Bangalore: This is the new tagline for Karnataka Tourism who is working hard to make road conditions similar to Ladakh.
“We observed that the road issues are a regular problem in Bangalore during rains. Even when we fix it, the repaired roads don’t last a week. So this time instaed of repairing the roads, we decided to get revnue out of it,” the Mayor of Bangalore B.N Manjunanth Reddy said.
Every year many people drive to Ladakh, as it is one of the most difficult terrains one can encounter in the country. However, most of them lack proper training.
Also, there are many people in South India , who want the Ladakh experience but do not have the time to drive down to the North.
Another major attraction for these people is the Bellandur lake. The Bellandur lake has been foaming for years, and with the recent rains, it is giving an experience comparable to most snow clad regions.
This gives the people who are going to Ladakh an idea of what to expect and how to drive in the snow. As most of them are not prepared for the smell near the lake, they end up buying gas masks from the nearby medical shop which is doing great business thanks to the lake.
For the adventure lovers, Bangalore has become the top destination. People are driving down from the neighboring states to try out their skills in Bangalore.
Those who do not have their own cars, are going for self drive rentals, as they are not permitted in Ladakh after the recent attacks by locals in Ladakh.
Other than the income generated by the tourism, the government is also making money by stopping the Non Karnataka vehicles and asking them to pay a lifetime tax.
“Instead of spending crores on repairing the pot holes, we have made Bangalore a adventure destination and are making crores from it,” the relations officer from Shantinagar RTO said.
Other than the off-road experience, Bangalore has a very beneficial position. For people who want more experience, can drive down to Chennai, to wade through the water and practice drifting through water.
The entire operation is generating a lot of revenue. The roads which were already congested, are now clogged without movement due to the tourist traffic.
Taking advantage of the bad traffic sitation, there are many new businesses that have started.
Cigeratte and tea seller Rajesh, who used to sell tea and cigerattes says that the rains are god sent for him. Earlier he used to have business only at late night when all the shops were closed.
Now, even in the day time, he is able to sell tea to those who are stuck in the traffic jams. As the traffic does not move at all, he is able to sell tea easily to all the people and even collect money after they finish the tea, all while waiting for the traffic to clear up.
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