Calcutta became Kolkata in the year 2001.
West Bengal became Poschim Bongo in 2011.
This is enough to prove that this place has gone from bad to worse in the last few decades. I don't want to start a regional fight or communal battle here. I simply wanted to share a few experiences as a proud Calcuttan/Kolkatan for the last 11/10 years, respectively.
Let me point out a few shortcomings of our city of joy, which no other metropolitan city in India faces today.
1. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport:
The Calcutta airport has been used as a major airport since early 1920s. Sadly, not much has changed since then. The airport buildings do look pre-historic. The trolleys and conveyor belts seem to have been used during the World War II. The toilets are easily detectable not because of the sign boards (pun intended- as there are no sign boards in the airport), but because of the strong stench. The staff is ever helping and ever smiling, if they see Mahatma Gandhi coming out of your pocket. The good thing is the nature loving attitude of the management- no animal, bird or insect is barred from entering the airport premises. And neither are they forced out. There are no garbage bins required in the building, because every corner is a spittoon and a garbage bin.
BUT, a new terminal is under construction and should be ready for use by early next year. Just keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the very best.
2. Kolkata Metro:
The Calcutta metro was the first subway transportation in India which came in operation back in 1984. Now, in 2011, it is the worst subway transportation in India. The trains are rickety, the stations dirty, the staff uncooperative and the crowd unruly. It might sound a bit harsh to criticise it in such a way, but when compared to the metros in New Delhi and other cities of the world, it does feel like an embarrassing truth. The stations are a mess- no drinking water available (excepting one or two stations), infested by rats, dirty and stinky. The security checks at the stations are a mere formality. There has been more than one instance when I had to force the security personnel to check my bags to remind them of their duty.
BUT, five new lines are being constructed which will be having world-class trains and fully air conditioned stations. Two of the five lines should be ready in a couple of years. Hoping for the best!
3. Auto-attack:
The worst fear of every car driver is the auto rickshaws on the roads of Calcutta. They appear from nowhere and the traffic rules doesn't seem to apply on them. They cut lanes, they drive in the wrong lanes, they jump signals, they carry 6 passengers, they stop right in the middle of the road... to sum it all up, they are next only to the Devil, on the roads of Calcutta. Even the police will not do much to keep them behaved on the roads. Actually, they can't do much. Every auto driver is affiliated to a certain political party which pays for the auto. The driver becomes a part of the union and has the backing of the party at all times. They are one of the biggest vote banks and no political party will do anything remotely close to what might upset these 'royal' citizens of our state.
4. Rallies, Bandhs, Political Meets and similar chaos:
Although it sounds like the ingredients of a perfect politically aware state, it is only excuses to bunk work and create chaos on the streets to show the supremacy on the normal, hard working citizens of the state by the politically inclined (read gunda raaj) people. The state which is obsessed with curbing sound pollution during festive season does little or nothing when a 60+ underachiever takes up a microphone and starts shouting and howling on the pretext of addressing a crowd. The city traffic is already slow moving on weekdays, specially during office hours and rallies are allowed to contribute to it with free consent.
These are just a handful of reasons which have led to the slow development of our state. I don't want to just criticise the state. All said and done, I love Calcutta. It is one of the most homely and warm place to live in. It is a perfect place to grow up as a child. Even after getting an opportunity to travel to every other metropolitan city of our country, I feel most comfortable in Calcutta. But if these small problems were taken care of, the city would be a real gem.
"Constant development is the law of life, and a man who always tries to maintain his dogmas in order to appear consistent drives himself into a false position. ~Mohandas Gandhi"
