[Urbanstudy] who is the "public", what is the 'plan', and who consults on whose behalf?

[solomon benjamin]

Hi,
I was in Delhi on the 31 aug and hense could not
attend the ESG-CIVIC meet. However, I did attend the
Bang. Cham. of Commerse meet (with CSD) at which most
of the senior most breaucracts headed by the Chief
Sec. were in attendence. Not very different from the
FICCI/ CII meets on the new urban agendas, this one
perhaps less snazzy. I posed in writing three
questions to the Chief Sec. who routed these to
Vidyashankar.
a) Their own documents showed severe 'shadow' areas in
West and South West Bangalore -- areas of more than
30%  working and living population groups, but
deprived of infra. and services. However, the
investments proposed by the CDP/MP focused on east and
south east of the city, and the only real infra
investment in the 'shadow' area was the BMIC. If so,
was not the CDP an elitest project?
b) Considering the Ravindra, Thomas, Chandraskekar
report on the BDA, the Karnataka High Court Judgement
on the BDA's Arkawati layout, and the 'sprit' of the
74th. CA and well as the recent Bellary decleration to
have local elected bodies undertake planning, was not
the BDA and its planning process of the CDP
un-constitutional?
c) Was not the BDA's CDP elitest precisly because it
has emerged out of a un-constitutional process?

Well the above three points were in the note and not
surprisingly were by-passed despite being carefully
considered by both the CS and Vidyashankar (I noted
their expressions with interest when they were handed
the note). But then, the above three point were posed
as a sort of normative strategy. It also leads us to
wonder if a more fundamental issue is the concept of
planning, before we even get to the issue of
'participation'. Do we really need to assume the
centrality of a statist process like a Plan, which
reinforces a dirgisme of both the State and it's
shadow in a homogenous 'market'? or then can we pose
an argument here from a different locality?
Cheers
Solly




--- ESG VSNL India <esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in> wrote:

> Dear All,
> 
> On 31 August 2005, a wide range of Bangalore based
> citizen organisations 
> and residents welfare associations met to discuss
> the ongoing Revised 
> CDP - 2015 commenting process.  This meeting was
> jointly organised by 
> CIVIC and ESG.
> 
> In the meeting there was unanimous approval for an
> active citizen 
> representation to challenge the ongoing consultation
> organised by the 
> Bangalore Development Authority, as this was grossly
> violative of 
> significant provisions of the Nagarpalika Act,
> amongst others. 
> 
> Please find enclosed a representation we have
> prepared that reflects all 
> concerns that were discussed in the meeting.  Please
> confirm if you 
> accept this statement,_  by sending in your
> endorsements latest by 11 am 
> on 9th September to <esg at esgindia.org>.  Pl also cc:
> 
> <civicblore at vsnl.com>_.   Should you have any
> comments or disagreements, 
> please write them to us.  You may also phone in your
> endorsements.  
> Kindly include your full name, organisation and
> contact details.  
> *Please retain the same Subject as in this email
> when responding.  
> Please circulate this appeal widely for endorsements
> and participation.*
> 
> *A symbolic protest will be held on Friday 9th
> September at Yavanika 
> (next to RBI on Nrupathunga Road, Bangalore) at 3
> pm.  *Please 
> participate actively in this protest, and do bring
> appropriate posters 
> to reflect the sentiments expressed in our joint
> statement.  Do also 
> bring along your association banners. The media will
> be invited to cover 
> this protest.
> 
> Thereafter, a delegation will present this signed
> statement to the Chief 
> Minister.
> **
> Thank you and best wishes for the festive season.
> 
> Leo Saldanha
> Environment Support Group
> 
> and for
> 
> Vinay Baindur
> CIVIC Bangalore
> 
> Contact:
> 
> Environment Support Group
> S-3, Rajashree Apts.
> 18/57, 1st Main, SRK Gardens
> Bannerghatta Road, Jayanagar
> Bangalore 560041
> Telefax: 91-80-26341977/26531339
> Email: esg at esgindia.org or esg at bgl.vsnl.net.in
> Web: www.esgindia.org
> 
> 
> The Statement:
> 
>  
> 
> 
> The signatories of this statement include a
> collective of resident 
> welfare associations, voluntary organisations,
> individuals working in 
> the wider public interest, research organisations
> and representatives 
> from a wide variety of institutions.  The purpose of
> this statement is 
> to protest gross violation of significant
> constitutional provisions by 
> the Government of Karnataka, in particular the
> Bangalore Development 
> Authority, in the process of formulation of the
> Revised Comprehensive 
> Development Plan of Bangalore - 2015.  The
> signatories demand immediate 
> corrective measures per the letter and spirit of the
> law, in particular, 
> the Constitutional (74th) Amendment (Nagarpalika)
> Act, the Karnataka 
> Municipal Corporation Act, the Karnataka Town and
> Country Planning Act 
> and the Bangalore Development Authority Act, amongst
> others.
> 
> 
> 1) Bangalore is a fast expanding metropolis.  Its
> population is 
> presently in the region of 60 to 70 lakhs and is
> spread over an area of 
> 500 sq. kms. under the administrative jurisdiction
> of the Bangalore 
> Mahanagara Palike, 7 City Municipal Councils, 1 Town
> Municipal Council 
> and tens of Panchayats.  By 2011 the population is
> likely to reach 80 
> lakhs, and the total urbanised area could be close
> to 1,000 sq. kms.  It 
> would thus become one of the largest metropolises in
> the world.  If the 
> current population growth rate continues, the city
> would have a 
> population of 1 crore (10 million) by 2025 and the
> spread of the city 
> could exceed 1500 sq. kms. 
> 
>  
> 
> 2) Such a scenario demands an administrative
> approach that embraces 
> participatory governance mechanisms.  This is for
> the simple reason that 
> management of large and densely populated urban
> areas is a very complex 
> exercise and impossible without people's active
> engagement and 
> cooperation in its planning and management. 
> Worldwide experiences have 
> emphatically subscribed to the view that management
> of such densely 
> populated large urban regions is possible only when
> citizen involvement 
> is guaranteed at all levels, especially evolving
> from the local and with 
> elected representatives and elected bodies being in
> leadership.  A 
> people centred and ecologically sensitive planning
> approach is demanded 
> based on principles of equity and justice for all,
> thus guaranteeing 
> reasonable living comforts for all classes and
> sections of society.  
> This requires acute understanding of local social
> dynamics and 
> acknowledgement of the complex natural limits to the
> city's growth.  
> Needless to state, such planning demands deep and
> varied consultation, 
> wherein planners must engage with people in their
> communities and in 
> both existing and prospective urban areas.
> 
>  
> 
> 3) When the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA)
> revealed the Revised 
> Comprehensive Development Plan - 2015 for public
> comment about two 
> months ago, the general expectation was that it
> would fulfill these 
> needs.  However, as the public comment period is
> nearing closure, it is 
> becoming increasingly evident that as in the past,
> the BDA has no 
> intention of actively consulting the wide public in
> the framework 
> prescribed per the Nagarpalika Act.  BDA has merely
> located the RCDP 
> maps in a central location - the only difference
> this time is that it is 
> at Yavanika, slightly more approachable than the
> BDA's own offices.  
> Continuance of such rigid practices has ensured that
> almost all citizens 
> do not have access to the maps, and would thus be
> victims of city 
> development proposals that they not seen, not
> prepared and not 
> understood.  The design of the present consultation
> explicitly prevents 
> any possibility for positively participating and
> influencing the city's 
> growth and development for citizens and local
> elected representatives.
> 
>  
> 
> 4) The best evidence of this is the statement of
> Shri. M. N. 
> Vidyashankar, Commissioner, BDA, who while
> participating 
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