The New York Times did an article on Nagpur way back in May 2007. The article revolves around the tier II cities in India and the planning done by the government of India to make these cities come to the level of the tier I cities. It is good article with special focus on how Nagpur is rapidly developing from being an obscure city to a important air hub on the International map.
Cut to 2009 , and many of the thoughts mentioned in the article are now a reality. With the multiplexes around, Nagpurians dont have to fly to metros for watching movies in air-conditioned cinema halls. Levis jeans have always been available in Nagpur. And thanks to new Dominos Outlet , Nagpurians can have a taste of it in their neighbourhood. Nagpur has come a long way in the last 3-4 years. But there is lot more left to accomplish. Without good jobs being available in Nagpur, it is hardly going to attract the talent that can be seen in Pune, Hyderabad or Bangalore.
Only booming realty prices and a yet to complete cargo hub isn't going to sustain and bring people back to Nagpur. The recession has made matters worse and the dream of Nagpur becoming a major technology hub looks bleak. Challenges are plenty. And if we are to go by history, it may take many more years before Nagpur truly goes international. And add to that , We are already behind the tier I cities by few years.
The NYTimes mentions about a plan for a mass eco-friendly transit system in Nagpur to take care of increased traffic. Leave it at that. A few years back, Nagpur did not have a good city bus facility for the normal daily traffic. Thanks to star bus initiative, things have much improved since then. The mass transit initiative is still few light years away.
An important point that NYTimes probably missed out was of electricity. For years, Nagpur has been trudging along without proper electric supply. This inspite of the fact that Vidharbha region is surplus in electricity genration. Load Shedding has become a part of life for people in Nagpur. And now it neither bothers the politicians nor the people of Nagpur. With such state of affairs, its easy to see where we are headed.
On second thoughts about the development of Nagpur, we feel Nagpur is much better today sans the so called tier I life. What tier I life offers is heavy traffic, crowded malls, air & noise pollution, long commutes and high cost of living. Compare it with big wide roads, not so densely populated malls, less traffic, less traveling time and a green Nagpur. The choice is easy to make.
Few years down the line, Nagpur might also become tier I. And it may not remain such a good place to be. Who Knows? Right now is the time to be!
