Capital plans that destroy a city

Money, no doubt, can be made through tourism too, by conserving Delhi’s unique heritage status as other world cities of ancient lineage do, like Athens, Alexandria and Rome. But money made through tourism is peanuts. And what kickbacks can it offer, compared to what can be made by preparing master plans which will double the size of Delhi? Moreover, how can elections be won though tourism? So why conserve Delhi’s heritage character?

If the present number of the Capital’s deprived, destitute, homeless and under-privileged cannot be given houses, health cover, jobs or education for their children, how will millions more who will pour in, be provided with these facilities? If thousands of millions are spent on building facilities for the Commonwealth Games, that’s the price you pay for putting India on the international map. As to where you put the increasing number of Delhi’s desperately poor people, that is seen as a deliberate attempt to distract attention from India’s more glamorous goals. The one great thing about democracy is the endless scope it offers for doing anything and everything in the name of the people.

If India almost tops the list of nations which have the highest infant and maternal mortality rates, will these unfortunates be helped by building gigantic stadiums, five- and seven-star hotels, high-rise residential and office buildings, tunnelled roads under centuries-old monuments, and by building more highways and flyovers throughout the city? This is where master plans can be of great help. They provide a cloak of legitimacy to the most ill-conceived planning proposals. And our master plans are by no means made with the aim of providing far-ranging solutions to the problems our cities face. Delhi’s current plan is made instead to win the next municipal and state elections. Its aim is not to alleviate the dismal living conditions of the Capital’s poor, but to please the vote banks in whose favour the plan is tilted. Which is why the most enjoyable perk of living in a democratic state is the scope it provides for the politician to help themselves whilst appearing to help the people. So, no wonder, people continue to be tricked, cajoled, conned and sold short by weasel words and wanton deeds.

Why, if Rs 600 to Rs 700 crore can be found to wantonly build a highway through an area of historical and cultural importance in the Capital, to make things easier for the Commonwealth Games, are funds not available to help fellow Indians living in the filthiest of slums? Or why, if a five-year income tax holiday can be given to start hotels because of the Asian Games, is some relief not forthcoming for slum-dwellers with sewage all around them?

There are may myths and many realities in India. The reality can be seen all around us. The myth is that the politicians too can see it. They cannot. Because they are blind to the suffering of the people, but wide awake to their own self-interest.

The writer is a historian and environmentalist patwants@del3.vsnl.net.inI DOUBT if those who oversee Delhi’s governance today know anything of the city’s proud past, its extraordinary lineage, or the fact that eight other cities were built on the site of present-day Delhi, starting with Indraprastha during the epic period. Of course ministers, MPs, MLAs and such have seen the Qutab, the Jama Masjid and the Red Fort. But probe further and you will in all likelihood come across utter apathy or ignorance.

What matters to most politicians today and those who help them get elected is how Delhi can be milked of billions of rupees through real-estate development, astronomical land prices, construction contracts running into staggering sums, and equally phenomenal outlays earmarked for water supply, power generation projects, and countless other infrastructural schemes. And wherever money on that scale is spent, there is immense scope for kickbacks.

Money, no doubt, can be made through tourism too, by conserving Delhi’s unique heritage status as other world cities of ancient lineage do, like Athens, Alexandria and Rome. But money made through tourism is peanuts. And what kickbacks can it offer, compared to what can be made by preparing master plans which will double the size of Delhi? Moreover, how can elections be won though tourism? So why conserve Delhi’s heritage character?

If the present number of the Capital’s deprived, destitute, homeless and under-privileged cannot be given houses, health cover, jobs or education for their children, how will millions more who will pour in, be provided with these facilities? If thousands of millions are spent on building facilities for the Commonwealth Games, that’s the price you pay for putting India on the international map. As to where you put the increasing number of Delhi’s desperately poor people, that is seen as a deliberate attempt to distract attention from India’s more glamorous goals. The one great thing about democracy is the endless scope it offers for doing anything and everything in the name of the people.

If India almost tops the list of nations which have the highest infant and maternal mortality rates, will these unfortunates be helped by building gigantic stadiums, five- and seven-star hotels, high-rise residential and office buildings, tunnelled roads under centuries-old monuments, and by building more highways and flyovers throughout the city? This is where master plans can be of great help. They provide a cloak of legitimacy to the most ill-conceived planning proposals. And our master plans are by no means made with the aim of providing far-ranging solutions to the problems our cities face. Delhi’s current plan is made instead to win the next municipal and state elections. Its aim is not to alleviate the dismal living conditions of the Capital’s poor, but to please the vote banks in whose favour the plan is tilted. Which is why the most enjoyable perk of living in a democratic state is the scope it provides for the politician to help themselves whilst appearing to help the people. So, no wonder, people continue to be tricked, cajoled, conned and sold short by weasel words and wanton deeds.

Why, if Rs 600 to Rs 700 crore can be found to wantonly build a highway through an area of historical and cultural importance in the Capital, to make things easier for the Commonwealth Games, are funds not available to help fellow Indians living in the filthiest of slums? Or why, if a five-year income tax holiday can be given to start hotels because of the Asian Games, is some relief not forthcoming for slum-dwellers with sewage all around them?

There are may myths and many realities in India. The reality can be seen all around us. The myth is that the politicians too can see it. They cannot. Because they are blind to the suffering of the people, but wide awake to their own self-interest.

The writer is a historian and environmentalist