Bengaluru resident's post triggers civic debate: are Bengalureans ‘entitled' to complain more?

Hindustan Times

2 days ago

A recent social media post by a Bengaluru resident has sparked a city-wide debate on civic affairs, comparing how India's major metros respond to monsoon-induced chaos, traffic and other difficulties. Bengaluru is often in the news for its crumbling infrastructure, traffic woes and delayed construction projects.(HT Photo)
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The post read, by Saiswaroopa Iyer, read: 'Seen Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai during rains that flood/jam the roads. For some reason, Bengaluru folks complain the most. It is not like other cities don't have traffic or bad road problems. But when it comes to Bengaluru, I feel people almost feel comparatively entitled to comfort which people of other cities don't seem to demand… Hyderabadis crack jokes and have fun with everything. Mumbaikars weather any harsh changes. Chennai folks just seem unaffected. But why do Bengaluru folks whine so much?'
The post has ignited animated reactions from residents and social media users, probing whether Bengalureans just complain more, or if there's something unique about the city's predicament.
The debate comes amid monsoon woes, endless traffic issues, poor infrastructure and delayed construction projects in Bengaluru. Residents have been voicing chronic frustration over the city's civic amenities and governance, citing waterlogging, traffic chaos, poor road quality and ineffective waste management as some of the chief culprits.
READ | Angry commuters say Hyderabad, Gurugram traffic is catching up with Bengaluru
However, what makes Bengaluru stand out among other metro cities when it comes to bad infrastructure? Have Bengalureans developed a sense of 'entitlement to comfort'?
'But that's not bad at all. Normalising bad civic infrastructure is bad,' a user replied.
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Many said the criticism comes from those who have recently settled in Bengaluru, and not from the locals. 'The locals who have been around here put up with the hardships and issues with a quiet rue and at the most, maybe, a foreheadpalm. They've always been docile and they'll continue to be. Do you badmouth your own house for all the world to hear? You don't, right? The loud whiners are all the settlers who've come from outside, probably expecting the world,' a comment read.
'Bengaluru has become more of a city of recent settlers who come in with expectations that this city of opportunities has somehow better civic infrastructure than their own places,' another said.
With tech sector prosperity, high expectations and a cosmopolitan population, many believe that today's Bengalureans are simply more vocal and less willing to settle for failing infrastructure.