The metro construction in India’s metro capital has been one of the finest showcase of India’s engineering and rail link capabilities. It’s moving at a brisk pace with deadlines being met with months to spare.
I wonder somehow how much of an impact it will make to the landscape of the historic capital. Though some portions of the system are underground, it would have been a great idea to make the whole system deep below the foundations of the city. Mumbai was the first to get its own local metro rail system followed by Kolkata, which was an underground network.
I guess it will be some years before we look at cities like London and New York where the majority of the network is underground and has multiple tiers of tunnels catering to different routes.
Though the whole exercise will be fruitful in a couple of years, how much have we lost while in transition – numerous traffic jams, wasted petrol, honking vehicles, heightened angers all this in a city which is not very well known for its pleasant attitudes especially on the roads.
I have been a victim numerous times and curse myself each time for taking a road which I feel would otherwise be free flowing for traffic. It doesn’t matter if I leave for a meeting one hour early or two, I eventually end up making it just in time – its either a road freshly dug up, or a diversion due to construction or a trailer-truck offloading huge concrete moulds. It’s a necessary evil the people of Delhi have to put up with.
Just wonder if all this will ease the congestion on the roads once it’s done…I have my doubts!
Monday, February 16, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Magnet Magnet Pull Me Away
I was sifting through my stack of videos to clean my drive and found this gem. This was shot when i was in Leh on my honeymoon. Nothing kinky...but really cool!
On NH 1D, which connects Srinagar to Leh, is a marvel of natural forces. Running around the deep gorges of the Indus river stands a 'Magnetic Mountain'...that right; the entire mountain has magnetic properties. It was apparently discovered by engineers some decades ago when the arduous task of building the road was underway in this treacherous but exotic land of the Himalayas.
The video explains it all, but for those who like to read a preview, here is how it works: The road which leads to the mountain is on one side of the valley and bends away further. A box is marked on the road where, if you park any vehicle with engines switched off and brakes released, it moves automatically towards the mountain uphill. I was just absolutely amazed to see our Toyota move at such brisk pace on its own uphill, defying all laws of nature.
The magnetic mountain is just one of the many marvels which you can see in and around Leh - a must visit place in my list.
On NH 1D, which connects Srinagar to Leh, is a marvel of natural forces. Running around the deep gorges of the Indus river stands a 'Magnetic Mountain'...that right; the entire mountain has magnetic properties. It was apparently discovered by engineers some decades ago when the arduous task of building the road was underway in this treacherous but exotic land of the Himalayas.
The video explains it all, but for those who like to read a preview, here is how it works: The road which leads to the mountain is on one side of the valley and bends away further. A box is marked on the road where, if you park any vehicle with engines switched off and brakes released, it moves automatically towards the mountain uphill. I was just absolutely amazed to see our Toyota move at such brisk pace on its own uphill, defying all laws of nature.
The magnetic mountain is just one of the many marvels which you can see in and around Leh - a must visit place in my list.
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