It is a matter of ‘feel’, so to say! The ‘feel’ of living in a city where the Administration cares for people. And on that scale, the city of Nagpur slides down a couple of notches every time the Nagpurian steps out of his or her home. No matter a few new roads -- of course cement roads -- he or she rarely gets an impression that the civic authorities are committed to caring for the people in the streets. That most streets resemble lunar surface, is only one small part of the bad story. Most streets are basking in darkness after sunset. The city must be having literally hundreds of squares and street corners without proper lighting. On such roads, the city traffic moves haltingly, in a state of shock all the time with potholes and bumps coming up unpredictably -- not to mention the cement tiles from median lines (road dividers) having come off and fallen on the road. If the roads are so bad, the city’s open spaces are worse, to say the least. Most grounds are in a state of chaos, including the iconic Kasturchand Park, including the great Yashwant Stadium, including the Chitnis Park Stadium, including the vast Reshimbagh ground ...! People do use the grounds for various purposes -- in the sense they use only those terribly shrunken open spaces on the grounds, left mercifully by the grassy overgrowth, spared by the Administration’s neglect, and uninvaded by notorious elements.

 

Yes, there is one positive development all right -- the people do not come across stinking heaps of uncleared garbage in localities. But even if that is a blessing of a garbage-collection system, the city does not give the feel of cleanliness for the simple reason that the streets are never swept, the street-corners are never kept free from clutter, footpaths are never available for walkers. And then there is that indelible red paint from people’s spitting not just on roads but anywhere they would please to empty out their dirty, stinking mouthfuls. There is no one to accost them. Try to stop a man from spitting -- which attracts a fine as part of the COVID-care norms -- and you would realise how stupid you are. If you really pick up courage to accost or stop people from spitting, then you have done so at your own peril. For, the man completes his spitting, and then threatens you with spitting on your shirt.

 

Another example of evidence of the ugly fact that the civic Administration just cares a damn for the people comes in the form of people emptying out their respective bladders at any place of their choosing. In some places, Sulabh Shauchalayas have come up all right. But those are few and far between. Where will the people ease? Nobody has the answer. Nobody has the answer to one core question: Why is not the civic Administration in Nagpur alert enough to do its mandated job properly and purposefully and loyally? The Administration responds to such a question by further letting the quality of its management go down -- as if cocking a snook at the people. By now, after years of terrible civic (mis)management, the common people have adopted an attitude of spiritual resignation -- in the chalta hai category!