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Journalism of Courage
Chandigarh is not a fossil. It8217;s a living organism that must evolve with time.8217;8217; Punjab Governor and Union Territory Administrator Lt Gen J.F.R. Jacob retd did not waste any words on niceties as he set about debunking the preserve-the-city argument on Day 2 of The Chandigarh Conclave organised by The Indian Express at CII, here.
Junking the city8217;s grey image, he said: 8216;8216;Chandigarh is a city for all classes, all age groups.8217;8217; The Governor reeled out the inherent 8216;flaws8217; in Corbusier8217;s master plan. The slums, he declared, owed their existence to Corbusier8217;s failure to make room for the service sector. 8216;8216;The city is not climate-responsive,8217;8217; he wagged a finger.
Admitting that rehabilitation was no solution to the migrant problem, he said it could be solved by ensuring employment in villages. Coming out strongly for the young, he said: 8216;8216;The city must give them jobs.8217;8217; A tie-up with Infosys for an IT Park will generate 2,500 jobs.
But not all present agreed with him. Noted scholar Patwant Singh warned that the city shouldn8217;t be throttled in the name of growth. Peeved at the blame being heaped on Corbusier for slums, he asked: 8216;8216;Why can8217;t we have a dormitory town, say in Ropar?8217;8217;
It was left to Prof A.G.K. Menon, director of TVB School of Habitat Studies, New Delhi, to put the discussion back on track. Talking on Conservation of Cities 8212; Sancity of design, the architect said it was important to decide what needed to be conserved.
