India on Speed

Old Mahabalipuram Road
feb 2004
(OMR) is, in fact, a lot better today than what it was about one year ago. And things are bound to get better still. With a six-lane expressway project having received the all-clear, by the end of 2004 a drive on this road is expected to be as exciting as a weekend cruise on a luxury ship.

it is june 2007, and the "exciting weekend cruise" is limited to the stretch between Madhya Kailash and Tidel Park, after which the road has completely disappeared and became a dirt track, with big ditches filled with water rotting on either sides of the road (can water actually rot?).

Feb 2004:
Realtors say that thanks to this silicon-based commerce, land prices are shooting up like a bottle rocket. "Prices have doubled in the last two years or so," says Azeem Ahmed of Property Care. "Earlier, people bought land here as an investment, now they do so to live here."

"In areas close to Tidel Park, ground value ranges from Rs. 12 lakhs to 15 lakhs. Compare this with what it was six years ago - Rs. 4 lakhs to 5 lakhs. Other areas have also recorded steep run-ups. Ground prices in Sholinganallur now range from Rs. 6 lakhs to 8 lakhs. In Padur and Navallur, a ground sold at Rs. 1 lakh-1.5 lakhs four years ago. Now it sells at Rs. 4 lakhs-5 lakhs. Old Mahabalipuram Road's growth has been IT-centric all the way," explains M. M. Ahmed of Mariam & Co.

June 2007:
Ground value has trebled all along the highway in 3 years!!

MRTS
Feb 2004:
As of now, there is MRTS service from Beach Station to the Thiruvanmiyur-Taramani junction. It is said that before long the service would be extended to Velachery.
From Projects Monitor - http://www.projectsmonitor.com/detailnews.asp?newsid=4488
Work on the Thirumylai-Velachery project is expected to be completed by this year-end. (16/4/02)

June 2007:
Nothing has changed. and the stations still haven't been completed.
People's expectation: Work on the Thiruvanmiyur-Velachery project (Thiruvanmiyur is halfway between Thirumylai-Velachery) is expected to be completed by this year-end.

Flyovers
And, we've been waiting for the completion of Padi flyover for many years now, they constantly say it will be over by the end of this year. It's like the government is Sausage Charlie, and we the Turkish tell Charlie - "It was two years five years ago."

Non Resident Indian?

Sunita Williams - was born in USA to an Indian dad and a Slovenian mom, she is married to an American, she has been to India ONCE to visit her dad's family, her hobbies are running, swimming, biking, triathlons, windsurfing, snowboarding and bow hunting (none of which are encouraged among Indian girls. I might be wrong, maybe Indian girls outside India do this, though even football was prohibited for Jesminder Bhamra.) I don't find any other Indian connection - then why do the Indian media and Indians harp on her "Indian heritage"? Why don't I hear anything from the Slovenian side? She took The Bhagwad Gita, a Ganesha statue, Samosas, and Carniola sausages (a smoked sausage from Slovenia). She is also the 'third astronaut of Slovenian descent to fly to space after Ronald Sega and Jerry Linenger' (according to the Slovenian Government's website - http://www.ukom.gov.si/eng/slovenia/publications/slovenia-news/4057/4075/). Why have these been conveniently left out of all news reports? Is it because the "Indians" (we) are "ashamed" that their (our) "non-violent heritage" and "vegetarian culture" would be tarnished by someone eating "rajasik" non-vegetarian food? What's wrong with sharing their (our) pride with the Slovenians?