Hyderabad: One of the things that Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy has been repeating is that he will turn Hyderabad into one of the best cities; one that he says can be compared to globally renowned cities like Tokyo and New York. Most of us here would never step into Tokyo, but earlier this month I just happened to, and realised how laughable it is to even think of comparing both cities.
Hyderabad is notorious for not having footpaths, which is why commuters are forced to walk on the streets. In Tokyo, and even in other cities, daily life for most people functions due to subway and metro rail connectivity. Using cabs for daily commute is out of the question because it is ridiculously expensive. It is after using public transport in Japan that I realised how backward we truly are in terms of public infrastructure.
For example, the Hyderabad metro rail here has three lines currently, and one has to cross at least a bunch of stations to change lines. Taking the metro is also often not feasible due to last mile connectivity. Of course we have the state Road Transport Corporation, but that is nothing to boast about given how overworked it is.
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In Tokyo, there are several lines connecting the entire city, and you can change lines at every second station you cross. That is how much thought the government in Japan has put in making life easy to commute. Given how much a person commutes, using public transport for many is still not an option simply because it is not commute friendly.
Moreover, we’re also lightyears away from maintaining hygiene and cleanliness the way people do in Japan. Literally. Japan has its own issues but Tokyo is what an ideal city would be for someone seeking a better way of life. Of course, it is an expensive city and there is a severe space constraint (making real estate very expensive), but there is a lot to learn.
If the CM really wants to make Hyderabad a global city, comparing it to Tokyo, or even saying that is very silly. Anyone who goes there will realise how terribly far we are from that. The reality of it is that our city is has several problems, which include terrible roads, poor infrastructure and general lack of hygiene.
In Tokyo, you can literally wear white shoes and walk on roads without worrying about those getting dirty. Even in the dry seasons, it is impossible here because our city is that dirty and dusty. I am not saying this with malice, because Hyderabad is still home. But sometimes I do think we lack civic sense to such an extent that it becomes a terrible excuse for a city.
I’m sure Japanese people eventually do acclimatise, but I doubt that anyone from there will have a good first impression of our cities. It’s time we really do something about it, instead of making grandoise statements.
AloJapan.com