Jabalpur
.... The educated youth started migrating to other cities for better opportunity. The political class, across party lines, pretends to remain ignorant to these changes. The govt. institutions, which formed the basis of city’s livelihood and identity, have slowly got de-centralised and degenerated in the new world. While other regions made progress, Jabalpur and its people have slept to change and this is evident in growing concern among the youth irrespective of class. Developments in IT and telecom, created new opportunities at places, which were till now ignored and looked upon Jabalpur as the hub of urban activity. However, Jabalpur completely missed the wave and failed to recognise and utilise the benefits. It is a story repeated in every sector from aviation to services to tourism to technology. What went wrong with this city that had been a centre of action since centuries? Resources and opportunities have been available here and they have been either unutilised or misused. 1. Location and connectivity: Located centrally at the heart of India, quite close to the state capital, Bhopal in the west, Nagpur in the south, now a major city of India, Allahabad in the north and Bilaspur in the east. All these cities have better infrastructure, better business and better opportunities in their region. Jabalpur seems to have missed out as the capital city of Mahakoshal region. Although centrally located, the PM’s ambitious highway just misses Jabalpur. No proper connectivity via Jabalpur which can ensure smooth commutation, either by rail, road or air. Years back, both Nagpur and Jabalpur were asking for air connectivity. Today, Nagpur is looking for International connectivity while Jabalpur isn’t connected yet. There is no proper connectivity to Bangalore and Hyderabad, the IT hubs of India. There are no proper roads to reach the nearby tourist places. Jabalpur has failed to benefit from its strategic advantage of being centrally located. 2. Infrastructure: Bad lanes[there are hardly any roads] are no doubt the biggest mess of the city, but we are one step ahead. We have bad driving too. Rickshaws and bicycles share them with Pajeros and Lancers and so does the kids and cows and dogs running around all over. Three or even four-five on a bike is ‘ok’ here. And so is treating the road as personal garden. What a city-to-ride! Its not funny, its shameful. Medical facilities are in a sorry state with medical college on the verge of de-recognition. Multiplex is not in city’s dictionary, shopping malls are unknown and IT is confined to cyber cafes. Discs and pubs are against Bharatiya culture so don’t even think about them. 3. Education: We were given some lollypops of IIIT[IIT?] and a Medical University, recently. An IT Park was also proposed in JEC campus. No one knows when and if ever they will be realised. But we are optimistic and content with the promises of our ‘trusted’ politicians. 4. Basic needs: Water is ample here thanks to river Narmada and good underground levels. There were over 5...