How to avoid development chaos? Experts pitch for PLANNING FUNCTIONALITY VIABILITY
| Date :12-Feb-2024 |
By Rutu Borkar
Worried about the frenetic change Nagpur city is witnessing in the name of infrastructure development, professionals practising in the field of Town Planning and Design reached out to ‘The Hitavada’ raising concerns and demanding a strategic approach to urban development so as to achieve desired goals. Sharing their views and ideas on the concept of development, members registered with the Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI), Nagpur Chapter, stated that ‘Planning and Functionality’ should be key factors before any project was given a green signal.
Sujit Rodge, Architect and Town Planner, said, “Many projects in Nagpur reflect bad planning and execution. Only concretisation is not development. No survey is done or the project’s guidelines followed before commencing the work,” he claimed. Hence, every other project, including some big ones have caused inconvenience to citizens instead of solving the problem at hand. This could have been avoided had the agencies tasked with development taken citizens and city-based expert agencies on board. Architect Professor Uday Gadkari said that public projects failed on many fronts. “We speak of self-sustainability, but on the contrary, we are destroying the existing green cover of the city. Destroying a macro eco-system to create a micro one is not the way forward. I just read recently that around half of the Gandhibagh garden will be used for the construction of a multi-storey building. Gandhibagh is a dense area and the garden serves as a lung for the area. Once it is gone, we can never fill the vacuum it will create,” said Gadkari.
The planners, in their angst against the implementing agencies, said that professionals, especially those practising in the city are never considered to be part of any public project. The plans are prepared in closed rooms by third- party agencies who have no understanding of the city’s pulse and lifestyle. These plans are then presented in 3D views to ministers and high-ranking government officers who approve the project without knowing its viability, they said in unison. Sanjay Barai, sharing his view, said, “I have been living in Nagpur for over three decades now. Nagpur had very good planning since we have parallel roads between all major stretches. When the IRDP project was implemented, Nagpur city got a makeover. Municipal officers from other cities visited our city to take lessons. Secondly, we have institutes like NEERI, VNIT and other bodies that can play a key role in making Nagpur a beautiful city. Indore was much behind Nagpur in terms of infrastructure and development. But today, it has surpassed our city on many fronts, let alone the development.” Just a few days back, when an agitation blocked city roads, the city became paralysed.
It was an outcome of failed infrastructure and bad implementation measures by the civic and police machinery. It also sent a message that the city can be held hostage some important city junctions were blocked, he added. Thus, a planned approach is needed while designing any new public utility, and here the city based agencies can be gamechangers. From shrinking green spaces to failed waterfront developments, losing important landmarks to superficial cosmetic changes - they are all compromising the charm and character of the city, said the professionals, barely able to hide their disappointment. “We will soon move from being one of the greenest cities to being a ‘Carbon City’, they further lamented. Sharing their views on redevelopment projects and granting of additional FSIs for high-rise towers in the city, the ITPI members assured that they are in all in for such a move. Cities are bound to grow and so is their population. But is the existing drainage system, parking facilities, and internal roads upgraded to match with the demand of changing times? Authorities like Regional Transport Office (RTO ) should also have a role in city development. New cars should be allowed on the road only if the owner has a designated parking space. First, construction is done and then they are bulldozed. If we pay a visit to Manish Nagar, or any other localities that have sprang-up on the periphery of city, the rapid urbanisation in the last few years, though looks impressive on ground, but has only added to growing chaos.
The problem arose as development and construction norms were tossed in the wind. The plots and layouts are not correctly aligned and there are dead ends to many lanes. This is a clear example of unplanned urbanisation. The experts pointed out several projects - Vivekanand Statue at Ambazari T-point, the landing of the fly-over near Kasturchand Park, building and then razing of fly-over in infront of Nagpur Railway Station, Futala Lake Fountain Project (touted to be one of the biggest fountains in the world), rejuvenation of Gandhi Sagar, huge metro pillars erected at major traffic junctions obstructing the free flow of traffic and vision, the wrong landing of Mecosabag fly-over near cemetery gate, to be some of the planning and design disasters in the recent past. The concerns of these town planning experts and citizens alike point to a crucial juncture where the city and its fathers have a choice to make - continue with reactive, unplanned development and risk further congestion, pollution and the ultimate demise of the green cover of the city or to adopt a sustainable approach that prioritises the well-being of its residents and the future of the city itself. The time for action is now before the cracks in the current infrastructure become chasms too wide to bridge. ITPI, Nagpur Chapter members Ashish Nagpukar, Vilas Bakde, Ashok Waghayre and Parag Date also shared their views during the meeting.