There is a write-in titled "Begin with a Master Plan
rooted in reality" on p.3 of the Hindustan Times dated
29-12-2005 by AG Krishna Menon ("the writer is
director TVB School of Habitat Studies"). It refers,
in opening and closing remarks, to on-going
demolitions of unauthorised constructions in Delhi and
is about "systemic crisis in Indian urban planning and
architecture". I quote:
---
"But why are we in such a crisis of civic governance?
I can only offer my views as an architect and town
planner... the entire exercise is about architecture
and town planning gone awry... we professionals cannot
absolve ourselves from this mess ...few have sought to
examine one of the roots of the matter: the Master
Plan and building bylaws. I am not alluding here to
the demand to change the Master Plan and building
bylaws to condone post facto the illegal
constructions, but instead the need to undertake a
serious scrutiny of the plans and laws... 12 million
who already live here... will require large-scale
urban renewal and over-hauling the existing Master
Plan... Ours is a heterogenous society and many kinds
of spatial patterns and standards are required to meet
its diverse needs. The current Master Plan and
building bylaws cannot meet this diversity...
Architects, urban planners must grapple with the
particular spatial imperatives of our poor, rapidly
evolving society. This is a complex task, which will
require that we begin by transforming our professional
education. Our current fetish with foreign solutions
only means that we regularly resort to the bulldozer.
The present demolition drive might be an important
lesson in civics, but it also highlights a systemic
crisis in Indian urban planning and architecture."
(ends)
---
The following, well know in the professional
fraternity, make the above appear to be public
confession of failure:
* (persisting) need for transforming professional
education to make it more responsive to (poor, rapidly
evolving) habitat needs was precisely the object for
which TVB-SHS was created (by a group of SPA faculty
including AG Krishna Menon) 15-years ago
* (persisting) need for planning large scale urban
renewal was precisely the object with which a
sub-group on conservation and urban renewal was
constituted (under chairmanship of AG Krishna Menon /
Director TVB-SHS) for the Master Plan revision, now
awaiting only conclusion of Public Notice proceedings,
that started 5-years ago
* (persisting) need for building byelaws responsive to
diverse spatial patterns and standards was precisely
an object of the bylaw-reform, now awaiting only
legislative processing, started (with Prof EFN
Ribiero, long-time TVB-SHS visiting faculty and
perhaps also Board of Studies? member as a consultant)
2 years ago
The director says (in opening remarks) that "Indeed,
until the demolition drive actually started, we had
come to accept that only fools followed rules". The
following, well know in the professional fraternity,
make this candid confession:
* TVB-SHS functions from premises short of minimum
standards for space required for recognition of an
architecture college
* TVB-SHS fraternity seems unaware as to whether it
has or functions in compliance with any building
permit or occupancy certificate (even as an object of
the bylaw-reform underway is to empower architects to
issue building, and even building use, permits)
* TVB-SHS functions in violation of Master Plan land
use and has been confidently claiming this *problem*
will be taken care of in MPD-2021, which it has not
*managed* (and the 3 pilot Local-Area-Plans for byelaw
reform are also not for this area, despite involvement
of those associated with TVB-SHS in 2)
One would read in the diatribe against both existing
and reformed Master Plan and building byelaws shrill
desperation about law that refuses to change to make
TVB-SHS legal, but AG Krishna Menon not only insists
he is "not alluding here to the demand to change the
Master Plan and building bylaws to condone post facto
the illegal constructions" but also cheers the drive
against them, saying at the outset that "it is
heartening to realise that there is enough residual
civic integrity that moves us to undertake this
mammoth task".
Perhaps the director omits to mention TVB-SHS due to
exigencies of running it under aegis of a builder
trust on its farmland. Perhaps the same also prevent
him from taking his heartening realisation to its
logical conclusion of asking the Council of
Architecture to review TVB-SHS recognition and to MCD
/ DDA to take action against building byelaw and
Master Plan and other violations on TVB-SHS premises.
Perhaps his remark that "we professionals cannot
absolve ourselves from this mess" is really an appeal
to others to advance these requests.
If anyone does, please tell. My clients have taken
exception to the obvious and problem-sustaining
inconsistency of supporting action against
illegalities while opposing the law itself, and intend
to pursue their duly lodged prior complaints against
such scurrilous expert-views, notably those of AG
Krisha Menon, that have diluted several of their
Master Plan entitlements in the last revision.
Gita Dewan Verma, Planner
cc: yourcity@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
__________________________________
Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year.
http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/
rooted in reality" on p.3 of the Hindustan Times dated
29-12-2005 by AG Krishna Menon ("the writer is
director TVB School of Habitat Studies"). It refers,
in opening and closing remarks, to on-going
demolitions of unauthorised constructions in Delhi and
is about "systemic crisis in Indian urban planning and
architecture". I quote:
---
"But why are we in such a crisis of civic governance?
I can only offer my views as an architect and town
planner... the entire exercise is about architecture
and town planning gone awry... we professionals cannot
absolve ourselves from this mess ...few have sought to
examine one of the roots of the matter: the Master
Plan and building bylaws. I am not alluding here to
the demand to change the Master Plan and building
bylaws to condone post facto the illegal
constructions, but instead the need to undertake a
serious scrutiny of the plans and laws... 12 million
who already live here... will require large-scale
urban renewal and over-hauling the existing Master
Plan... Ours is a heterogenous society and many kinds
of spatial patterns and standards are required to meet
its diverse needs. The current Master Plan and
building bylaws cannot meet this diversity...
Architects, urban planners must grapple with the
particular spatial imperatives of our poor, rapidly
evolving society. This is a complex task, which will
require that we begin by transforming our professional
education. Our current fetish with foreign solutions
only means that we regularly resort to the bulldozer.
The present demolition drive might be an important
lesson in civics, but it also highlights a systemic
crisis in Indian urban planning and architecture."
(ends)
---
The following, well know in the professional
fraternity, make the above appear to be public
confession of failure:
* (persisting) need for transforming professional
education to make it more responsive to (poor, rapidly
evolving) habitat needs was precisely the object for
which TVB-SHS was created (by a group of SPA faculty
including AG Krishna Menon) 15-years ago
* (persisting) need for planning large scale urban
renewal was precisely the object with which a
sub-group on conservation and urban renewal was
constituted (under chairmanship of AG Krishna Menon /
Director TVB-SHS) for the Master Plan revision, now
awaiting only conclusion of Public Notice proceedings,
that started 5-years ago
* (persisting) need for building byelaws responsive to
diverse spatial patterns and standards was precisely
an object of the bylaw-reform, now awaiting only
legislative processing, started (with Prof EFN
Ribiero, long-time TVB-SHS visiting faculty and
perhaps also Board of Studies? member as a consultant)
2 years ago
The director says (in opening remarks) that "Indeed,
until the demolition drive actually started, we had
come to accept that only fools followed rules". The
following, well know in the professional fraternity,
make this candid confession:
* TVB-SHS functions from premises short of minimum
standards for space required for recognition of an
architecture college
* TVB-SHS fraternity seems unaware as to whether it
has or functions in compliance with any building
permit or occupancy certificate (even as an object of
the bylaw-reform underway is to empower architects to
issue building, and even building use, permits)
* TVB-SHS functions in violation of Master Plan land
use and has been confidently claiming this *problem*
will be taken care of in MPD-2021, which it has not
*managed* (and the 3 pilot Local-Area-Plans for byelaw
reform are also not for this area, despite involvement
of those associated with TVB-SHS in 2)
One would read in the diatribe against both existing
and reformed Master Plan and building byelaws shrill
desperation about law that refuses to change to make
TVB-SHS legal, but AG Krishna Menon not only insists
he is "not alluding here to the demand to change the
Master Plan and building bylaws to condone post facto
the illegal constructions" but also cheers the drive
against them, saying at the outset that "it is
heartening to realise that there is enough residual
civic integrity that moves us to undertake this
mammoth task".
Perhaps the director omits to mention TVB-SHS due to
exigencies of running it under aegis of a builder
trust on its farmland. Perhaps the same also prevent
him from taking his heartening realisation to its
logical conclusion of asking the Council of
Architecture to review TVB-SHS recognition and to MCD
/ DDA to take action against building byelaw and
Master Plan and other violations on TVB-SHS premises.
Perhaps his remark that "we professionals cannot
absolve ourselves from this mess" is really an appeal
to others to advance these requests.
If anyone does, please tell. My clients have taken
exception to the obvious and problem-sustaining
inconsistency of supporting action against
illegalities while opposing the law itself, and intend
to pursue their duly lodged prior complaints against
such scurrilous expert-views, notably those of AG
Krisha Menon, that have diluted several of their
Master Plan entitlements in the last revision.
Gita Dewan Verma, Planner
cc: yourcity@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
__________________________________
Yahoo! for Good - Make a difference this year.
http://brand.yahoo.com/cybergivingweek2005/