Abandoned
The scene that greets my eyes is the giant skyscrapers amidst the lush greenery of the surroundings. Then like a blot on the skyline the beauty is marred by a monstrosity of a block of concrete with square windows and jutting rusty iron bars.
It strikes me. The unfinished block is an abandoned construction lot. Before the economic downturn of the 1980s, the site was a scene of thriving activity with sounds of cranes and cement mixers, hammering and brick laying, shouts and instructions, conscientious workers and malingering co-workers. Now it is abandoned. What we see is an empty shell, devoid of any human activity but home to four legged creatures and crawlies. Nature’s lushness has invaded some places with moss and lichen an creepers.
What was planned as a shopping mall, and an underground parking facility has been abandoned.
This, unfortunately, is not the only site to suffer the fate of abandon. There are many other sites in the cities and towns and proposed giant schemes that have met a similar end.
These abandoned projects that were earmarked for hospitals, complexes, offices, hotels and “you-name-it-you-have-it” business ventures are real eyesores. They remind us of our failure to recoup our losses. They remind us of the billions lost in investment. They remind us that we do not have the gumption to start anew.
These “unprofitable’ ventures must be mad viable again. Entrepreneurs must be willing to invest in failed projects. If private entrepreneurs are not willing to take a calculated risk, then the government and its investment flagships must take the lead. Why can’t the mega corporations that have reaped billions in profits in good years be the forerunners ?
It is not a good economic practice to allow abandoned construction sites to remain as they are. Not only does it portray a pedestrian attitude, it also manifests the country’s attitude towards progress. development has to be on all fronts and the abandoned buildings need refurbishment. Cosmetic changes need to be put into practice so that in whatever way our economy is measured, we come out tops.
Let us have no more abandoned buildings, complete or incomplete. Either tear them down or complete them. Firm action is needed to restore the country’s image.
