The pedestrianisation of the historic Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi and the upgradation of Senapati Bapat Marg in Mumbai show contrasting priorities; one good and the other bad, says senior journalist VIDYADHAR DATE
It is good to know that the historic Chandni Chowk thoroughfare with its colourful bazaars in Old Delhi is being pedestrianised. The project respects ordinary people and their heritage of nearly four centuries dating back to Mughal times.
In contrast, the current upgradation of Senapati Bapat Marg in Mumbai is disrespectful to our heritage and to the common people. All indications are that it is oriented mainly to serve corporate interests, ultra luxury housing, corporate towers and motor car traffic.
It is also disrespectful to the memory of Senapati Bapat, an armed revolutionary against British rule who turned Gandhian. He is a highly revered figure and the first leader of a mass movement against big dams.
His very name is sought to be wiped out from the renovation project by unofficially naming the road Mumbai Mile. It is also ironical to suggest that the project which caters to some obscenely rich interests is meant for the benefit of the entire city.
Nowhere in the world in recent times has such a massive destruction of an industrial area and its proud working class culture been carried out in the last three decades as on this road.
Vast acres of prime land of several cotton textile mills were cynically captured by corporates, through clever tampering with legal loopholes in conjunction with those in government and politics.
Millions and millions of sq ft of luxury space has been created for consumption of the rich with displacement of thousands of workers from jobs and wholesale bulldozing of their houses. Apparently, there are not enough customers for this glut and so this attempt to provide some infrastructure to attract foreign and Indian capital.
The road stretches from Mahim to Mahalaxmi over some 5 km but the focal point of renovation is on a relatively small stretch close to the enormous luxury projects associated with Mangal Prabhat Lodha, BJP MLA and former president of its Mumbai unit, and other builders.
It is now hopelessly congested which is not surprising because of unplanned development of the mill land cynically carried out in disregard of suggestions of highly respected architect Charles Correa and others.
All these years, even while thousands of crores have been spent on luxury construction in these monotonous, soulless, alienating, inhuman glass and steel towers, footpath construction has been totally neglected with contempt for thousands of office goers and local residents. Conditions are bad everywhere including in the area right opposite the fancy Phoenix Mall and palladium.
I took a long walk on this road in the last two days and took down detailed notes on the pattern of its distorted development. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is now spending money on this project disregarding the needs of other areas.
The sore point for the vulgar rich in these towers is that they have not been able to uproot all the poor people, for some chawls, petty shops, hair cutting saloons, raddiwalas, small eateries and others still survive.
The only positive feature of the renovation so far is that some public space has been created for sitting for ordinary people under one flyover, but this again is not so altruistic. Too many cars parked there had made the space very ugly. High rise car parks lie unused and are an enormous waste of public money and space.
All this makes me long to see the uplift of Chandni Chowk and also savour life in the popular paratha gully. The project, initiated by the likes of that wonderful maker of public spaces, Pradeep Sachdeva, has had some criticism. But overall it seems a good development.
Vidyadhar Date is a senior journalist and author of a book seeking democratisation of urban life.
(Featured Image: Chandni Chowk)