THE strong emotions expressed unabashedly by countless people -- openly or privately -- in favour of a public campaign to save the historic Kasturchand Park from getting permanently spoiled due to official encroachment were overwhelming. If this groundswell of public sentiment does not awaken the powers that be and stop their indulgence in wrong moves, then we must say that even gods would not be able to save the city of Nagpur from a disaster propelled by an utterly wrong brand of development. The loosefooter cannot get over one terse comment by a retired government official last week. He said, “Anybody who expects the city’s political and bureaucratic leaderships to listen to voice of sanity is nothing but a bloody fool.”

 

The old man (who refuses to be quoted) recalled his days as an administrator. “I would go any distance to listen to people’s opinions and emotions because that was where good governance began,” he said. Of course, he added, it would be stupid to expect the current generation of politicians and administrators to listen to voice of sanity and reason. Let alone an extreme comment by one person, let us wait to see if the people in power can see and sense the people’s angst about Kasturchand Park and rectify their sick thinking. Unfortunately, however, the fact of the matter is that even this is nothing but harbouring a hopeless hope. For, Nagpurians are shouting themselves hoarse over so many issues of critical importance in the city’s failed urban management -- only to be rebuffed by the terrible indifference of the people in power to people’s problems and issues. And there are

Several such issues that cry for immediate attention and rectification:
1. Kasturchand Park;
2. Rejuvenation of the three rivers of the city -- the Naag, the Pili, the Pohra;
3. Several lakes that have either died or are dying;
4. Several design disasters in the form of fly-overs and other public infrastructure;
5. Rapidly vanishing 
playgrounds in the city;
6. Ever-growing problem of parking space; 
7. Choking of trees despite the warnings from the 
judiciary;
8. Vanishing green patches in the city;

The loosefooter has a long list of such issues that need an immediate handling. But the above-mentioned nine are the most important issues that our leadership has chosen to ignore for reasons it will never have the moral strength to explain. However, it was heartening to note that countless people want Kasturchand Park to be saved from official destruction. But is there anybody up in the leadership layer to sense the public ire ? Will he/she take steps to act to right the wrong ? The loosefooter leaves this episode wide open for public to ponder over -- with these two questions. n