Winds of hope and change appear to be sweeping the skyline of Pondicherry these days.
Here is my humble take on what the denizens of this quaint little territory can wish for by way of reinventing Pondicherry.
Entertainment
1. A Sydney-like Opera House could come up at the Old Distillery on the Beach Road. The terrace could be designed in such a way so as to serve as an open air theater. An exhibition hall and a food park could be planned.
2. A sound and light show devoted to the rich history of Pondicherry, starting from the Roman connection and ending
with its independence from French rule. The narration could include the story of Sage Agastya, Ayi, Subramaniam Bharati and Sri Aurobindo and the Mother. The show could be in three languages every day – Tamil, English and Hindi. Can be planned either at the Old Distillery or at the Botanical Garden.
3. Developing Arikamedu into a heritage walk park.
4. An Oceanarium could be set up. People could walk in and have a look at the rich diversity of undersea marine life.
4. A special tourism circuit showcasing the locations where ‘Life of Pi’ was shot.
5. An annual event of international importance, concerning theater, movies or literature could be planned. Can also capitalize on Ashram and host an international spirituality event where well-known personalities from diverse streams of spirituality could be invited.
6. Existing museums to be upgraded. Interactive museums to be set up, dedicated to our oceans and the Bay of Bengal.
7. A Planetarium would add immense value to the education of young and adults alike.
Infrastructure
8. A six-lane highway bye-passing city areas, starting from near PIMS and ending near Kanniakoil.
9. Railway link to Chennai via Mahabalipuram.
10. Introduction of Shatabdi-like trains to and from Chennai, with a journey time of less than two hours.
11. A mini golf link near Auroville.
12. Battery operated vehicles in the White Town area.
13. Closure of shops jutting on to Ambour Salai.
14. Convex mirrors at corners of all street junctions in the White Town area.
15. Beautification of the twin canal roads.
16. Feasibility of (a) Metro connecting the General Hospital to far-flung reaches of the territory and (b) An elevated monorail within the boulevard area.
Smart City Project
17. A broadband roll out, backed by IT infrastructure which is designed to assist citizens from cradle to grave. Apps
for traffic conditions, crime reporting and for all other citizen services.
18. All public services to be available on-line, with system being managed by an organization like TCS, just like the Regional Passport Offices.
19. Introduction of re-chargeable Parking Fee cards which can be swiped by vehicles entering such areas as J N Street, M G Road and Mission Street.
20. A new Master Plan for Extended Pondicherry Region (EPR), comprising Villupuram, Tindivanam, Cuddalore and Marakkanam, along the lines of NCR around Delhi.
21. All schemes to include EPR, wherever feasible.
22. Implementation of a scientific garbage disposal plan for EPR.
Would you like to add a few more ideas to this list? Go ahead!
(Related Post: https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/puducherry-2025-a-traveller%E2%80%99s-memoirs)
Ashok, you’d get my vote every day of the week! Marvellous…
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Thanks, James!
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I would like to add a less corrupt and a conscious public to your list.
Thumbs up! Cheers!
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Thank you. Perhaps you imply less corruption amongst politicians and bureaucrats and a more conscious and vigilant public? Allow me also then to add a public which is more responsible when it comes to littering, road safety and use of our public spaces!
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dear Ashok Kumar Bhatia, thank you for your 23 propositions (as there is 2 number 4). I respectfully will ad one more. Why not imagine also to invent new goodwill rules towards each other, for instance in the conduct of scooters to pedestrians in the main streets, in order to settle Pondicherry as a pioneer of benevolence, as a new aspect of the smart city?
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So very apt, innovative and brilliant! Trucks and buses need to show it to cars and smaller vehicles, the latter need to show it to two wheelers and autos, and, of course, as you rightly say, the last mentioned to hapless cyclists and pedestrians who scurry for cover on our roads.
We need to re-write the Ten Commandments we are used to follow here:
https://ashokbhatia.wordpress.com/2014/11/29/the-ten-traffic-commandments.
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Do not at all agree with 11,12and 13—-Auroville is NOT Pondicherry,and the funds for Pondicherry need not go to Auroville.Auroville is close to and has some links to Pondicherry,but repeat is NOT part of Pondicherry.To set aside a huge sum foe a golf course not fair to Pondicherry residents.Also a purely recreational venture,esp for they well heeled would detract from the spiritual setting Auroville is backed by.
As for 12,13 why should it be restricted to the white town and am our salai- are the others not residents of Pondicherry
Also,why keep concentrate everything on the Beach— why can’t they Open air theatre come up say near Chunambar Boat Club— there’s a waterfront ,close to Arikamedu also,which could get a fillip
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Thank you for your invaluable comment. There is merit in what you say.
I do not wish to argue but would like to point out the following:
1. In order to nullify the excuse that UT has little availability of land, I have taken the liberty of conceptualising an EPR, much like the idea of NCR around Delhi.
2. A major hiccup in attracting big IT firms to the territory has been the absence of entertainment and education facilities for the well-heeled senior executives. I merely point to the need of a golf link in that context, location being secondary. This could be one way to boost local employment prospects for youngsters who keep migrating to nearby metros in search of greener pastures.
Locating an open air theatre near Chunnambar or Arikamedu is a good idea.
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