitely cleaner here than the polluted city roads. While Kochi is reeling under water scarcity we get pure drinking water from a well in our compound. Though we are away from the city we do not lack in anything as the transport system, new bridges and roads have made the city easily accessible. A CBSE school nearby takes care of the education of my children.

We go to the city occasionally, perhaps once in a week, for shopping, movies or eating out with the children." But for many the city is home. Shifting has never crossed their minds even in their wildest dreams. They are used to the din, excitement and fervour. They feel part of it. To them Kochi is brimming with unlimited possibilities. The city is acquiring a character. It is grooving to the tune of the global beat. "Why move out when everything is so convenient here? The city is the most happening place and I love to be part of its jostling and opportunistic crowd," says Kailash.V. Rajan. He adds, "Pollution levels will come down once the focal point shifts and expands from M.G. Road up to as far as Nedumbassery Airport. Educational institutions and super-specialty hospitals have sprung up in the outskirts broadening the city limits. The fixation with M. G. Road may thus diminish with shops and buildings coming up on suburbs and fringes of the city."

Geena Matthew, a homemaker, who stays in an apartment off M. G. Road is also unaffected, optimistic and feels that things, though slow, will improve. She says, "with proper planning and better utilisation of water transport the crowds and traffic can be streamlined. Bridges and flyovers, which we hope will be constructed soon, can reduce traffic congestion to a great extent. Though Kochi is expanding with projects on the outskirts, M. G. Road will always be the focal point of the city like Mount Road in Chennai. There is always something happening here. New shops and stores spring up out of the blue replacing old structures. Living in the heart of the city is thus being part of its pageant and parade."

Thriving city


However, Vasanth Sukumaran, an architect, who too lives in the heart of the city, is uneasy about the future. "The city is expanding at such a fast rate that for even for those who shift, there will be only a short respite before they find that pollution has spread to their areas too. The road from the city to Nedumbasserry is getting to be as crowded as M. G. Road. The city's infrastructure is miserable. Cities are usually planned taking into account its growth for at least 30 to 50 years. But in Kochi, constructions spring up daily without any forethought and planning. In the years to come there will be total chaos and residents will suffer."

With such views expressed one cannot make sense of the future of Kochi. With a catch-me-if-you-can attitude the city swells at an alarming rate challenging environmentalists, town planners, engineers and architects. Unmindful of tomorrow it lives each day to the fullest. New stores, franchises spring up every day, jostling with high-rise apartments, restaurants, and business houses for precious space. The urban crowd loves its ambiance. Their senses soar. They are pampered with comfort and ease with eating joints competing, catering to every taste, pocket, and racing for the quickest home delivery. The city moves on. Live for the day is its message to its residents. The future will take care of itself. So for now, lets keep our fingers crossed.

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/mp/2006/07/24/stories/2006072400940100.htm