Turns down a proposal to cut around 7,000 trees in Bawana to build 14,000 low-cost houses for the urban poor ; asks for revised proposal

New Delhi: The forest department has refused to allow cutting of trees to build low-cost flats for the urban poor in southwest Delhi, a “high-priority” project of the previous Congress government.

In a letter (dated December 27) to the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation — the builder — the forest department has written, “…the proposals cannot be considered and the files are being returned in original.”

In the run-up to the 2008 assembly polls, then chief minister Sheila Dikshit had promised rehabilitation of people living in slums under Rajiv Rattan Awas Yojna. The DSIIDC had to build 70,000 such houses across Delhi. But only 14,000 could be ready. For one of the many projects, the DSIIDC sought cutting of about 7,000 trees at village Pooth Khurd in Bawana to build 14,000 houses.

Earlier this year, the forest department rejected the application for cutting of 7,000 trees and suggested to the DSIIDC to realign the project and save as many trees as possible. But the DSIIDC chose to split the project into many parts and seek permission in a piecemeal manner to avoid any controversy and even got permission for 200odd trees.

The DSIIDC then sent two applications, seeking cutting of 1,663 and 863 trees, respectively, but finally ran into opposition from the forest department. “We did an inspection and on close perusal, observed the two applications were for the same area. The project has been split up. The proposals cannot therefore be considered,” the latest forest department letter reads.

The forest department has asked the DSIIDC that the latter may send a fresh, consolidated proposal and consider asking for cutting of as few trees as possible. The DSIIDC may also submit a plan showing the area from where trees are proposed to be cut, the area where trees will remain intact and the area where replantation will be taken up.

The forest department also wants to know the exact number of trees proposed to be cut and saplings proposed to be planted. Deputy conservator of forests (west) Rajgopal Prashant told HT, “The DSIIDC hasn’t got back to us. Right now there are no proposals [for tree cutting] are pending with us.”

The Hindustan Times, 1st January 2014

The urban development ministry has prepared a draft cabinet note to denotify 123 properties in prime locations in Delhi, and to transfer the ownership rights to the Delhi Wakf Board in a way annulling their acquisition by the British government between 1911 and 1915.

The government of the Raj had acquired a lot of land to build India's new capital in the years that followed the shift from Calcutta in 1911. Sixty-one of these 123 properties are now owned by the Land & Development Office (L&DO) under the urban development ministry; the rest are with the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

Most properties are in and around Connaught Place, Mathura Road, Lodhi Road, Man Singh Road, Pandara Road, Ashoka Road, Janpath, Parliament House, Karol Bagh, Sadar Bazaar, Darya Ganj and Jangpura. Each property has a mosque on the premises; some have shops and residents as tenants.

The ministry's draft note will now go for comments to the home and minority affairs ministries and the Expenditure Finance Committee. After the receipt of all comments, it will be placed before the cabinet, sources said. The home ministry will also refer the matter to the Delhi government.

The Delhi High Court had, in 2011, asked the urban development ministry to look for a way to resolve the matter. In January 2013, Attorney General G E Vahanvati advised the government that the proposal was not feasible legally, after which the minority affairs ministry set up a committee of experts under the Central Wakf Council to evaluate the proposal. The expert committee backed the proposal, following which the AG concurred. The proposal has, however, split the ministry; the urban development secretary is learnt to be against it. "There are conflicting views in the ministry on denotifying the 123 properties, which presently belong to the government. After the process is complete, they will become the property of the Wakf Board, which will be free to take any decision, including selling them. We are wary about this. Most of the properties are in high-end areas, and can be misused," a senior ministry official said.

The Indian Express, 2nd January 2014

After almost a decade of political objections and green opposition, the cabinet on Thursday is likely to clear the ambitiousinter-linking of rivers project, beginning with the process of connecting the Ken-Betwa riversin Madhya Pradesh.

The Ken-Betwa river link is one of the 30 inter-linking projects to be green lighted by the Supreme Court following a tripartite memorandum of understanding signed between the water resources ministry and chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The apex court had in February, 2012 directed the Centre to implement the inter-linking of rivers (ILR) project in a time-bound manner and appointed a high-powered committee for its planning and implementation.

The proposal has been given a fresh thrust by water resources minister Harish Rawat and the government claims that on completion of all 30 projects, water will be available for irrigating 35 million hectares, generate hydro electricity to the tune of 34,000 MW and control floods in many states.

Though initially mooted in 1982, the proposal was actively taken by the NDA government but fell off the radar once UPA came to office. A section of environmentalists opposed the project on the grounds that it is unviable and the proposal also came to be seen as a NDA hobby horse.

Rawat, who has been keen on implementing the project at the earliest ever since the Supreme Court had given its nod to it in 2012, will bring the proposal before the Cabinet on Thursday.

"Since all the related matters including environmental issues have already been resolved for the Ken-Betwa and couple of more projects, the government's apex decision making body may not find it difficult to give its go ahead on Thursday," said an official who is privy to the details of the projects.

He said, "The move will see beginning of actual works on the ground for linking Ken and Betwa rivers in early 2014." Though nearly 8,650 hectare of forest land - including a part of the Panna National Park — in Madhya Pradesh is likely to be submerged if the Ken-Betwa river project is implemented, the MoU (signed in 2005) had factored in these issues.

The proposal is also meant for inter-linking of rivers in Bihar and Maharashtra which will be taken up for implementation during the 12th Five-Year Plan period.

So far, detailed project reports (DPR) comprising cost of three out of 30 river-linking projects have been prepared. Though total cost of all the river linking projects has been estimated at around Rs 5,60,000 crore, the actual cost will be known only after the DPRs of all the 30 rive link projects are drawn up.

The full ILR project has two components - the Peninsular and the Himalayan. The Peninsular component - involving the rivers in southern India - envisaged developing a 'Southern Water Grid' with 16 river linkages in different states. This component included diversion of the surplus waters of Mahanadi and Godavari to the Pennar, Krishna, Vaigai and Cauvery rivers.

The Himalayan component is finalized for building storage reservoirs on the Ganga and the Brahmaputra and their main tributaries both in India and Nepal in order to conserve the waters during the monsoon for irrigation and generation of hydro-power, besides checking floods.

The Himalayan component is comprised of 14 links including Brahamputra-Ganga, Kosi-Ghagra, Kosi-Mech, Ghagra-Yamuna, Gandak-Ganga, Yamuna-Rajasthan, Rajasthan-Sabarmati, Sarda-Yamuna, Farakka-Sunderbans, Subernarekha-Mahanadi, and Ganga-Damodar-Subernarekha.

The Times of India, 2nd January 2014

The National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB)'s draft regional plan 2021 lists only 12 lakes in NCR, as against thousands of water bodies identified in the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment, developed by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).

If the list is not updated, other water bodies and lakes may never be protected. The plan has also not demarcated groundwater recharge areas. Environmentalists and water experts have highlighted this "appalling" lapse in their submissions to the board, objecting to the draft regional plan which is going to be finalized shortly. In the draft plan, only two lakes in Delhi-Bhalswa and Najafgarh have been mentioned. The Sanjay Lake or other water bodies and ponds are not.

The NCRPB had called for objections to its draft plan and received about 65 replies from government departments, private companies and civil society which have been uploaded on their website. Many environmentalists raised concerns about the removal of a "0.5% limit" on constructions in natural conservation zones, which would mean the check on real-estate development would be removed. After several people wrote to the board, they decided to maintain restriction on construction.

However, organizations like Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage are now worried about how the draft plan completely neglects water bodies, forests and groundwater recharge zones like the Aravalis. "After we submitted our objection, I called the board several times but they were tight-lipped. I am not sure if they have considered these objections at all," said Manu Bhatnagar of the Natural Heritage Division of Intach.

"The plan has not mandated firm steps to demarcate water bodies and their catchments which are prime targets of realtors. Groundwater recharge areas have also not been demarcated," Intach's submission said. It also highlighted that floodplains have not been demarcated in "regional land use".

"This cannot be left to the discretion of local planners and administrators" it said.

Another error identified by Intach is the size of Najafgarh Jheel, which is 15.4 ha according to the draft plan, but is actually about 700 ha. "We can't afford to lose a single water body. With the price of land increasing in NCR, water bodies are most vulnerable. They are crucial to support the kind of development we expect in the coming years. Water bodies have to be maintained along with buffer areas and catchments," he added.

The submission also says there that in the chapter on disaster management in the draft plan, there is no mention of drought events in the draft plan. "In 1987 and 2002 there was highly deficient rainfall. Due to climate change, this can happen again. How will the region manage?"

Bhatnagar said the board is increasingly becoming toothless. "NCRPB has been reluctant to exercise its power, instead it is abdicating them to the sub-regional planners who are driven by the sky-rocketing value of land," Bhatnagar added.

The Times of India, 2nd January 2014

After taking additional charge of the ministry of environment and forests, Union minister of petroleum and natural gas M Veerappa Moily vowed that "not a single file will be pending". The first casualty of such an attitude is likely to be the biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats. In a one-step-forward, two-steps-back move, Moily, soon after assuming the new office, announced a review of the ‘Report of the High Level Working Group on Western Ghats’, also known as the Kasturirangan report.

The report, prepared by a 10-member team headed by K Kasturirangan of the Planning Commission, was submitted to the environment ministry in April 2012 with a key recommendation of declaring 37% (ie 60,000 sq km) of the total 1,64,280 sq km area of the Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area (ESA), thereby restricting polluting activities, such as mining, thermal power plants, etc.

In October, this report was accepted ‘in principle’ by Moily’s predecessor Jayanthi Natarajan who issued a couple of office memorandums and directed the concerned six states to immediately halt polluting activities. A draft notification delineating the ESA was also in the offing, claimed news reports.

However, things took a different turn when Natarajan resigned on December 21. It is alleged that she delayed investment worth `10 lakh crore by not granting environmental clearance to several large-scale projects, including those of the petroleum ministry. Natarajan has now been replaced with Moily, who, in a clear case of conflict of interest, is handling both the ministry of petroleum and the ministry of environment. Apart from seeking a review of the Kasturirangan report, Moily has also exempted different types of industrial and mining projects from either providing environmental impact assessment reports or holding public hearings while receiving the state government’s approval. The Western Ghats house nearly 4,000 species of flowering plants, over 500 species of birds, 120 species of mammals and 288 species of known fish fauna. In order to protect this rich biodiversity, the environment ministry had constituted a Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by ecologist Madhav Gadgil in March 2010.

In 522-page report, the panel, among other things, recommended three zones in the Ghats — Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) I, II and III— depending upon their ecosensitivity. It ruled out environmental clearance to any large-scale storage dams or mining projects in ESZ I and II. It also recommended phasing out and regulating activities in ESZ III.

Predictably, the environment ministry tried to hush up the report. However, strict orders from the Central Information Commission and the Delhi High Court forced the ministry to part with the report in May 2012. When the Kasturirangan report was accepted ‘in principle’ by the ministry, for a moment, it seemed that the Ghats, a world heritage site, will finally receive the special environmental protection they deserve.

However, with general elections around the corner, and mounting pressure from the Congress-ruled states, such as Kerala, Natarajan clarified on December 20 that agriculture and plantation activities along the Ghats would not be banned. The very next day she resigned, paving the way for Moily, who after a ‘courtesy call’ from the chief ministers of Maharashtra and Kerala, both Congress-ruled, announced seeking fresh opinion of the six states on the ban on big construction projects in the Western Ghats.

If ecologists and environmental activists are to be believed, this may just be the beginning of the Western Ghats’ end, which are already threatened due to various large-scale projects, such as power plants, integrated townships, river valley schemes, mining, etc.

Nidhi Jamwal is a Mumbai-based freelance environment journalist
The views expressed by the author are personal

The Hindustan Times, 3rd January 2014

Australian artist Terry Burrows has captured different facets of the ghats of Banaras and anonymous individuals in his camera. These pictures will now be mounted at a six-day solo exhibition at Lalit Kala Akademi here beginning this Sunday. The exhibition will have 28 double images. In all, there will be 56 colour pictures. For this 58-year-old artist, observing the ghats teeming with people meditating, squatting, sitting along the steps or looking at the river and watching children play the gentleman’s game was an enjoyable experience. According to Terry, as the photographs of the subjects are all taken from behind, they are an intriguing form of anonymous portraiture. “Since the images are from the back, we have not intruded into the privacy of the people featured in this exhibition.”

The Hindu, 4th January 2014

A bird endemic to the Himalayan foothills and Western Ghats was spotted at Aravalli Biodiversity Park near Vasant Kunj recently. According to scientists at the park, Indian Pitta, a small and colourful bird which is mainly seen in closed-canopy forests, was spotted in Delhi after 60 years.

Its sighting was last reported by ornithologist Usha Ganguli in her book-A Guide to the Birds of Delhi. "The sighting is special because it was seen in the mining pits which we have converted in to moist forests. We have experimented by planting evergreen species in these ravaged pits of Aravalis. It was a wasteland earlier. The bird found the kind of atmosphere it requires here," said scientist in charge, M Shah Hussain.

The bird is about 9-10 inches in size and is called 'Navaratna' in Hindi because of its vibrant colours. A team at the biodiversity park is compiling information about several other rare species of birds which have only been seen at the park. A rare butterfly, Striped Blue Crow, was also seen for the first time inside the park.

The Times of India, 5th January 2014

Septuagenarian farmer Ganesh Hatade's joy knows no bounds. As long as he can remember, he has only seen terrible drought in this part of Maharashtra. Not any more. "I have never seen so much pure, clean water in decades, in fact in my whole life. It seems too good to be true. I hope it lasts till I die," Hatade said, eyes turning moist as he filled a weathered bucket from a nearby flowing stream.

Hatade is a resident of Daphalapor village in Sangli in western Maharashtra, among those benefitted by a government initiative to bring water to some of the most parched villages.

Daphalapor is just one among 2,200 villages in the region falling under a rain shadow and suffering from recurring drought.

Besides hitting crops and livestock, the drought has plummeted ground water levels to alarming depths, as witnessed by a select team of visiting mediapersons.

This is despite 11 big and small dam projects which have been taken up, hundreds of crores of rupees invested but without bringing respite to the daily sufferings.

But a unique initiative, costing Rs.445 crore, spearheaded by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan coupled with an unexpected bonanza of heavy rains, has brought smiles to the farmers and villagers.

"Instead of merely targeting the drought-relief operations, the state government decided to take up an Integrated Watershed Management Programme to make these areas self-sufficient without depending solely on monsoon," said Sangli Collector D.S. Kushwaha.

This was done in the form of constructing small cement check dams to prevent the precious rainwater from flowing into the drains, creating tiny farm ponds and percolation tanks.

In addition, desilting works were carried out in existing water sources, revatilising of old bunds and wells and augmenting locally available water resources in the 368 villages (of 2,200), which fall in Sangli district.

These measures led to electrifying results, according to Satara Collector N. Ramaswamy.

In Daphalapor, the ground water level rose from -6.92 metres in 2012 to -0.22 metres this year. In Athapadi village, it rose from -0.96 metres to +0.87 metres, virtually making it a fertile, marshy region.

The increased groundwater levels have resulted in increased water diverted to existing and new storage points in these regions, which are now flush with water. "So far, we have constructed more than 2,000 cement check dams which have created an additional water storage capacity of 8.50 TMC or roughly equivalent to the capacity of 23.8 million water tankers," said a beaming Pune Divisional Commissioner Vikas Deshmukh.

Hatade's family is making the best of the bounty of nature's most precious resources. "Usually, we used to get tanker waters practically round-the-year. But this year, my 10-year old daughter can afford the luxury of a daily bath, something unheard of in these areas," he said.

Abundant water has also meant a fillip to the local economy, reliant entirely on agriculture.

Farmers have furiously started sowing in advance for the Rabi season and are hoping for a bumper crop this year, said a small farmer, Manohar Pathare from Pandharpur in Solapur.

Until last year, the family was forced to work as farm labourers in sugarcane fields outside to survive.

For a change, government officials attribute the success of the scheme to the voluntary participation of the local villagers, irrespective of local politics.

Western Maharashtra is dominated by the Nationalist Congress Party, which along with the Congress governs the state.

"The locals donated labour which quickly helped construct the cement check dams in early 2013. The results we have got in just four months at a fraction of the cost of the dam projects have been just amazing," an official from the chief minister's office explained.

Now, Chief Minister Chavan wants to replicate the project in other perpetually drought-prone regions of Maharashtra to help derive maximum benefits of existing water resources, said the official.

The abundance in water supply had led to other fringe benefits. Earlier, nobody was interested in a groom from the drought-hit villages.

"This year, the situation has changed with marriage preparations in full swing," said an excited Keshav Ghatge, a matrimony organizer from Karad.

Nevertheless, there are still some who feel that the cement check dams at best offer only a temporary solution and doubt whether the existing water supply would even last till next summer.

Despite cynics, government officials are optimistic that a successful beginning has been made and the benefits would prove to be long-term and permanent in most areas.

The Business Standard, 5th January 2014

The Centre has finalised a plan to raze and rebuild 480 structures in the Lutyens’ bungalow zone, home to some of the most influential addresses in the country.

Two weeks ago, the union urban development ministry moved a cabinet note proposing to raze and rebuild the bungalows in tune with present-day requirements.

The bungalows are structurally unsafe and have outlived their 60-year life, the note says. The redevelopment is expected to cost around Rs. 3,000 crore.

"The heritage character of the Lutyens’ bungalow zone will be retained. We won't tinker with the façade of the bungalows," a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

There are 1,200 houses in the bungalow zone. The 480 that will be rebuilt are among the 588 owned by the government. A few years ago, a survey by the central public works department (CPWD), the ministry’s agency tasked with their maintenance, had found a majority of these to be structurally unsafe.

Maintenance is also expensive. The CPWD spends between Rs. 35 and Rs. 40 crore on their upkeep every year.

"These bungalows have outlived their economical life of 60 years," a ministry official told HT on condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media. "Every other day we get complaints from occupants about cracks in the wall, plaster peeling off, blocked pipelines, dysfunctional electrical units," the official said.

The redevelopment proposal has been pending with the ministry for some years now.

"It’s only recently we moved the cabinet note to stakeholder ministries seeking their comment," said the official.

Earlier, there was a plan to build multi-storeyed residential towers in face of the space crunch facing the Capital, but the idea was shot down.

Even after the cabinet clears the plan, it will be some years before new bungalows will be ready. The ministry has set a 2035 deadline as a large number of VIPs live in the area and finding alternative accommodations for them would take time.

The Hindustan Times, 6th January 2014

Vikramjit Singh Rooprai says he takes pictures of monuments of Delhi not just to document them but also to encourage better public appreciation of the fading structures

“By looking at a picture, more people get interested in visiting the monument. It helps in creating awareness. They can click pictures and feel the place. That is when the footfall at the monument increases, thereby reducing its misuse. Also, the Government machinery comes into action as they realise that the place is getting popular and there is a need to keep it clean and in a better condition,” says photographer Vikramjit Singh Rooprai. An exhibition of his photographs, “Monuments of Delhi”, was recently mounted at the India Habitat Centre.

It’s hard to disagree with his view when one remembers that crowded places of the Capital are dotted with interesting heritage monuments. Take Daryaganj. On its crowded streets, with traffic crawling and residents scurrying about in the market, life goes on as usual. Amidst the hustle-bustle of everyday life, the Zeenat-ul-Masjid is barely noticed by passers-by. This place of worship was built by Aurangzeb’s daughter Zinat-ul Nissa and converted into a bakery after the 1857 War of Independence. Relic of a time long gone, the monument is one of the many neglected historical sites captured by Rooprai in his collection. The photograph of the masjid-turned-bakery is titled ‘Holy Bakery’. The idea behind the exhibition was to bring the people closer to their heritage Rooprai adds that his pictures are taken more with a purpose of documentation and trying to capture every angle so that he can write about its architecture and unseen corners.

‘The Holy Ray’ is a picture showing a woman stepping into Sultanghari tomb to offer prayers, with sunlight illuminating the entrance and beyond. Rooprai explains: “Prince Nasiruddin Mahmud, son of Sultan Iltutmish, is buried here is and regarded as a peer baba. The lady hopes to reach the seer through the light showered on his resting place. This tomb attracts both Hindu and Muslim disciples and its walls are adorned with the Swastika and the Kalma.” The artist describes the photo as a “ray of hope for religious harmony and secularism.”

To pursue his cause, Rooprai runs a Delhi Heritage Photography Club with 6000 members stepping out on weekends for heritage photo walks. In the last four years of their heritage hunt, the club has covered more than 500 of Delhi’s monuments, says the photographer.

‘The Haunted Lodge’ shows the Bhooli Bhatiyari ka Mahal — appropriately in black and white as the monument has several spooky stories associated with it. Safdarjung’s Tomb, constructed for the Nawab of Awadh, clicked at dusk, is appropriately titled ‘The Last Flicker’. ‘The Lentil Marvel’ depicts Moth Ki Masjid built by Wazir Miyan Bhoiya, who took a lentil grain from the emperor and through repeated plantation of the yield, raised enough money to build this mosque.

The Hindu, 6th January 2014

The Supreme Court today directed the Centre to appoint a national regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy, rejecting its contention that there was no need for such a body.

A three-judge forest bench headed by Justice A K Patnaik also ordered the Centre to file an affidavit on compliance of its order by March 31, 2014.

"We direct the Union of India to appoint Regulator with its offices in as many states as possible," the bench, also comprising justices S S Nijjar and F M I Kalifulla, said while rejecting the plea of Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) that there was no need to appoint a regulator to oversee the implementation of forest policy.

The bench made it clear that the clearances under the Forest Act would be granted by the MoEF but the regulator will see the implementation of the Forest Policy of 1998. Further, it said that the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification of 2006 would now be dealt directly by the National Regulator for every project.

While directing the appointment of the national regulator, the bench said it has become necessary as the present system for EIA under the central government was deficient.

A senior advocate associated with the matter said this order has a far-reaching impact and it would be difficult from now onwards to ease the tough EIA scrutiny of projects and to allow their early clearance.

While asking the MoEF to file its affidavit on the compliance of its order by March 31, the bench posted the matter for hearing on April 7.

The apex court's order came on a plea of MoEF seeking modification of the 2011 decision in which it had directed the central government to appoint a national regulator for "appraising projects, enforcing environmental conditions for approvals and to impose penalties on polluters".

The Indian Express, 7th January 2014

In a judgement that could, in the long run, pave the way for a new era in the administration of temples across the country, the Supreme Court on Monday removed the Tamil Nadu Government’s control over the 1,500-year-old Nataraja Temple at Chidambaram in the southern State. It also directed the appointment of an executive officer to oversee the administration of the 5th Century AD temple.

A bench of justices BS Chauhan and S Bobde set aside the order of the Madras High Court, which had in 2009 transferred the administration of the temple to the State Government. The apex court passed the order on appeals filed by the temple’s priests and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy.

“The SC judgement will free more than 45,000 Hindu temples from the shackles of the Tamil Nadu Government and they would go into the hands of their original owners. All landed properties owned by these temples which were taken over by politicians and bureaucrats too would have to be returned to the temple managements or trustees,” Swamy told The Pioneer.

Swamy had impleaded in the case following requests from the Pothu Dikshitars of Chidambaram, the traditional owners and trustees of the Nataraja Temple. The Pothu Dikshitars are a distinct Hindu group with a unique lifestyle and rituals. He said in addition to the 45,000 temples in Tamil Nadu, he would strive hard to liberate all Hindu temples in the country from the shackles of the Government and politicians. “The list includes the famous Lord Balaji Temple at Tirupati,” he asserted.

Swamy contended that an attempt was made after Independence to bring the temple administration under State control in August 1951 but the Supreme Court had held that the Pothu had a right to administer the temple as a religious denomination. “Section 107 specifically bars the application of the Act to institutions coming under the purview of or enjoying the protection of Article 26 of the Constitution,” he had submitted in the SC referring to the provisions of Tamil Nadu Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act.

He also contended that if there were allegations of misappropriation of the temple’s property then these should be dealt with under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and not by taking over the temple administration. Venkitesha Dikshitar, the 43-year-old chief priest of the temple, heaved a sigh of relief on hearing the SC’s verdict. “This is a victory for justice and truth. Prayers of crores of Hindus in Tamil Nadu and elsewhere have been answered by God Almighty. We asked for our constitutional rights which were granted by the apex court,” Dikshitar told The Pioneer.

The Pioneer, 7th January 2014

In a major blow to the Centre's election year decision to speed up environmental clearance to long pending projects, the Supreme Court on Monday ordered the government to appoint a national regulator which would take up comprehensive environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects.

Brushing aside the Centre's opposition to a national regulator, a bench of Justice AK Patnaik, Justice SS Nijjar and Justice FMI Kalifulla said the super regulator was the need of the hour as the present mechanism "is deficient in many respects". This would bring an end to rapid EIAs, conducted earlier by the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF), for important projects.

"What is required is a regulator at the national level having its offices in all the states which can carry out an independent, objective and transparent appraisal and approval of projects for environmental clearances and which can also monitor the implementation of the conditions laid down in environmental clearances," the bench said.

The Congress leadership had recently decided to ease out Jayanthi Natarajan as environment minister after it felt that many projects had been stalled due to cumbersome environmental clearance, which had been kept pending for years. Veerappa Moily, who was given charge of ministry of environment and forest, had said he would try to speed up the process for EIA clearance.

The court asked the government to set up the national regulator with head office at Delhi and branches in as many states as possible by March 31 and file an affidavit of compliance by April 7, the next date for hearing of the case.

Asking the regulator not to encroach into the Centre's powers under the Environment (Protection) Act, the bench said while exercising powers under the EPA, the national regulator would "ensure that the National Forest Policy, 1988 is duly implemented".

This means, not only the regulator would examine the feasibility of the project from the environment protection angle, that is the pollution and its effects on the surroundings, it would also examine the ill-effects of the project on forest covers and possible cutting down of trees.

The court had first suggested setting up of a national regulator more than two years ago in its order dated July 6, 2011 in the case relating to stage-I forest clearance to mining project of Lafarge Umiam Mining Private Ltd in Meghalaya.

In that order the apex court had said: "Section 3 of the EPA confers a power coupled with duty, and thus it is incumbent on the central government to appoint an appropriate authority, preferably in the form of a regulator, at the state and at the central level for ensuring implementation of National Forest Policy, 1988."

The court had said, "We are of the view that, the central government should appoint a national regulator for appraising projects, enforcing environmental conditions for approvals and to impose penalties on polluters." It had also faulted the MoEF's rapid EIA to give faster clearance to important projects.

Times View

The Supreme Court's idea of having a national regulator for environmental impact assessment (EIA) of projects is about more than just insulating the process from political interference. This takes judicial activism in environment to the level of effecting a system change.

The appraisal of projects for environmental clearance will not any more depend on the attitude of the incumbent minister. While there have been cases of the government misusing its powers to allow rapid EIA, the proposed regulator raises fears of major projects being held up for long periods.

Despite its disclaimers about keeping away from the policy domain, this is another clear instance of the Supreme Court chipping away at the executive domain.

The Pioneer, 7th January 2014

In two weeks, India's largest museum will open its glass doors to the public. Unlike other museums, though, you would need an international air ticket to enter — this museum with nearly 7,000 artefacts, a 3km long art wall and works by over 1,500 artists is actually housed inside an airport.

Somewhere between check-in and baggage claim, Mumbai's new integrated terminal T2 will show off some of the best of Indian art and craft to foreign visitors as well as Indians.

In fact, the art programme under way at T2 is so ambitious in thought, scale and design that it is unlikely that any airport in the world in the 100-year-old history of commercial flight showcases art on this scale. Take the installation at T2's departure area — it occupies 80,000 sq ft and curves along the contours of the terminal building and displays a plethora of ancient finds (some date back to the 10th century) like delicately carved windows and doorways, totems, terracotta horses, wooden temple chariots, masks, sculptures of deities etc.

All these have been sourced in the last four years from cities, villages, collectors and museums across India.

The potential audience for this art is staggering. Once T2 opens its doors to public on January 15, the terminal building, which will be used initially only by international passengers, can claim to be the most visited museum in the world. With a capacity to handle 40 million passengers annually, T2's 'Jaye He' museum could comfortably nudge Paris' Louvre, currently the most visited art museum in the world with 9 million annual visitors, off its top slot.

The idea of marrying art and airports is not new, Europeans landed there first. Amsterdam airport exhibits the Rijksmuseum collections, France's Toulouse airport began hosting contemporary art in 2012 and Paris airport's in-house Espace Musees, which opened last year, displays works by renowned French artists. But none of these projects are as ambitious as T2.

The arrivals corridor has commissioned works by noted contemporary artists including Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, Mithu Sen, Nek Chand, Riyas Komu, Nilima Sheikh and Desmond Lazaro, done along a wall that is 18 metres high and 1.2km long. Like the departure wall, it is viewable from all levels.

Bollywood's omnipresence in the city's collective consciousness is registered here in a mobile art work that, among other things, includes a magic box. Ordinary men go into the box only to come out as Amitabh Bachchan in his angry young man avatar.

The expert says that it was way back in 2006 that Sanjay Reddy, vice-chairman of the GVK group, which runs and operates the Mumbai airport, thought of using it as a space to showcase the country's diverse and rich heritage. To give the idea a definite shape, Reddy roped in Rajeev Sethi, one of South Asia's leading curators and scenographers.

Sethi broke more new ground, demolishing the walls between art and craft. Regional artists, be it Patua artists from Midnapore in West Bengal or potters from Malaiyur, not only share with well-known contemporary artists, but also collaborate on ideas.

Elephants with wings, fish-like helicopters, fire-breathing mythical creatures carrying passengers in their belly — all images conceived by Gond tribals in Madhya Pradesh have been brought to life as metal sculptures by Mukul Goyal, an eminent Delhi-based product designer.

In a few months' time these flying figures will be spotted in the company of metal clouds in one section of the departure installation. Up above these mythical flying figures, the fuel-guzzling A320s and Boeing 737s may continue to circle in Mumbai's congested airspace, waiting for their turn to land.

But once they do, passengers will find that Mumbai's T2 is distinctly different from the glass, steel and concrete structures that have come to define airports the world over.

The Times of India, 7th January 2014

Red Fort's seldom-used Delhi Gatehas lost about 1,300 tonnes in the past month, and its weight-loss programme at the hands of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is only half done. The 'flab' on top of the gate had piled up towards the end of the 1857 Mutiny. When the British Army seized the fort, it dumped earth on the ramparts above the Delhi and Lahore gates to make a ramp that would serve as a defence wall. Left as is for the next 157 years, the malba was stressing the structures and had become a cause of seepage during the monsoon.

An ASI official said the mud not only causes seepage but also puts excessive load on the gates when it is heavy with water. "Also, a lot of vegetation crops up in the malba''.

The additional weight on the ramparts became a major worry for the ASI. Using archival pictures from 1858, it showed that the ramparts also had merlons (decorative battlements) which were probably buried under the dumped earth. A large portion of the fort's facade was also lost under the mud ramp. "We then decided to remove the earth from the ramparts of Delhi Gate, to not only reduce the load over the monument but also avoid stagnation of water and seepage problems. Since the work started about a month ago, we have removed about 1,300 tonnes of mud and exposed buried portions of the structure. We are still halfway into the task and it will take about two more months to remove another 1,300 tonnes of mud,'' said ASI Delhi chief Vasant Kumar Swarnkar.

The original deposit of mud on the ramparts is about 10 feet high and it is being removed manually. "We exposed a half-buried chhatri. We also came across storage places for gun shells, cannonballs, gun powder, etc made by the British. These will be retained as they are also a part of the fort's history,'' said a senior ASI official.

A similar mud ramp and defence wall also exists over the Lahore Gate's ramparts, but this will be removed later. Here, the mud deposit has been developed into a manicured lawn that is used for seating VIPs during Independence Day celebrations. But ASI says the water used to maintain the lawn is harmful to the gate and adds to the seepage problem which is damaging the structure's facade. "We might install artificial grass in place of the lawns but this will be taken up later, maybe in 2015,'' said an ASI official.

The Times of India, 8th January 2014

The much-delayed Khan Market redevelopment plan is back on track. After lying in abeyance since 2011, the plan has finally reached a point of consensus between the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and the two traders’ associations active in the posh market. The revamp blueprint has been modified and will now be carried out in three phases.

Although the redevelopment plan has already been approved by the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD), waste management was another issue which was stuck due to differences between the Khan Market Traders Association (KMTA), Khan Market Welfare Association (KMWA) and the NDMC. “There will be a common effluent treatment plant (ETP) now which has been agreed by all. The civic body has, however, asked the traders to carry out façade redevelopment on their own. The small parking area right in front the market will be turned into a green area,” informed a senior official.

The revised redevelopment plan will regularise the illegal constructions carried out by traders on the first floor. “The NDMC will give us compensatory floor area ratio (FAR) of up to 3 feet on the first floor. In other words, the encroachment done on the first floor courtyards will now be regularised,” said Sanjiv Mehra, president, KMTA. The previous plan included the construction of a metal platform on the first floor with 14 collapsible ladders on both sides of the middle street. A rift brewed between the traders’ association and NDMC due to this as shops on the first floor were then asked to shift their respective air conditioner units on the terrace to make provision for a fire exit, which would have opened on to the metal platform.

The Pioneer, 8th January 2014

Thirteen MLAs belonging to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) representing constituencies on the Western Ghats staged a satyagraha in front of the Kerala Legislative Assembly on Tuesday urging the Central and State governments to drop the “move to implement the anti-farmer recommendations” contained in the reports on Western Ghats conservation submitted by the Madhav Gadgil committee and the K. Kasturirangan committee to the Centre.

Their demonstration was preceded by a walkout by the LDF MLAs from the Assembly in protest against the government’s disinclination to accept their demand to adjourn the other proceedings of the House to discuss the “fear spreading in the Western Ghats region of the State following the move to implement the recommendations” of the two committees. The notice for an adjournment motion, which was rejected by Speaker G. Karthikeyan, was moved by the CPI(M) member K.K. Jayachandran.

Opposing the notice, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Forest Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan accused the Opposition of whipping up “unnecessary fears” among the people of the Western Ghats region. They said the State government had acted promptly and effectively to convince the Union government about the genuine concerns of the people.

Mr. Chandy said that all previous initiatives of the Union government to introduce fresh restrictions on development activities in the Western Ghats region based on the Kasturirangan committee recommendations had been superseded by an office memorandum issued by the Centre on December 20, 2013. As of now, the ecologically sensitive areas, where fresh restrictions would apply, would be decided only after physical verification of the field situation. However, the court should also be properly apprised about the facts of the case, he said, referring to the Supreme Court order on Monday directing the Centre to constitute a green regulator to ensure that the conservation laws were enforced in letter and spirit.

Popular committees

Mr. Chandy said the State had constituted popular committees in 123 panchayats where the restrictions on development activities were proposed by the Kasturirangan committee.

These committees would give to the concerned District Collectors by January 10 their reports on the ground level situation in the respective panchayats. The District Collectors would present the details to the government on January 13.

In an obvious reference to green campaigners such as Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, the Chief Minister said the Opposition should take note of the fact that there were people on its side who favoured the strict enforcement of the recommendations of the Gandgil/Kasturirangan committee reports.

The Hindu, 8th January 2014

The idol wings attached to the police departments in the States are poorly staffed and do not have the capacity to deal with antiquities theft in a swift and sustained manner

Illicit trade in antiquities is far more rampant than what the government assumes or is willing to admit. The arrest of Subhash Chandra Kapoor, the U.S.-based antiquities dealer and the subsequent investigation have exposed a well-entrenched network of dubious dealers thriving on stolen idols and looted artefacts. For more than a decade, they have been smuggling stolen cultural objects with ease and selling them to museums in the U.S., Singapore and Australia for large sums of money.

Outdated national policies and legislative measures have been rightly criticised for their inability to curb illicit trade. Ill-equipped investigating agencies and poor gatekeeping have received equal flak. But, the slack practices of museums and auction houses have escaped attention. The failure of the Indian government to aggressively pursue stolen cultural objects has emboldened them to continue with their opaque ways. In contrast, countries such as Italy, which was the first to set up a specialised police unit to deal with antiquities theft, have taken the fight against illicit trade to the doors of the museums and recovered many art objects. There is a lesson or two for India in this.

Provenance documentation

The Hindu, which has been covering the Kapoor case ever since it broke in 2009, wrote to many museums and sought provenance details (documents that establish the history of ownership) of objects bought from Mr. Kapoor. Museums either refused to share information or evaded the query. The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), which bought a Nataraja from Mr. Kapoor for U.S. $5 million, said that it did a “thorough due diligence process.” It has provenance documentation from the early 1970s to support the acquisition, the NGA added. The Asian Civilisations Museum in Singapore issued a statement to say that the ownership details of the idol it bought were checked against an international database of stolen objects and it found nothing amiss. The Toledo Museum of Art in the U.S. claimed it carried out a thorough review including checking with the Art Loss Register — a small database of 3,00,000 objects maintained by a private company.

There is a sense of déjà vu in these responses. Museums, when faced with such awkward questions in the past, always had ready responses only to retract them later. The extent of retraction was directly proportional to the pressure mounted by investigative agencies. For instance, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, in 1972, acquired a 2,500-year-old Greek vase for U.S. $1 million. It went ahead with the purchase despite many familiar with Greek antiquities raising doubts about the origin of the object. The Met, as it is popularly known, claimed that it had verified with the dealer and found the sale of the object to be legitimate. The museum held on to this version for almost two decades. In 1995, the Italian government started intensely to pursue the case and found new evidence of theft. The Met was compelled to change its position and eventually agreed to return the vase in 2008. The Getty Museum in Los Angeles too had to return about 40 Greek artefacts that were allegedly looted from Italy. Cambodia’s case

As recently as March 2011, Sotheby’s, the internationally famed auction house, planned to sell a 1,000-year-old stone idol stolen from Cambodia for an estimated value of about U.S. $2 million. Sotheby’s never thought it fit to adopt a tight review of the provenance details even though it knew full well that Cambodia had suffered severe looting of its archaeological sites. Instead, it breezily declared that the object had a clear title. The Cambodian government had produced evidence to prove that the idol was stolen from Koh Ker, a historical site near Angkor Wat. Simultaneously, it requested the U.S. government to help recover the idol. Faced with legal action, Sotheby’s agreed to return the idol in December 2013. The Cambodians were also successful in pressing the Met to return a pair of stolen idols in its possession.

In contrast, Indian follow-up has been feeble. The NGA, which initially refused to accept that the Nataraja in its possession was of doubtful origin, changed its stand after U.S. investigators produced fresh evidence. The Gallery said that it had got in touch with the Indian High Commission to discuss avenues for restitution. But the high commission has neither confirmed this nor disclosed efforts taken to recover the idol. It never responded to the emails. When this writer posed a question to the Toledo Museum of Art about a bronze sculpture bought from Mr. Kapoor, the museum replied that it had taken up the issue with the Indian Consulate General’s office in New York. It added that the museum was yet to hear from the consulate.

Hurdles police face

The state of Indian investigative agencies is far from comforting. The idol wings attached to the police departments in the States are poorly staffed and do not have the capacity to deal with antiquities theft in a swift and sustained manner. Police sources in Chennai, familiar with the Kapoor case, complained about the difficulties in requesting for even information. They have to navigate a cumbersome bureaucratic arrangement and cannot approach museums abroad. They have only to correspond through the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Ministry of External Affairs.

Compared with agencies such as the FBI in the U.S., which has a separate art theft programme with dedicated agents and special trial attorneys, the CBI seems to hardly pay attention to antique thefts. It is not surprising that the Indian government, as admitted by the Minister of Culture in 2012, has not managed to recover any stolen antiquities in the previous three years. The recent return of a yoginisculpture from P

aris had more to do with the benign intentions of the owner of the idol than with the detective work of Indian authorities. The UNESCO convention on prohibiting illicit trade in cultural property, ratified in 1970, and the code of ethics circulated by the International Council of Museums make it clear that museums must do due diligence evaluations at the time of acquisition. However, as the increasing incidents of improper purchase show, the museums are not taking these guidelines seriously. A UNESCO study estimates that the illicit trade, which was about U.S. $40 billion in 1993, has grown to reach U.S. $60 billion. Many African countries have lost 95 per cent of their cultural properties; the origins of about 70 per cent of objects in private collections are described in “a vague and insufficient way.”

If India is serious about recovering its lost cultural objects, it must take the cue from Italy, which in the last 40 years has recovered 800,000 stolen objects, and pursue a more aggressive route.

The Hindu, 9th January 2014

The Poush Mela in Santiniketan showcases our deep cultural traditions passed on to us over generations. We must preserve them

It was a night of sparks, spreading out in the sky in many-coloured formations, as lines of fire rose like the screaming exhausts of a miniature rockets and exploded with loud reports. Below, the ground was alive with circles of fire, rotating vertically like the wheels of an accelerating chariot, or horizontally, like chakras, exploding and throwing up fiery speckles — red, green and silver. All this while, illuminated balloons, each called a Phanush, floated in the darkness above after releasing their strings of light, as we watched, our jaws dropping.

This was on December 24, last year, the second evening of the fabled Poush Mela in Santiniketan when a fireworks display is traditionally held. My wife Malavika, who had seen the Washington DC sky lit up on July 4, 2013, whispered that the spectacle we were witnessing was no less grand. This was high praise. On the one hand were the huge resources of fireworks manufacturers of the United States and, on the other, the meagre funds the local artisans, known as Malakars, of Surul, a village near Bolpur, where Santiniketan and the Visva Bharati University are located, could rustle up. On display was not only the fiery patterns on the sky but the triumph of sheer skill, ingenuity and the determination to maintain the high standards workmanship travelling through generations, over daunting odds.

While all this was happening at what is known as Baji (fireworks) Maidan (grounds), another breath-taking exhibition of the same human attributes waited to happen at the Purbapalli grounds. Called Raybenshe, it was a display of a local brand of gymnastics by members of the Scheduled Castes who acted as lathials, lathi-wielding musclemen of zaminders. This writer did not see the performance which was, by all accounts, enthralling but had otherwise his fill of the mela, which is famed for its sessions of Baul songs, folk music, jatra (play) performances and stalls selling a wide variety of local handicrafts.

Poush Mela commemorates the conversion of Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and 20 of his followers to the Brahmo faith, established by Raja Rammohun Roy. The date happened to be seventh of Poush, 1250 Bangabda, of the Bengali calendar and coincided with December 21, 1843. The Visva Bharati University organises the mela, the provision for holding which was made when the Santiniketan trust deed was drawn up in 1888.

Both Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and his son, Rabindranath, the Universal Man and the creator of Visva Bharati, realised the importance of fairs. Rabindranath wrote in his essay Mela, “Our country primarily lives in villages. The mela is the principal means for the village to experience in its veins the blood circulation of the wider world when it, from time to time, becomes eager for it. It is the mela which invites to our homes what is outside it. The village forgets all its narrowness [of outlook] in this festival — it is the main occasion for it to give and receive with its entire heart open. As the rains are the time for filling the water bodies with water from the skies — the mela is the right occasion for filling the heart of the village with the thoughts of the wider world.”

For some time, there have been complaints that the Poush Mela, which begins on the seventh Poush — which comes on December 21 and thereabout — every year, had become a glittering confusion that betrayed Rabindranath Tagore's visualisation of it by privileging the stalls of known brand manufacturers and marginalising the works of local crafts people. Happily, in a remarkable reversal of the trend, there were relatively few stalls of consumer goods giants this year, while the local artisans were everywhere. Also, it was remarkably well-managed.

The Pioneer, 9th January 2014

Integrated Coastal Zone Management must be a holistic effort that treats pollution and climate change in coastal areas as a regional issue rather than a local one. A centralised institution must be made responsible for the task

The 11,000km Indian coastline sporting numerous urban centres, commercial and industrial hubs, besides tourist spots, have ensured a continuous activity of remarkable levels. However, this development has come at a cost. The coastline, with 202 ports, 27 thermal power plants and hundreds of fishing harbours, has a further 76 ports and 59 thermal power plants planned for future. Given this scenario, the future poses a grim challenge for Indian coastal ecological stability.

The environmental impact of coastal development has a direct effect on the shorelines. For instance, the 1989 commercial harbour built in South Puducherry resulted in the disturbance in the natural movement of sand, and caused the loss of beaches. The Government’s efforts to build sea walls and breakwaters to check erosion did little to help.

Also, the resultant instability of the coast caused the local communities, predominantly traditional fisherfolk, to lose their livelihood as the coast became increasingly bereft of fish, forcing the fishermen to venture into deeper waters.

The thermal power plants along the coast add to the problem as well. For instance, the Ennore thermal power plant in Tamil Nadu releases warm wastewater into the sea, which affects the fish catchment in the area. Chemical industries along the coast aggravate an already delicate situation, with the chemicals seeping into the sea water. This affects the quality of groundwater as well. But, inspite of this, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, between 2007 and 2012, had approved four thermal power plants in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, within a short distance from the Pichavaram mangrove forest. How the organisations conducting the Environment Impact Assessment overlooked the proximity of the thermal power plants to the mangrove forest, is a mystery, and induces one to think whether the Coastal Regulation Zone law is actually benefitting the protection of coastal ecology and livelihoods.

The west coast of India suffers from the yet another environmentally detrimental industrial activity of ship-breaking. Most of the ship-breaking activity is concentrated in Alang and Sosiya shipyards in Gujarat. The State has 171 ship-breaking yards which produce 4.6 million tonnes of scrap metal a year and provides enormous employment to locals. But the industry has severely polluted the coastal region. Over the years, the fish catch along Alang has reduced by 60 per cent due to the presence of heavy metals like lead, cadmium and mercury in the sea water.

A burgeoning population with an increasing disposable income is providing an impetus to tourism. Coastal India is bearing the brunt of this as a heavy influx of tourists and the establishment of resorts and hotels on coasts are resulting in degradation of beaches and loss of groundwater. But probably the most disturbing feature is the lack of sewerage and solid waste management. The National Institute of Oceanography, in its 2011 report, had stated that the coastal waters of Goa are unsafe for bathing or fishing. The level of faecal coliform found in the waters is double the safety limit of 100 units per millilitre as specified by the World Health Organisation. With an influx of more than 2.5 million tourists every year, the situation could soon slip out of hand.

Determined steps are needed to curb the runaway pollution levels in the coastal areas. In June last, the National Green Tribunal made a welcome move when it ordered closure of hotels and institutions in Goa that do not have a sewage treatment plant. Similarly, the NGT has taken exception to the construction activity on the beaches of Puri in Odisha and has issued a restraint order for the same. The NGT also directed the State Government and the Puri Municipality to file detailed affidavits on the status of solid waste and sewage management and disposal in the city.

The Integrated Coastal Zone Management as a way of managing the coasts in an integrated manner is already underway in India in the name of the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, financed by the World Bank, since 2010. With an estimated cost of $286 million, the main objectives of ICZMP is conservation of the mangroves, introduction of coastal protection measures, economic development and setting up cyclone shelters.

However, the ICZM needs to be a holistic effort that treats pollution and climate change in coastal areas as a regional issue rather than a local one. It is imperative that a single centralised institution be made responsible for maintaining coastal environment, rather than have multiple and fragmented departments. Also, timely Government action and judicial activism would surely turn the tide in favour of environment protection.

The Pioneer, 9th January 2014

Tourism Minister Somnath Bharti on Wednesday reviewed the Signature Bridge project, which has been under construction for the past nine years. He said the eastern approach of the project is expected to open in the next 15-30 days.

The eastern approach, with a 550 m long flyover at Khajuri Khas, is expected to open for traffic by this month-end. "I went to review the project. There are three parts to the project — the main bridge and the eastern and western approach. While the western approach is functional, the eastern approach is expected to open in another 15-30 days," Bharti said.

The western approach of the bridge, which comprises a flyover, was opened to traffic in 2012 and allows for signal-free movement over intersections at Timarpur, Nehru Vihar and Wazirabad. "There were some shortcomings that I also pointed out and I have asked officials to rectify them at the earliest," he said.

The foundation work of Signature Bridge is almost complete and the entire project is likely to be completed by 2014-end. This bridge, being constructed across the Yamuna, will provide an essential link between North and East Delhi. All the material for construction of the bridge is expected to arrive from China by April.

"Gammon, C Cidade (a Brazilian company) and Tensacciai (an Italian company) have formed a joint venture to carry out construction of the bridge. The bridge will be constructed on stilts. The material for construction of this bridge is being imported from China. The entire consignment would be in India by April," an official from Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation said.

Once constructed, this bridge will replace the bridge at Wazirabad. "The cable-stayed bridge will link NH-1 near the T-point at Wazirabad on the Western bank with Marginal Band Road at Khajuri Khas on the Eastern bank of Yamuna connecting North Delhi to East Delhi," the official said.

The Indian Express, 9th January 2014

Projects falling within wildlife zones back in reckoning

Several project proposals which were taken off the list for forest clearance as they fell within wildlife zones or were awaiting comprehensive assessment will be considered afresh by the Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forests in January.

The proposals include exploration for coal in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh, in zones that were earlier identified by the ministry as being part of a wildlife corridor. There is also a proposal to permit iron ore excavation in Saranda, Jharkhand, where permission for mining was blocked after the area had been identified as an elephant reserve.

Yet another proposal is for the 700 MW Tato-II Hydroelectric Project on the Siyom in Arunachal Pradesh without a cumulative assessment study the ministry earlier mandated for the river basin.

The Forest Advisory Committee is the statutory authority under the Forest Conservation Act. It is headed by the seniormost forest officer, Director-General of Forests, and comprises several senior forest officials and some non-official experts. All proposals for forest clearance are assessed by this committee, and the Environment Minister takes the final call on the projects based on its reviews. Rarely does the Minister go against the committee’s views and the listing of projects on the agenda for the panel is done with the Minister’s knowledge.

The proposals in Singrauli include exploration for coal in the Dongri Taal, Patpahariya, Marki-Barka East and Marki-Barka West blocks. They are in close proximity to the Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve. The blocks were earlier earmarked by the Ministry as falling within areas with tigers. Even a ‘refined’ study by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) concluded that two of these were important for tiger conservation. The NTCA noted that they fell within the zone that should be declared an ecologically sensitive area.

Iron mining in the Saranda forests is proposed in what was notified as the Singhbhum elephant reserve. In 2010, while permitting some public sector undertakings to mine at one end of the reserve, the Ministry ruled that no other mining leases be permitted in the Saranda forests, but has gone back on its decision.

At the same time, the Centre has dithered for several years on greater protection to elephant reserves and on establishing a conservation authority, which was recommended by a committee on the lines of the NTCA. Empowering the authority with legal mandate would make it difficult for projects to be sanctioned in elephant reserves.

Tato-II project appraisal was earlier put on the back burner after the committee sought a cumulative assessment of all projects planned in the river basin. But after hectic discussions between the Environment and Power Ministries and after the Cabinet Committee on Investments considered the issue, the FAC is set to discuss the plan again without the assessment.

It claims that this is the first project in the river basin that has come up for forest clearance and so it can be taken up for approval without cumulative assessment. But the Ministry gave environment clearance in 2005 for another project on the same river basin downstream.

The Hindu, 9th January 2014

Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary in the City Beautiful is now a home to many new birds’ species, which were not found in the region earlier.

The ongoing birds’ survey by Avian Habitat and Wetland Society and UT Forest and Wildlife Department has found more than 10 birds’ species, sighted for the first time in the sanctuary and the Inter-State capital region of Chandigarh.Specially, the summer season brings about a whole host of bird species in the region.

Barred Buttonquail (Turnix suscitator) is amongst the avian species sighted for the first time in the forest area in and around Chandigarh during the ongoing survey of birds’ species. As per the survey report, the bird species - Barred Buttonquail was spotted in the month of August last year in Nepli periphery. The Barred Buttonquail feeds on insects and seeds.

This bird species is found in most habitats except dense forest and desert. Within South Asia, Barred Buttonquail is known by many local names, including Sansorai in Assam, Gulu in Bengal, Kalada (male) and Pured (female) in Telugu, Ankadik (male) and Kurung kadik (female) in Tamil, Bala watuwa in Sri Lanka among other names.

Other birds’ species spotted for the first time are now breeding in the sanctuary and Inter-State capital region of Chandigarh, are Little Tern (Sterna albifrons), Savanna Nightjar (Caprimulgus affinis), Paddyfield Warbler (Acrocephalus agricola), Indian Skimmer (Rynchops albicollis), Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon), Desert Warbler (Sylvia nana), Yellow-browed Tit (Slyviparus modestus) and Wedge-tailed green pigeon (Treron sphenura).

The Pioneer, 10th January 2014

The designs from the Royal House of Mysore were much appreciated by the fashion lovers of the City

Talk of royalty and fashion, and the golden crown, long robes and chunks of embellished stones and jewellery comes to one’s mind. But when the Maharaja of Mysore decided to have a fashion show at the Bangalore Palace, it was fashion that even a common man could relate to.

Showcase the Spring Summer Fashion Line 2011, this fashion show by The Royal House of Mysore had wearable garments — both Indian and Western — and had a large number of people attending it.

Apart from the hundreds of people of stage, there were over 30 models on stage as well! The cocktails and dinner gave a good opportunity for Bangaloreans to catch up with each other.

The hour-long delay didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits as they settled down expecting a good show and got more than what they expected. The host of the evening was style guru Prasad Bidapa and the guest of honour was of course the Maharaja — Srikanta Datta Narsimharaja Wodeyar.

It started with a simple ethnic collection comprising saris for women and kurta-dhotis for men. With flowers in their hair, the pretty ladies looked elegant in their saris of vivid colours like orange, white, black, red and purple.

Following this, was a cocktail round consisting of shimmering silk dresses in bright colours like pink, red, orange and blue. Paired with stockings of the same colour, this truly was an elegant evening look that any simple girl can sport without taking too much trouble.

Another round was that of the wraparounds.

Using silks and satins, the garments in this round were two pieces, one short tie-top and a wraparound at the bottom. In colours of blue and red, yellow and blue, and green and red, the costumes were bright and lively.

The men’s wear in this round consisted of sleeveless jackets with Indian print. As the show progressed, there were different ethnic and Western rounds showcasing the best of the East and the West, truly signifying that the Maharaja is indeed a good designer.

“The next is a Goan collection dedicated to everyone’s favourite holiday destination,” announced Prasad Bidapa. It again consisted of effervescent garments for ladies and off white and white kurtas for men teamed with dhotis in all colours.

The show ended with the grand finale — an ethnic round consisting of saris and ghagras in chiffon and crepe. The men’s wear in this round consisted of sherwanis in orange, gold, blue, green and purple. To sum it all, the show had something for everyone present.

The Deccan Herald, 10th January 2014

There is nothing surprising in fishermen from Tamil Nadu venturing out into the Sri Lankan waters in search for fish and other marine products. The fish and aquatic wealth along Tamil Nadu coast has decreased more than 25 per cent over the last couple of years forcing the fishermen from the State to trespass into Sri Lankan territory.

This was disclosed by officials of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) in a media interaction at Chennai on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been writing to the Prime Minister about the frequent arrests of fishermen from the State by the Sri Lankan Navy. In a letter sent to the Prime Minister last week, Jayalalithaa said 275 fishermen are languishing in Sri Lankan jails while the Navy of the island nation has taken into custody 84 boats. “The repressive Lankan Navy is establishing its authoritarian presence in the Palk Bay by chasing and arresting unarmed innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu,.” Jayalalithaa had written in the letter.

Though both MPEDA and SEAI officials were silent about the controversy over the arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, they were unanimous in the view that fisheries wealth in the Tamil Nadu coast has come down alarmingly. “Unsustainable fishing practices followed by fishermen are the main reason behind this fall in marine wealth. Over exploitation of coastal waters has added to our woes. It is time we exploited our exclusive economic zone in an effective manner. We should encourage deep sea fishing in a big way,” said A J Tharakan, president, SEAI.

He blamed bottom trawling for the reduction in fish wealth in the Indian coast. “Unless we find out alternate livelihood for the traditional fishermen, the country’s aquatic wealth is all set to be depleted soon,” said Tharakan.

The Pioneer, 10th January 2014

BOOKMARK At the launch of a publication on the works of Raj Rewal, the acclaimed architect himself led guests round the French Embassy, a building he helped design

In a grand hallway at the Embassy of France, dressed in a fine black suit, stands a tall, gray-haired man, surrounded by a group of people congratulating him for his new book. He is Raj Rewal. The book “Innovative Architecture and Tradition” (Om Books) has essays by Raj Rewal, Kenneth Frampton, Peter Davey, Suha Ozkan and Suparna Rajguru, which sum up the concepts that shaped Rewal’s creations — a repertoire of residential, public and institutional buildings. The book was launched last week with a brief tour of the premises by Rewal, associate architect of the embassy.

While elaborating the various aspects of architecture, Rewal recalled anecdotes from when the embassy was being built and also shared the rationale behind the different facets of the building. “Along with the other architects, our idea was to design something which not only projects France and India but also something which creates a dialogue. As you walk through the embassy and egress from the hall, you’ll see a Mughal garden with water channels and candle-lit lighting. We wanted to create a relationship between the chancery and the residential area of the ambassador,” said Rewal.

Known for his design of projects like the Nehru Memorial Pavilion, the Asian Games Village, the National Institute of Immunology, the library of the Indian Parliament, the Lisbon Ismaili Centre in Portugal and the Indian Embassy in Beijing, Rewal has more recently added to his list the Visual Arts Institutional Campus, Rohtak. His works are deeply influenced by the theory of aesthetics and rasa.

“'Raj Rewal’s buildings have dominated our growing up years as prominent cultural and historical milestones, more so in Delhi. From the Hall of Nations, the Hall of Industries to the World Bank Regional Mission, his architecture describes a fascinating trajectory from the local to the international. The book is a humble tribute to the master builder,” said Ajay Mago, publisher, Om Books International.

The much awarded architect — honours include a Gold Medal from the Indian Institute of Architects — also happens to be the first Indian architect whose works are going to be displayed for six months at the National Gallery of Modern Art.

“I am proud and moved to be a part of this book launch, not only because of the relationship I have with Raj Rewal, but because I think it’s a beautiful book which reflects dedication of a man to art and innovation,” said François Richier, Ambassador of France to India.

The Hindu, 13th January 2014

In a bid to help the conservation of the world’s tallest flying birds — the IUCN red-listed Sarus Crane — the farmers around Bhoj wetlands in Madhya Pradesh, are turning to organic farming to check the harmful effects of pesticides. The internationally recognised Bhoj wetland is an Important Bird Area (IBA). A watch group ‘Sarus Mitra’ has also been created to keep the cranes safe from other anthropogenic threats.

Once seen in hundreds, the sarus crane population has drastically declined from the Bhoj wetlands. As per reports, around 160 individuals were counted in 2001 which reduced to 24 in 2008. This year, only 10 have been counted. Alarmed by such drastic decline, the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) NGO that works on wildlife protection teamed up with a local organisation called “Bhopal Birds” set up Rapid Action Project to save these birds.

“One of the biggest killers, which was discovered early on, was the uncontrolled use of pesticide by the farmers - especially on their vegetable crops that the birds feed on,” said Debobroto Sircar of Wildlife Trust of India’s Wild Aid division. “There was an immediate need to shift from the use of chemicals in the area, to something organic.” This began with awareness camps in the local villages of Goragaon and Bishenkhedi. The agricultural scientists from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) and other agriculture research organisations were roped in to speak to the farmers and members of local communities on the adverse effects of chemical fertilisers on human health. They also tried to impress upon them the fact that it would not only benefit human beings but also protect the Sarus cranes.

“The local communities around Bhoj worship the cranes, as they consider their fidelity to their partners a virtue, and would not knowingly harm them,” said Dr Sangeeta Rajgir, from Bhopal Birds. “However, over the years, over-grazing, fishing, desiltation, pesticide use and pollution was taking a toll on the birds.” Hence, it was not difficult to convince them in the long run, said Dr Rajgir.

Every awareness session was followed by a feedback or interactive session that aimed at ensuring that problems faced by farmers in the eventual shift are negated. We even gave out organic fertilisers for them to try out,” said Dr Rajgir.

The results began showing when five farmers from Goragaon village took the first leap recently that permanently shifted to organic farming. Soon 30 more farmers followed suit out of the 60 families living in the area. As per a survey, conducted by the team revealed that 80 per cent of the farmers were keen to permanently shift to organic farming.

A group of village youth from Goragaon had also formed the Sarus Mitra, translating to ‘friends of sarus cranes’, to monitor the birds throughout the year. The volunteers not only keep a watch over the cranes and their nests but also carry out rescue of individuals in distress.

“Our experience with the project demonstrates that it is possible to re-establish a bond between famers and nature”, said Dr Rajgir. These birds require large areas for foraging and brooding, and are known to prefer wetlands that are close to croplands — especially paddy, wheat, maize and soyabean fields.

The Pioneer, 13th January 2014

The Uttarakhand government has got the report of the Geological Survey of India (GSI) on the flash floods of June 2013 which it was waiting for before undertaking any new constructions in the Kedarnath valleyand other damaged villages.

The report suggested channeling theMandakini river to its original course as it has now merged with Saraswati river in the South, compounding the risk factor.

It has also identified 274 critical landslide zones in 67 villages in Rudraprayag, Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Bagheshwar districts which had suffered maximum damage to the life and property in the catastrophe.

He said the lake of Chaurabari glacier above Kedarnath valley ruptured on one end due to the excessive rainfall on June 16 last year and the overflow combined with torrential rain had destroyed the Kedarnath valley and the adjoining areas. It swept along big boulders, rocks, soil and debris creating a blockage in the Mandakini forcing the river to change course.

Sharma cautioned against any construction within 150 meter of the Kedarnath temple, which earlier had almost 150 shops and hotels. "The debris can not be removed mechanically as the region is seismically and ecologically very fragile. Our team has also spotted cracks 7.5 m deep under the foundation of Kedarnath temple by using ground penetrating radar technology. It is difficult to know whether this was caused by the deluge or they existed earlier. The finding does not raise any immediate alarm bells about the temple safety as these cracks can be repaired," he said.

Sharma said GSI team travelled across 1000 km covering five districts l which had received maximum damage in the June disaster. Among these Rudraprayag was found to be the most sensitive where 54 critical landslides zones were marked in 27 villages, he said. Pithoragarh was rated second with 63 landslide zones in 35 villages. Uttarkashi had 35 in three villages, Chamoli had 50 in two villages and Bagheshwar had maximum number with 72 zones but none of these was termed dangerous as such.

"Each landslide was examined thoroughly. We have also prepared the data with detailing of cause and effects along with photographs of each landslide and can locate it with the help of GPRS technique. The report has also suggested ways suitable to contain landslide for each particular case. Or else the region will continue to pose greater danger in time for the villagers living across these landslide zones." Sharma said.

GSI could also help the state government identify safer areas while drawing plans for the resettlement of the villagers, he said.

Sharma also came out against using pre-fabricated structures in place of the buildings which got devastated in the deluge. "Prefabricated structures can be erected for short term relief but these are not as durable as concrete structures. For this safer zones should be demarcated," he said.

The Times of India, 13th January 2014

For a ‘post-colony’ like Tranquebar, with its rich Indo-Danish built heritage, it was, ironically, a disaster in the form of a tsunami that triggered a tangible heritage development initiative. When such heritage development takes shape as post-colonial heritage construction, it engenders certain national narratives of former colonial power (Denmark in this study) vis-à-vis local narratives and histories.

With the sensitivity of the anthropologist, Helle Jorgensen, straddles the heritage discourse in a post-colony, cautiously aware of her vantage point as a Dane, and by default being held as a representative of a Danish national narrative. Studying the discourse of heritage development in Tranquebar, the author locates the project as a ‘protracted and reiterative process’ that engages multiple agents — cooperating and competing to control and negotiate the idea of development and heritage.

Here, history is at once shared between the formerly colonised and the former coloniser and simultaneously contested at certain levels. Then how does a shared heritage construction include and exclude at the same time?

So, when heritage development becomes exclusive, it leads to displacement and dislocation of “lifeworlds”. The study of Tamil vernacular houses converted into heritage hotels beyond the reach of the local people, is a reflective positioning of irony of heritage development that simultaneously ‘invisibilises’ subaltern lived realities. Here, such development inadvertently erases subaltern experiences and histories, in the name of vernacular restoration. Here is when an authoritative idea of heritage conceived on a bourgeois aesthetic framework poses the danger of erasing ‘ambiguities’ in history. The richness of the study is in its detailed engagement with the locals, and their idea of history, heritage, aesthetics and their deviance as perceived by heritage agents that include the Danish Tranquebar Association, INTACH, the ASI and other stakeholders. There is a politics, sociology, economics, and aesthetics to heritage development. This study, albeit on a limited townscape of a Tranquebar with a post-colonial heritage holds out such a template of heritage development, and its exclusivity through snippets of ethnographic studies from other post-colonies.

The contours of history keep shifting, and varying according to the agents and their vantage point. This position determines the understanding of the processes of heritage development for various stakeholders, both transnational and the local people of Tranquebar.

Here, Jorgensen seeks to establish Tranquebar as a postcolony in a qualified manner, reiterating the shifting and multiple narratives of history in social memory. This is evident in the many instances of Dutch (whose colony was Nagapattinam) and Danish colonial intervention used interchangeably by the locals.

For the locals of an erstwhile colony that had snapped its colonial linkage centuries ago, long before the larger decolonisation — a linear colonial construction of history may not hold the same memory or relevance as for the nationals from that former coloniser-nation. These points of meeting, divergence, conflicts and contestations of memory are played up in heritage development project.

Yet contemporary heritage development promotes a conscious historical narrative — that of its colonial legacy. This is evident in the restoration of buildings, commemorating a particular aspect of Danish colonial history in Tranquebar.

Restoration of buildings, and recalling the memory of colonial use of the buildings, steps up heritage construction from a particular perspective. It promotes a particular history and this history gets reinforced in local memory through heritage construction.

At the same time, there is a persistence of local histories in the everyday narratives. It is here that the author terms Tranquebar as a “heritage palimpsest” for the reason that it holds multiple and overlapping historicities persisting in local memoryscape — despite the dominant narrative of colonial history guiding the heritage project.

When heritage development of a post-colony calls upon transnational participation from a former colonial power such as Denmark, there are latent tensions, engagement, alienation, and contestations, between the locals as primary stakeholders, and heritage agents, both national and transnational.

The author sensitively explores the idea of history held onto by the locals and its material manifestation in the buildings and the new ‘materialities’ (such as concrete) that populate the townscape.

Locating history as memory, the author explores the contours of cross-cultural heritage development, when it attracts intervention of a former colonial power and of their acceptance in the midst of locals of an erstwhile colonial outpost.

Studying heritage development in Tranquebar, with its colonial buildings that testify to a 200-year-old Danish rule in a small fishing coast, Helle Jorgensen unravels the idea of history and heritage as held by competing agents.

The author’s consistent reflections on various encounters with locals and national and transnational agents engaged in heritage production, speak of an abundance of narratives that demand space in an otherwise unidimensional elitist idea of heritage construction.

This ethnographic study that draws strongly from empirical experiences of heritage discourse and practices, takes a reflective tone that constantly engages with subaltern notions of history, heritage, entitlements and participation.

TRANQUEBAR - Whose History? - Transnational Cultural Heritage in a Former Danish Trading Colony in South India

Helle Jorgensen;

Orient Blackswan Pvt. Ltd., 1/24, Asaf Ali Road, New Delhi-110002. Rs. 975.

The Hindu, 21st January 2014

The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has selected Chilika, the largest brackish water lagoon in Asia, as one of the eight global sites for development of sustainable tourism as well as livelihood of the local community that would help maintain its status as a destination for the migratory birds.

The UN body, under its ‘Destination Flyways’ project, would help the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) formulate strategies for protection of migratory birds through creation of innovative tourism and livelihood options with financial assistance from the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety of Germany.

The case of Chilika was strongly recommended by the Secretariat of the Convention of Biological Diversity (SCBD), the Convention of Migratory Species (UNEPCMS), the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the World Heritage and Man and the Biosphere (MAB) programmes of UNESCO, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Wetlands International, Birdlife International and UNWTO.

Expressing happiness over this, Chief Executive of Chilika Development Authority (CDA) Ajit Kumar Patnaik said the initiative would boost the image of the lagoon, promote responsible tourism and help it get connected to the global network and branding.

A two-member mission team headed by Virginia Trapa (UNWTO) and Dr Taej Mundkur (Wetlands International) during its visit had met top officials of Union Tourism Ministry and the State Tourism Department last week.

The team later visited Chilika and discussed with the CDA Chief Executive on the management of the lagoon. Before its visit to the Nalabana bird sanctuary, the team interacted with reformed bird poachers and members of the boatmen’s association at Barkul and Rambha.

The team expressed satisfaction over the conservation measures undertaken by the CDA and the initiatives for promotion of community-based ecotourism in and around the lake.

The Pioneer, 21st January 2014

Slamming the Uttarakhand government for encouraging industrial development in the ecologically sensitive region, environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi opposed the proliferation of industries in the State, which, according to him, is “being promoted by the State government.”

The criticism of the Bahuguna government by Dr. Joshi, who is the founder of the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation, came as the government is projecting industrial development as “essential” even when the sensitivity of the Himalayan State has become a known factor, after the 2013 deluge.

Among the many industrial projects in the pipeline, Coca-Cola’s bottling plant which is to come up in Dehradun district’s Charba village and has faced opposition by the local population and environmentalists.

According to a recent development UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group Company, will be establishing cement plants in Dehradun district’s Tyuni and Almora district’s Someshwar regions.

Dr. Joshi said, “Cement plants will be detrimental to the agricultural land and the health of the people residing in the area near the plants.” He added that those who will be affected by these decisions of the government must be consulted before such steps are taken. Soon after the June 2013 deluge that took away thousands of lives and rendered many homeless, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced that the State would be the first in the country to gather data for Gross Environment Product (GEP) to monitor the state of natural resources across Uttarakhand.

Dr. Joshi who is a member of the committee to monitor the GEP said, “After the disaster Mr. Bahuguna had very zealously announced that Uttarakhand would be the first State to produce GEP data. However, the committee hasn’t met since September last year.” “If the State government neglects the ecological sensitivity of the Himalayan State then many more disasters will rock the State in the coming times,” Dr. Joshi added.

Dr. Joshi said on Monday that he will be writing a letter to Mr. Bahuguna regarding the issue.

The Hindu, 21st January 2014

The history of the Vijayanagar empire, ruins of which now house Hampi, is dotted with several interesting episodes, some of which were dwelt upon by renowned architect-academic George Michell during a session at the Jaipur Literature festival on Monday. Dr. Michell, an expert on Central Asian and Indian-especially Deccan-architecture, was introduced by historian-author William Dalrymple for a session titled “Vijayanagar: the city of victory”.

Dr. Michell received his training in architecture at Melbourne University and then went on to do a Ph.D in Indian Archaeology at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

He has undertaken research projects at different archaeological sites across India, including over two decades of intensive field work at Hampi. His recent publications include Vijayanagara: Splendour in Ruins, The Great Temple at Thanjavur and Mughal Architecture and Gardens, among several other books.

Dr. Michell said Vijayanagar was among the earliest and perhaps the most complete examples of magnificent imperial cities and one of the very few Indian cities that were abandoned.

“Not unlike Pompeii (the ancient Roman city) which came to a sudden cataclysmic end in 78 AD, Vijayanagar came to a cataclysmic end in 1565...This was a city that was abandoned…and there are not many Indian cities like that,” said Dr. Michell. The most amazing thing about the place, he said, was the landscape.

“It is one of the most extraordinary landscapes to be found anywhere in Asia, not just in India…incredible granitic landscape... one question that most people ask us is what the hell is a big imperial city of one of the greatest Hindu empires in southern India doing here? Why did they build it here?

There are several possible explanations-one, this type of landscape was a very good natural defence against empires that were at war with Vijayanagar; second, a great river, Tungabhadra, runs through this place…and it loses height… ideal for taking off water channels and creating a very extensive hydraulic system…which permitted the cultivation of many types of crops,” said Dr. Michell.

He said the earliest Vijayanagar emperors-the Sangama kings-were “sort of local nobodies who seized the moment in a power vacuum…when the Delhi Sultans abandoned control of this part of India...giving an opportunity to these local people to use the Muslim threat in a sort of ideological political way…to galvanise everyone together”.

“The last feature of the landscape...is its inherent sanctity...it’s imbued with myth…and this myth underpinned the legitimacy of the Sangama brothers who began the Vijayanagar empire … the Kishkindha chapter of the Ramayana…is believed to have taken place here,” said Dr. Michell.

Another important point about the Vijayanagar Empire was the marriage of a local goddess to Shiva, he said. He said all across south India, goddesses were linked to places (like Meenakshi in Madurai).

“These goddesses represented the power of the place......at Hampi we have a goddess called Pampa...and she did a seduction scene with (Lord) Shiva...you know it’s the wet sari stuff...like in Bollywood movies...and I think it’s a part of Indian culture...women with wet clothes...so she was very beautiful...very available and she seduced Shiva...but she didn’t become Mrs. Shiva...he became Mr. Pampa...in this part, he is called Pampapati...this is the main myth of Hampi and its still going on,” he said.

Dr. Michell presented several slides with pictures of the archaeological remains of the empire and went on to describe the several distinct styles of architecture that were used in Vijayanagar.

“This was a great imperial city…we have fortifications, gateways, palaces, pleasure pavilions, watch towers, stables…so there is a complete ensemble…range of different types of architecture,” he said.

The Hindu, 21st January 2014

The Indus Valley civilization showed increasing signs of violence and deadly diseases, especially among socially marginalized sections, even as climate change forced the once opulent civilization into terminal decline, a new study has revealed.

The study, based on detailed analysis of skeletal remains found in burial sites near Harappa prior to Independence, was recently concluded by three US anthropologists from the Appalachian State University in North Carolina, US, and their Indian counterpart Veena Mushrif-Tripathi from the Deccan College, Pune.

The Indus Valley Civilization stretched over a million square kilometers of what is now Pakistan and India 4000 years ago. Extensive excavations have revealed a highly developed civilization in its heyday which declined by 1900 BCE. Climate, economic, and social changes all played a role in the process of urbanization and collapse, but little was known about how these changes affected the human population.

The research shows that leprosy appeared at Harappa during the urban phase of the Indus Civilization, and its prevalence significantly increased through time. New diseases, such as tuberculosis, also appear in the Late Harappan or post-urban phase burials. Violent injury such as cranial trauma also increases through time. The results counter longstanding claims that the Indus civilization developed as a peaceful, cooperative, and egalitarian state-level society, without social differentiation, hierarchy, or differences in access to basic resources, a statement by the ASU said.

Gwen Robbins Schug, lead author of the paper published last month in the journal PLOS ONE, led the team in examining evidence for trauma and infectious disease in the human skeletal remains from three burial areas at Harappa, one of the largest cities in the Indus Civilization. These remains were dug out prior to India's Independence and Partition and they are presently kept at the Anthropological Survey of India's Kolkata premises.

The new data suggest that some communities at Harappa faced more significant impacts than others from climate and socio-economic strains, particularly the socially disadvantaged or marginalized communities who are most vulnerable to violence and disease. This pattern is expected in strongly socially differentiated, hierarchical but weakly controlled societies facing resource stress.

The results of the study are striking, according to Robbins Schug, because violence and disease increased through time, with the highest rates found as the human population was abandoning the cities. However, an even more interesting result is that individuals who were excluded from the city's formal cemeteries had the highest rates of violence and disease. In a small ossuary southeast of the city, men, women, and children were interred in a small pit.

The rate of violence in this sample was 50 percent for the 10 crania preserved, and more than 20 percent of these individuals demonstrated evidence of infection with leprosy.

"Rapid climate change events have wide-ranging impacts on human communities," Robbins Schug said. "Scientists cannot make assumptions that climate changes will always equate to violence and disease. However, in this case, it appears that the rapid urbanization process in Indus cities, and the increasingly large amount of culture contact, brought new challenges to the human population. Infectious diseases like leprosy and tuberculosis were probably transmitted across an interaction sphere that spanned Middle and South Asia."

The Times of India, 21st January 2014

Slamming the Uttarakhand government for encouraging industrial development in the ecologically sensitive region, environmentalist Anil Prakash Joshi opposed the proliferation of industries in the State, which, according to him, is “being promoted by the State government.”

The criticism of the Bahuguna government by Dr. Joshi, who is the founder of the Himalayan Environmental Studies and Conservation Organisation, came as the government is projecting industrial development as “essential” even when the sensitivity of the Himalayan State has become a known factor, after the 2013 deluge.

Among the many industrial projects in the pipeline, Coca-Cola’s bottling plant which is to come up in Dehradun district’s Charba village and has faced opposition by the local population and environmentalists.

According to a recent development UltraTech Cement Limited, an Aditya Birla Group Company, will be establishing cement plants in Dehradun district’s Tyuni and Almora district’s Someshwar regions.

Dr. Joshi said, “Cement plants will be detrimental to the agricultural land and the health of the people residing in the area near the plants.” He added that those who will be affected by these decisions of the government must be consulted before such steps are taken. Soon after the June 2013 deluge that took away thousands of lives and rendered many homeless, Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna announced that the State would be the first in the country to gather data for Gross Environment Product (GEP) to monitor the state of natural resources across Uttarakhand.

Dr. Joshi who is a member of the committee to monitor the GEP said, “After the disaster Mr. Bahuguna had very zealously announced that Uttarakhand would be the first State to produce GEP data. However, the committee hasn’t met since September last year.” “If the State government neglects the ecological sensitivity of the Himalayan State then many more disasters will rock the State in the coming times,” Dr. Joshi added.

Dr. Joshi said on Monday that he will be writing a letter to Mr. Bahuguna regarding the issue.

The Hindu, 21st January 2014

Instead of one independent regulator to protect the environment, India must put in place governmental decision-making located within the public sphere of influence

The idea of a new, independent regulator to protect the environment has been revived by the forest bench of the Supreme Court in the Lafarge mining case. The apex court has ordered by mandamus, a new authority to be set up under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 for appraising projects, enforcing conditions and imposing penalties on polluters. This is to be done by March 31, 2014. The Environment Ministry had responded to the court in November 2013 that it had enough means to regulate the environment through existing institutions and procedures. The court was not convinced.

The idea of a new regulator seems to grab eyeballs and attention from all quarters. It also seems to have little resistance in principle for three reasons. Firstly, this government and its Environment Ministry have lost practically all their supporters among citizens due to the manner in which they have dealt with environmental and forest clearances. Any move to take away decision-making powers from them will only improve the situation.

Secondly, the Supreme Court seems to want to shake the status quo by bringing in a new regulator. Most environmentalists believe that the system deserves to be shaken. They also have great faith in the Supreme Court’s wisdom on complex matters of governance. Thirdly, there is a real fear about opening up the laws on grant of clearances even though everyone agrees that we can barely expect good decisions without several amendments to green laws. So creating a new institution is at least doing something.

Institutional structures

For those who have studied the institutional structures of the environment, this announcement is like an advertisement for a new and improved version of a product that has already been around a long time. In fact, in the field of environmental governance, setting up new institutions has been a routine way of taking away attention from the real causes of environmental degradation. The Supreme Court has used this route the most; and its setting up of the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) is an example of institution-building where the core problem remains unabated.

This authority came out of a case that should have ensured that the long-pending objectives of compensatory afforestation are achieved. Instead, what we got was a body that collects and disburses monies earned from granting forest clearances.

The Supreme Court does not clearly state what such a new regulator is meant to achieve that has so far evaded the environmental governance system. Did the court and the amicus not find it fit to assess whether the existing regulatory bodies set up under 3(3) are able to perform at all? From the order, it appears that the only point cited in favour of independent environment institutions doing well is the Arunachal forest protection authority.

There is no study whatsoever to prove that this authority is indeed arriving at better environmental results. This is pretty much the case with some of the better known institutions set up under the same clause of the EP Act; The Biodiversity Authority, the Coastal Zone Management Authorities and the Authority set up to monitor the state of notified Ecologically Sensitive Areas. There aren’t any such studies from within the official system to show if they have been useful environmentally.

Working to what end?

A serious assessment of the functioning of these institutions will reveal that they are floundering primarily due to one reason: the laws under which they are set up don’t provide any clarity on what is to be achieved in terms of environmental outcomes. What are the outcomes they are to be working towards with all their procedures, their methods and their discussions? Our laws have no end results they are expected to bring about, only procedures. To not have desired outcomes attached to laws is in our view the cause of environmental degradation and conflict. By desired outcomes of environment laws, we mean not a grant or rejection of clearance but substantive results like reducing environmental conflict, achieving social justice through decisions and ensuring the highest order of environmental compliance.

If routine decisions by all actors in the environment field are not assessed against these outcomes, a new regulator will buckle under pressure from all sides exactly the way all the ones before it have.

Diabolical

The proposals for the new regulator so far have also suggested that they be kept independent so that such buckling under pressure does not occur. This promise of independence seems to create much support for the idea of a new regulator. However, the idea of a regulator outside of the sphere of social and public influence sounds diabolical as then it will serve the interests of only the political class. It, of course, needs no explanation that we cannot create a body that is outside of the influence of the latter. It is far more important that we have decision-making bodies that can be subject to public influence so that their decisions reflect our concerns of being citizens dependent on common resources. Rather than one independent regulator, what we need is a practice of outcome-based governmental decision making located within the public sphere of influence. It needs to be democratic in its form and method rather than leaving decisions to a group of selected experts. Through it, we must achieve substantive justice rather than procedural efficiency.

(Manju Menon is Program Director, Namati-CPR Environment Justice Program. Kanchi Kohli is an independent researcher and writer.)

The Hindu, 22nd January 2014

Wildlife NGO, working in remote areas of the North-East India, has used an innovative solar way to rope in villagers for the help of conservation works.

Wildlife NGO, Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) had distributed 25 sets of solar energy-based lighting system to the villagers of Mayodia model village at Lower Dibang Valley in mountainous Arunachal Pradesh of North-East. The village, located on the fringe areas of the Mehao wildlife sanctuary, is significant for conservation efforts in the Mehao wildlife sanctuary and the move is expected to encourage more villagers to help conservation works in the sanctuary.

“The community living around any protected area is the first layer of the protection shield. In order to consolidate the shield, we need to understand the psychology and the needs of the people. The distribution of solar sets will further bridge the conservation support and confidence for the ongoing Asiatic black bear rehabilitation project and Hoolock Gibbon Translocation Project in Mehao wildlife sanctuary,” said Sunil Kyarong, Deputy Director and Regional Head of Wildlife Trust of India.

The beneficiaries were given the complete solar equipment that includes one solar panel, one chargeable multipurpose battery unit, one table lamp and an emergency light. The WTI official said that the solar lighting systems were distributed in collaboration with the department of environment and forest of the Arunachal Pradesh and with support from the Europaeische Tierschutzstftung (ETS).

The move has cheered the people as there had been no electricity supply to the village in the past. The people of the village are supporting the conservation and rehabilitation project of Asiatic black bear and also helping the Hoolock Gibbon Translocation Project for the safety of both the species.

“We never had power supply since the inception of this village in the Mishmi hill ranges of Arunachal Pradesh. It is a great help to our villagers who has been suffering due to the power crisis. Despite such limitations they are actively supporting the wildlife conservation in Mehao,” said Napi Umpo, the village headman while expressing his gratitude towards the NGO.

The Pioneer, 23rd January 2014

For the fourth time this month, ammonia levels went up in the Yamuna, prompting Delhi Jal Board to curb production at two major water treatment plants by 50 percent.

The permissible level of ammonia in raw water is 0.2 parts per million (ppm) but sources say that since the beginning the past 12 days, levels have not dropped below 0.5 ppm. "Between 2.30 pm and 5 pm, production at the Wazirabad and Chandrawal WTPs had been reduced by 25%. Later it was further reduced to 50%. By 9pm, the level of ammonia had increased to 1.2 ppm. The closure will affect water services to large parts of south, central and north Delhi," said a source. CM Arvind Kejriwal was scheduled to meet Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Monday during a meeting of the NCR Planning Board and discuss the issue but Kejriwal was on dharna that day and the meeting never happened. Letters from Delhi government have already been sent to the Haryana government, asking for the pollution load to be controlled.

The rise in ammonia levels is due to untreated domestic and industrial sewage present in the raw water. In Delhi, this pollution has been coming from Haryana where a large number of factories discharge their waste directly into the river. While the state pollution control board is trying to divert this effluent to treatment plants, the Central Pollution Control Board has also now suggested that Delhi upgrade its treatment facility.

"There is a common ETP at Shimla Gujran village in Haryana, close to drain no 12. The CEPT is supposed to discharge treated effluent into this drain which then meets the Yamuna near Khojkipur village. The water in this drain is a deep maroon right now because the discharge from all the dye factories is not being treated," said the source. Meanwhile, sources said decreasing production would do no good since that would not impact the pollution load. "The Environment Protection Act says that the levels of amines, the byproduct released when ammonia is treated with chlorine, should not be more than 0.080mg per litre. However, there is no mechanism to even detect amines which can be extremely harmful for human health," he said.

The Times of India, 23rd January 2014

India and Pakistan are set to lock legal horns over ` 350 crore and in the process, giving up a series of bilateral talks for settling the issue. India had been pursuing these talks with Pakistan since 1960 after former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru took up the matter with then Pakistan president Ayub Khan in Karachi in 1960.

At the heart of the tussle is about ` 350 crore (34 million pounds) at the market value kept in a UK bank, known as the Nizam wealth fund which “belonged” to the Nizam of Hyderabad but contested by India and Pakistan on various counts.

In 1957 the British court upheld the principle of sovereign immunity for Pakistan —that is it can not be subjected to any legal proceedings.

With Pakistan instituting a legal suit against the bank last year, various departments of the government were engaged in taking a position on the issue. Now it has come to the conclusion that Pakistan’s legal suit meant it has given up its “sovereign immunity” in the eyes of the British court, which means India can now join the legal battle.

Hyderabad’s agent general in London Nawaz Jung met Pakistan high commissioner Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola on September 16, 1948, and requested him to accept the transfer of 1 million pounds to Pakistan’s account in the presence of Pakistan’s foreign minister Muhammad Zafarullah Khan. Rahimtoola had signed the bank deposit form at the National Westminster (Natwest) Bank.

Moin Nawaz Jung, the Hyderabad finance & foreign minister, wrote to the Natwest Bank seeking transfer of funds.

But India’s position was that as the “legal successor state”, the fund — the assets of the state of Hyderabad and not the personal wealth of Nizam belonged to the country. The matter also got complicated with the Nizam’s successors joining the issue.

The Hindustan Times, 24th January 2014

The Rashtrapati Bhavan's renovated guest wing is a study in opulence even as officials says they stayed within their allocated budgets for all the repair, renovation and restoration work. Here's a peek...

I did my schooling, junior college and graduation in Mumbai. Observing my father’s work over the years, I developed interest in the field of Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Technologies and decided to do my graduation in Electrical Engineering. I graduated from Sardar Patel College of Engineering. In order to gain in-depth knowledge of the field and to get wider exposure, I decided to go abroad to pursue my master’s.

With one of my uncles living in the U.K., the country became my preferred destination for higher studies. Having gone through all the options available, I zeroed in on to Loughborough University. After doing my own bit of research, I was convinced that this university would give me international exposure. The university offered me a 25 per cent scholarship on the tuition fee, which was also a deciding factor for me.

But most of us would agree that there is nothing more hospitable than offering someone a stay at your own house. Nor is there reason to think that the President of India is a stranger to this sentiment. Indeed he is not. And the re-opening of Rashtrapati Bhavan's guest wing reiterates that!

It is hard to think of the grandest residence of Lutyens Delhi as a 'home' but it IS just that for the First Citizen of India. And it was so for several British viceroys even before Independence, and was indeed built to accommodate guests too, albeit not as many as in a hotel.

French President Charles de Gaulle famously barred guests from staying at the 369-room Elysee Palace saying "I do not like the idea of meeting kings walking around my corridors in their pyjamas." Clearly President Mukherjee thinks that at 340 rooms, Rashtrapati Bhavan is big enough!

The guest wing is only a section of the building, the other wings being occupied by the offices of the President's and the Cabinet secretariat as well as the family. But there are certainly enough suites and rooms (with fabulous views!) to accommodate delegations. The guest wing was where the Viceroys lived, but after Independence, the first Indian occupant, C Rajagopalachari, felt that it was too grand and moved over to the more modest rooms on the north side. That is where all Indian presidents have stayed ever since.

Meanwhile the 'abandoned' wing became the guest accommodation and hosted an array of distinguished visitors till it was shut down - for reasons still not very apparent - around 20 years ago. And that meant an inevitable deterioration in their condition. That previous guests - including the King of Bhutan who had stayed there as a boy when he visited his father - invariably loved their lodgings may have influenced the move to revive the wing. Whatever the impetus, it has proved a good idea. And it was a welcome challenge for the President's team.

For, instead of hiring consultants and incurring extraordinary expenditure (in the 'officialese' sense of the term) Rashtrapati Bhavan officials and their technical experts stayed within their own allocated budgets for all the repair, renovation and restoration work.

The most pleasurable part was scouting around the vast building and estate to unearth furniture, carpets and artifacts that had been misplaced, forgotten or even separated from their ensembles and putting them together in the three grand suites and 10 generous high-ceilinged rooms.

So all the rooms and suites have a mix of furniture and furnishings, put together with an eye to harmony. And a treasure trove of carpets (often custom-made for particular rooms by the team of Sir Edwin Lutyens himself) have been painstakingly restored and laid out once again.

Crucially, the bathrooms have been modernized, but retain intriguing features such as Lutyens' unique pipe showers and huge marble tubs, complete with teak steps. And every bathroom carries an important sign: Hot water will take time to reach, as the boilers are located far away.

Apart from the sheer visual treat of the renovation, the President's staff has also thought of the important 'back of the house' features. That includes business and communication centres, a place for officials to meet, greet (and even eat) and butler and room services. To incorporate all this into a building that was built for another century and another pace of life is no mean feat. And in doing so, the President has certainly prompted the creation of the most exclusive boutique hotel in Lutyens Delhi. But, of course, it cannot be booked by just anyone.

The US President, given the huge entourage (especially the security detachment), would find the whole Rashtrapati Bhavan a tad small, the King and Queen of Bhutan - the first guests of the newly renovated guest wing that opened this week were happy with their stay. It would be lese majeste to ask the royal couple what they thought of the Dwarka and Nalanda suites that they occupied for their five-day stay.

However, sources close to them say their majesties were impressed by the renovations and very satisfied indeed with the services. That means that the gamble that this President took to open the long-disused wing - so long that no one is sure who the last guest to have stayed there was - seems to have paid off. Even in the era of modern 5-stars, a gracious building (and host) can offer an alternative.

The Times of India, 24th January 2014

The clean and green Loughborough campus is a far cry from Mumbai's congestion, writes Sejal Pradhan.

I did my schooling, junior college and graduation in Mumbai. Observing my father’s work over the years, I developed interest in the field of Electrical Engineering and Renewable Energy Technologies and decided to do my graduation in Electrical Engineering. I graduated from Sardar Patel College of Engineering. In order to gain in-depth knowledge of the field and to get wider exposure, I decided to go abroad to pursue my master’s.

With one of my uncles living in the U.K., the country became my preferred destination for higher studies. Having gone through all the options available, I zeroed in on to Loughborough University. After doing my own bit of research, I was convinced that this university would give me international exposure. The university offered me a 25 per cent scholarship on the tuition fee, which was also a deciding factor for me.

Industry interface

The MSc. Renewable Energy Systems Technology course that I am studying here has vastly widened my knowledge. It is up-to-date and in sync with industry requirements. The professors and the visiting faculty have a thorough understanding of the subject and constantly update us on the current happenings in the industry.

Moreover, the teachers provide immense support to students and encourage them to stretch their minds as far as possible. Further, the diverse international culture on campus was one thing I really like about Loughborough. I now have friends from so many different countries and cultures.

The clean, green and pristine campus appeals to me, especially since my home city is extremely congested. The university has taken the initiative to cut down its carbon emissions and that reflects in its green campus. The campus is student-friendly with almost everything easily accessible. Loughborough, being a small town, has limited but good options for pubs and has some good restaurants too. Leicester being not far away, one could go there for some stores and brands that Loughborough may not have.

Also, London being just two hours away, one can experience the charm of the city without having to bear the expense of living there. I have keen interest in travel and photography which I love doing in my free time. I also like being part of charity campaigns and blood donation campaigns, and for these the university provides me with ample opportunities.

The writer is pursuing MSc Renewable Energy Systems Technology at Loughborough University.

The Hindu, 25th January 2014

Google has released its list of the most photographed locations on Earth using data from geolocated images uploaded by individual users.

The heat map generated by the search giant shows Earth's most photographed locales based on photos uploaded by users to the Google Maps Panoramio service that links images with locations in Google Maps and Google Earth.

According to Mashable, the most photographed city is New York, followed by Rome and Barcelona.

With European cities bagging eight spots in the top 10 list, users have the option to plan a trip right through the map by selecting a starting point and destination, which brings up estimated travel time and links to travel sites.

Interestingly, as a user zooms in a location, the pictures of most famous locations within a city can be viewed for an even more illustrative experience.

The top ten 'most photographed cities' include:
1. New York
2. Rome
3. Barcelona
4. Paris
5. Istanbul
6. Venice
7. Monte Carlo
8. Florence
9. Buenos Aires
10. Budapest

The Times of India, 25th January 2014

Tourists on a visit to Braj Bhoomi of Mathura and Vrindavan can get close, splendid views of a plethora of fascinating shrines devoted to Radha and Lord Krishna. The revered land of Mathura and Vrindavan have been attracting pilgrims since ages, but there are attractions to behold for art buffs too — the Mathura School of Paintings.

If one takes a dig into the pages of history, then one comes across the fact that Mathura School of Art flourished during the Kushan period dating back prior to 500 AD. This famed school of art reached the zenith of its glory during the reign of Kanishka. A separate school of sculptures made headway depicting varied themes of Hindu pantheons. The images of Jain Tirthankaras and Hindu deities were common along with the addition of wall paintings.

The Mathura School of Art progressed at the site of Gita Mandir on the banks of River Yamuna in the outskirts of Mathura. It was at Gita Mandir that the Mathura School of Art ruled the roost for a long period of 1,200 years. This kind of art focusses on Bhakti cult and was a reflection of the happy blend of Indian, Iranian and Greek arts. The impressive art works travelled to China and South-East Asian destinations of Thailand, Singapore and Myanmar in the hoary past.

In the globalised era, this form of wall hangings in Braj Bhoomi offers glimpses of art from the Vedic and Aryan period. These days, around 1,000 craftsmen are involved in making wall hangings at Holi gate and Chowk Bazaar in the pilgrim town of Mathura. It takes around one hour to paint the gods and goddesses on black velvet clothes for the artists.

All wall hangings have the gods and goddesses in highly embellished form, marking the highpoints of the Mathura School of Paintings. Once the brush work is over, the figures are adorned with colourful stars and mica pieces to make them attractive.

These wall hangings delve on religious themes and mostly revolve around Radha and Lord Krishna seated on a swing, Lord Krishna playing flute along with Radha and Gopis, Lord Krishna with herds of cattle, Goddess Saraswati, Vaishno Devi and Lord Vishnu. One of the most brilliant art works of Mathura School of Paintings is Goddess Lakshmi in the midst of lotus flowers. In fact, this kind of wall painting suggests that a blissful society existed in India during Aryan times.

At Vrindavan’s Gopinath Bazaar, shoppers are spoilt for choice with many wall hangings on display, that would not burn a hole in your pocket. These art works begin at Rs 100 and depending upon the length and the kind of workmanship involved, prices go up.

Those interested in this art form can have their heart’s fill by visiting Mathura, Barsana, Govardhan and Nandgaon in Braj Bhoomi. These places open windows of opportunities to art lovers to learn about the renowned Mathura School of Art.

The Deccan Herald, 26th January 2014

Bibi-Ka-Maqbara figures among one of the must-visit spots in Aurangabad, Maharashtra. Though the district has several other iconic sights like Ajanta and Ellora caves, which are artists’ and sculptors’ delight, and have drawn the attention of the world, Bibi-Ka-Maqbara has its own charm.

Though the structure did not impress me at first, a plaque at the entrance drew my attention. The plaque, put up by the Archeological Survey of India, states that the monument is a beautiful mausoleum of Rabia-ul-Daurani alias Dilras Banu Begum, the wife of Emperor Aurangzeb. The monument is called the Taj of Deccan, as it architecturally resembles the more famed Taj Mahal of Agra. However, unlike the Taj, this mausoleum was built in memory of a mother, by her son.

‘Her’ story

Rabia Daurani was the daughter of Shah Nawaz Khan and a descendant of Shah Tahmasp of the Safavid dynasty of Iran. Her marriage with Aurangzeb on April 15, 1637 at Agra was celebrated in a grand manner by Shah Jahan. She is said to have led a pious and religious life, and after her death, she was considered a saint.

I soon realised that the description on the plaque was apt as the structure looks like a smaller replica of Taj Mahal. It also has a beautiful garden and walkway with reflection pools like the monument in Agra. Though Bibi-Ka-Maqbara is not as beautiful as the marble structure in Agra, it is quite attractive, as the mountain ranges behind provide an ideal backdrop.

Bibi-Ka-Maqbara has three small ponds and a mosque on one side. According to records, the mausoleum was constructed between 1651 and 1661 AD, by Prince Azam Shah, in memory of his mother. The mausoleum was designed and erected by Ataullah, an architect, and Hanspat Rai, an engineer, and the marble for it was brought from Jaipur.

According to official records, the construction cost of the mausoleum was Rs 6,68,203 and seven annas. It is said Aqa Abdul Qasim Beg, who was supervising the work, was drawing a salary of Rs 230 a month, a princely sum at that time. Ataullah was an expert in metal work and the specimen of his workmanship and expertise in Arabesque ornamentation is evident in the beautiful metal cover over the door panels of the tomb’s entrance.

Inspired by Taj

The mausoleum is built on a high square platform with four minarets in its corners. The mausoleum is encased with marble up to the dado level. Above the dado level, it is constructed of basaltic trap up to the base of the dome; the latter is again built with marble. A fine plaster covers the basaltic trap, and is given a fine polished finish and adorned with fine stucco decorations.

The mortal remains of Rabia-ul-Daurani are placed below the ground level, surrounded by an octagonal marble screen with exquisite designs. The roof of this chamber that corresponds to the ground level of the mausoleum is pierced by an octagonal opening, and given a low barricaded marble screen. Thus, the tomb can also be seen from the ground level through this octagonal opening.

Entrance at the southeast angle is embellished with some neat running patterns of floriated decorations over a scalloped arch, with pillars on either side. This entrance leads into a gallery running round the interior, which looks down upon the tomb. The three windows of marble trellis work, and the accompanying panels with flowers, are as delicate as anything found at Agra.

The floor inside is also paved with white marble. The cupola is of white marble, and the same material reappears in the lower parts of the building, while bricks are used in some of the upper portions. The finishing touches are given with beautiful white lime plaster.

The mosque, a later addition, stands to the west of the mausoleum. The bays are pierced through with five cusped arches, and a minaret can be noticed at each corner. The interior contains a row of pillars with corresponding pilasters on the back wall, which are connected with the front arches, and with one another, by a series of cusped arches.

The Deccan Herald, 26th January 2014

Surprise, shock and joy is what PAVITHRA SRINIVASAN experiences as she discovers the temples of Kaappalur in Tamil Nadu

The sun falls beyond the low-lying hillock of Kuruvimalai and the sky is painted pink, lavender and streaks of yellow, as I drive at a slow pace towards my destination. Buses and cars shriek past, and I try in vain to spot a sign that might set me on the right path, along the Thirupathi-Thiruvannamalai route – and finally, Eureka! There’s a small board marked Kaappalur , and I know I’ve hit the jackpot.

How many of those rushing past me on their own errands know what an ancient, prosperous centre lay, just a couple of kilometres from the National Highway? That it hadn’t just been called Kaappalur, but Kaappur, or Kaamappullur in inscriptions that dated back several centuries? Would the man grazing his cows with such unconcern, by the pock-marked road, know that the Sabha of Kaamappullur had granted land to Urupputtoor Narasinga Trivedhi by order of the Pallava Emperor Kampavarman? Or that legendary Chozha Emperors such as Paranthaka the First (907 – 955 AD), Sundara Chozha, Raja Raja the First , Rajendra the First and even Kannara Deva the Third, the Rashtrakuta royal, had all made grants and chiselled inscriptions?

“ Aan , there is a temple there,” says the man with supreme disinterest when I question him, and asks, “Do you want sugarcanes?” Turns out Kaappalur possesses another distinction: sugarcanes, and jaggery.

I refuse his kind offer, the interested sniffs of his herd, and drive on until I reach the outskirts of a tiny, messy village, where banyan trees and plastic bag flowers seem to live together in not-so-perfect amity. Kaappalur, minus the effects of modernity, would have once been a very pretty place indeed with its tall, flourishing banyans, neat roads, miniature-tiled houses held aloft by cracked pillars, and rusticmaappillai thinnais — the remains of an agrahaaram — and its quiet lanes which suddenly produce statues of headless warriors (I would learn later, that this was Aravaan.)

Now, though, my object was clear: I had to find the Thirukameeswarar Temple, which, archaeological experts say, must have been of brick construction as far back as the eighth century, after which it was renovated as a stone structure — likely, in the Chozha period. Inscriptions pertaining to the Vijayanagara Empire dot the outside walls of the front mandapam, although these have now been painted over. Inscriptions of Rajendra I and Vijayalaya Chozha were discovered when the temple was recently renovated.

The locals trail behind me as I amble along, touching some of the 96 pillars that fill the complex and gape at a very realistic snake carved on the ceiling. Thirukameeswarar watches us silently, even as his guards, the dwarapalakas , sport a slight smile. Despite its lack of stunning sculptures or richly carved pillars, this Shiva temple possesses an ancient allure; whispers of the past flutter through the windy corridors albeit determined efforts to modernise it. I don’t really want to leave, but I do have another temple to visit: the Vijayaraghava Perumal Kovil, for which I ask directions from a local resident — incidentally, the descendant of a certain Nanni Veerachi, who has a street named after him in the village!

I travel for barely a minute, until I reach a random pillar wedged in the middle of the road — oh, of course; this must be what remains of the dwajasthambam . My eyes rise to meet the temple — and my jaws drop in shock. This is nothing of the temple that it used to be. . It’s as though a painter has gone berserk with a boatload of paints. Over a base of deep, mournful grey paint are splattered red, orange, yellow, blue and green, all grinning madly at the unsuspecting passer-by.

There’s nothing to connect this with an ancient stone edifice dating back to AD 904 or even earlier. Inside, aside from stray inscriptions on heavily painted columns in the Maragathavalli Thaayaarsannidhi , this vinnagaram has been completely modernised, and sports a present-day donor’s name.

I cross the courtyard where several children play games, and leave the precincts.

The temples of Kaappalur may have changed beyond recognition — but at least, they still exist. And that gives me hope.

The Hindu, 27th January 2014

Prof.A.G.K.Menon talks about his campaign for getting World Heritage City tag for Delhi

If Delhi manages to get the coveted tag of World Heritage City from the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation, then the credit will go to non-government organisation Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and to its Delhi chapter convenor Prof. A.G.K Menon.

Prof. Menon and his dedicated team of researchers and scholars prepared the voluminous dossier that was sent to the Union Culture Ministry.

Prof. Menon, an architect, urban planner and conservation consultant, said the Culture Ministry has already sent the dossier to UNESCO, which will meticulously study the contents and examine the veracity. “The report was submitted to UNESCO last week and the results will be announced in June 2015. Evaluation will be done and there is a mechanism to look at whether the city’s heritage is of outstanding universal value. This means whether the heritage is important for humanity as a whole. Delhi’s heritage might be okay for Indian civilization. But is it of interest to the citizens of other countries?” asked Prof. Menon.

It all started when INTACH organised an exhibition at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts in 2010. Delhi: A Living Heritage highlighted the fact that the city was home to amazing heritage. And the NGO followed it up by signing an MoU with the Delhi Government to prepare the dossier in support of the Capital’s nomination.

“Nomination is a complex process. India’s nominations have been rejected in the past because the presentations were inadequate and inaccurate. But this time we are confident because we have left no stone unturned in ensuring that the dossier is accepted. The rationale to nominate Delhi as a World Heritage City is to instil pride in the citizens of Delhi,” said Prof. Menon.

He explained that Delhi was the Capital first under Mughal rulers and then during British colonial rule.

“Shah Jahan changed his Capital from Lahore to Delhi because it had the famous dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, seen as a revered spiritual head. His great-grandfather Humayun was buried in Delhi. The British decided to change their Capital from Calcutta to Delhi because they wanted to be seen as legitimate successors.”

Pointing out that Shahjahanabad was just two per cent of Delhi, Prof. Menon said it was important to preserve its valuable heritage. “Ironically, some people in Delhi have the incorrect notion that Shahjahanabad has been reduced to slums. You cannot compare it with Paris, but that does not mean that Shahjahanabad does not have heritage. We conducted a survey there and identified 750 haveliswhich can be converted into tourist lodges. There is the famous Chunawali ki haveli.”

INTACH is in talks with the municipal corporation to remove all dangling telephone wires that spoil the look of Shahjahanabad. “We have suggested that these wires can be kept underground.”

Comparison between Lutyen’s Delhi and Shahjahanabad are inevitable. “Both are vibrant and living heritage, yet they are poles apart culturally.”

The Hindu, 27th January 2014

The 18th century Tripolia gateways in north Delhi remain endangered with vehicles ramming into them at will. The two gateways, located on either side of the main carriageway on Grand Trunk Road, have already been damaged severely in the past by heavy vehicles forcibly passing through the arched openings. This had prompted Archaeological Survey of India to ask the road-owning agency PWD to lower the road level around the monument.

But even as the road-lowering work was completed at one gateway, the other was again hit by a passing truck last week which knocked off a significant portion of the stone edging in one of the arched openings.

The damage could be detrimental to the monument. "It is serious - the stone edging of the arched gateway has got dismantled and the arch itself has suffered structural damage," said an expert.

In the past, a container truck had forcibly passed under one of the arched gates, hitting against the sides, and caused a massive crack on top of the building. The damage to the monument had been so extensive that it had been barricaded from all sides and vehicular traffic under the structure temporarily diverted. Road lowering in the second gateway is yet to start.

Tripolia Gateways, built in 1728, by Nasir Mahaldar Khan, son of Emperor Shah Jahan -is the only three-arched gateway in the capital. The gateways have three arched openings and are covered by flat domes.

The Times of India, 27th January 2014

Unfortunately, most of them eventually crumble due to neglect, their stories lost forever. However, the city has not lost all its old stones. There are some that are worth a visit again and again, especially if they are cared for and the weather is nice.

The recently restored Humayun’s Tomb, a regular feature on every heritage walk list, will be the subject of another heritage walk, which promises to be very “different” than the usual history lesson that one usually gets from such an exercise.

Says Ratish Nanda, who spearheaded the restoration work of the tomb as the project director of the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, “It will not be the usual history lesson, but will also include the manner in which we went about the conservation work and the rationale behind it. Our intention has always been to change the way in which conservation work is done and I will try my best to explain this. There will be bits about the neighbourhood thrown in since our conservation work usually involves the local community and talent and they are an essential part of this site.”

Mr. Nanda is also very assertive that the walk will not be only about him lecturing everyone. “It will be a sort of dialogue; I am hoping people will be interested in talking and asking questions. People who don’t know anything but want to learn are welcome, but they will enjoy it more if they have a cursory idea about the monument.”

The Humayun’s Tomb, a world heritage site was built in the 1500s by Emperor Humayun’s widow, Hamida Begam, fourteen years after his death. The enclosed garden is meant to reflect the concept of paradise according to Islamic cosmology.

Mr. Nanda will lead a group of 50 people through the monument, its gardens and ante-chambers on February 8. Registrations are on a first-come-first serve basis and it’s free barring entrance fee to the monument. The walk starts at 10 a.m. sharp and participants are expected to be inside the monument by then.

The Hindu, 27th January 2014

Bewitched by Hoysala architecture, Chitra Ramaswamy embarks on an exploration of some of the less-known edifices built by the Hoysalas

It is late December. The misty fragrance of the season, blending with the aroma of lush rural Karnataka, is beckoning. Having visited the famed Hoysala tourist circuit of Belur, Halebeedu and Somanathapura, we decide to explore some of the less-known but equally marvelous edifices built by the Hoysalas. Most of these structures lie cheek-by-jowl with flourishing villages, squired away in the remote areas of the State. Unfortunately, these ASI-protected monuments, unsung wonders of eras gone by, wear a desolate look.

Temple-building was at its zenith in Karnataka during the Hoysala reign between the 11th and 14th centuries. Several hundreds of them adorned the landscape of Karnataka during this period. While most of these edifices succumbed to the ravages of time and invaders on rampage, a few tens of them have survived, and are in a fairly good state.

What better way to begin the tour than with Halebeedu itself, but not the Hoysaleshwara Temple for which it is renowned! Yes, a stone’s throw away, but cut off from the tourist circuit, we come upon two sets of temple complexes: three Jainalayas that bespeak the glory of the Hoysalas, and the Kedareshwara Temple, built and patronised by Hoysala king Veera Ballala II and his queen, Ketaladevi.

The three basadis dedicated to Adinatha, Shantinatha and Parshvanatha stand regal even in ruins, but see few visitors. An 18-feet-tall idol of Parshvanatha, sculpted from black stone, adorns the sanctum sanctorum of the main basadi. A seven-hooded serpent hovers above the deity. The basadi, once named Dhrohagharatta Jinalaya, was renamed Vijaya Parshvanath Basadi, since its construction coincided with the victory of Ganga Raja, the commander of Vishnuvardhana Raya. Incidentally, all the basadis were built by Boppadeva, son of Ganga Raja, in memory of his father, and also to commemorate the victory of King Vishnuvardhana Raya.

The unique style of Hoysala architecture is immediately palpable as we enter the Kedareshwara Temple precincts. It displays the characteristic innovative ornamental embellishments and its walls are picture galleries, dense with carvings. We observe the typical scheme of the overall design of Hoysala temples in the star-shaped raised platform upon which the main temple is erected.

- The Deccan Herald, 28th January 2014

An analysis has suggested that the study of tourist-pleasing big animals might help in environment conservation, writes Emma Harris

Lions, elephants and other charismatic species are not by themselves good indicators of biodiversity hotspots. But a new analysis suggests that studies of tourist-pleasing big mammals can be part of a cocktail of indicators that produce useful maps for conservation planning.

Scientists at conservation organisations often focus their research on large, interesting animals that the public — and donors — love, such as pandas, tigers and gorillas. One rationale is that because many of these ‘charismatic megafauna’ thrive only in large, rich, biodiverse areas, their distribution can act as a proxy for the diversity of whole ecosystems, from microbes up, which is extremely difficult to measure. 

Conservationists have argued that actions intended to preserve one iconic animal can have an ‘umbrella effect’ and save less-glamorous species that thrive in its shadow.

The Big Five
However, some studies have cast serious doubt on the reality of the umbrella effect. A 1998 review by Daniel Simberloff, a biologist now at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, noted that “whether many other species will really fall under the umbrella is a matter of faith rather than research.” And a report in 2000 found that maps of the ranges of the ‘Big Five’ African mammals popular with tourists — lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), elephants (Loxodonta africana), African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and rhinos (Diceros bicornis and Ceratotherium simum) — were “not significantly better for representing the diversity of mammals and birds than choosing areas at random.”

So Enrico Di Minin and Atte Moilanen, population biologists at the University of Helsinki, decided to construct a formula that would combine the ranges of the Big Five with other information to make truly useful maps. Their analysis appeared on December 9 in the Journal of Applied Ecology.

The duo focussed on KwaZulu-Natal, a South African province long known to be a biodiversity hotspot, where the Big Five roam among forests, thickets, bushveld and grasslands. The researchers made thousands of maps at 200 × 200 meter resolution using 662 biodiversity measures, each describing the distribution of a habitat type or of a species. They considered species that conservationists care about most: the endangered, the rare and especially the endemic, meaning the plants and animals that live in KwaZulu-Natal and nowhere else.

Di Minin and Moilanen found that the distributions of the Big Five, on their own, did not do a great job of predicting where one might find high biodiversity for other species. In particular, the areas with lots of the charismatic mammals were not necessarily the same places that were rich in invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians or plants.

But the researchers also created maps that overlapped several layers of data, showing the distribution of the Big Five as well as those of key birds, reptiles and amphibians. Moreover, they added a layer of information concerning the diversity of habitat types within each unit of surface area they considered. They found that, for a given amount of land, areas that included as much of this diversity as possible also included a high percentage of the area’s plant and invertebrate diversity.

Thus, even in places — and there are many — where data about plants and invertebrates are lacking, information on charismatic megafauna can be useful if it’s supplemented by information on additional animal groups and habitat types may be a reasonable surrogate for all the rest of biodiversity, from bugs to trees to molds to microbes.

‘More layers’ approach
The ‘more layers’ approach to measurements of biodiversity seems to work in every land and seascape, says ecological modeller Hugh Possingham of the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. “There are now many surrogacy studies like this one. If you add more layers, you get a better result. If you have got more data, use it,” he says.

But why use charismatic megafauna at all, if these species are so bad at predicting where less-alluring biodiversity is found? Di Minin says that a map is more useful when it explicitly includes the economically important large animals. “A big proportion of the tourists visiting South Africa are attracted by the big guys. These guys are generating a lot of cash,” he says. The important question, he adds, is “how can we use them to protect more biodiversity?”

The Deccan Herald, 28th January 2014

Although Nizamuddin Basti lacks a formal identity, its urban renewal has been done with sensitivity, thanks to community engagement.

The Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Initiative is an experiment in heritage and urban rejuvenation in the heart of New Delhi, which should make every Delhiite proud. The restoration of Humayun’s Tomb and its gardens, as well as the development of Sunder Nursery are well known, but few are aware of the urban rejuvenation in the Nizamuddin Basti that is being carried out without much fanfare by a team of dedicated young professionals led by Ratish Nanda. The basti is one of Delhi’s oldest settlements. It not only has an impressive collection of Indo-Islamic monuments dating back 700 years, but has also been a fountain of performing arts and host to a living culture of festivals and processions.

The master plan of Delhi lists Nizamuddin Basti as Mirza Ghalib Barakhamba Colony. The colony, I am solemnly told, is not a slum and it is not an urban village, that is, it is not “lal dora”. It is not clear whether it is authorised or unauthorised, but for sure, it is a non-regularised colony. I don’t know what to make of all this. Like the master plan, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) website also lists this as Mirza Ghalib Barakhamba Colony. Even though the basti lacks a “formal” identity, the urban renewal of this inner city area has been done with a great deal of sensitivity, thanks to the public-private partnership and engagement and empowerment of the community.

In 2004, Humayun’s Tomb was the venue for hosting a function to give away the Aga Khan Awards for Architecture. Speaking on that occasion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had emphasised the importance of local area development as an approach for conservation. It was this call by the prime minister in the presence of the Aga Khan that prompted the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) to take the restoration forward. It led to the first of its kind public-private partnership project for the renewal of Nizamuddin Basti involving the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the MCD, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and the AKTC, in 2007. This partnership has provided a fine example of urban renewal. The setting was perfect for reviving the living culture and historic past of the community, which had been struggling for space, sanitation and opportunity.

The Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya is known as the patron saint of Delhi. He paid little heed to worldly riches and power. On learning that the saint had been disrespectful of him, Sultan Ghiyas ud-Din Tughlaq, while in battle in Bengal, threatened to execute the saint on his return to Delhi. Followers of the saint were worried, but Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya pronounced, “Hanoz Dilli dur ast”. The sultan died on the east bank of River Yamuna before he could cross over, owing to a sudden flood that swamped his tent.

Hazrat Nizamuddin’s dargah occupies the pride of place in the basti. It also has the tomb of Amir Khusrau, his favourite disciple and the originator of Khari Boli or Hindustani language. Even today, qawwali sessions are held at the dargah in Khusrau’s memory every Friday. The mazaar of Mirza Ghalib in the basti sits next to the tomb of Mirza Aziz Kokaltash, known as Chausath Khamba (now under renovation), and their open courts are being used for holding mushairas and dastangoi sessions.

In the scheme of urban rejuvenation of the basti, initiatives on health and education came first. I visited the MCD school, which was clean and cheerfully decorated with artwork. The 15 municipal teachers are being supported by 25 trained members of the community. Enrolment has increased from 120 to 600 in the last five years, and attendance has also improved significantly. A renovated park adjacent to the school acts as the playfield for children. I saw two children playing and learning with a computer in a “Hole in the Wall”, a famous initiative of the NIIT. Bridging classes or tuitions are offered to students from class 5 to 8 after school hours.

A career development centre has been set up to provide vocational training programmes for the youth, especially in computers and IT. Some young people have been trained as heritage guides for the area. Women are being trained in aari and zardozi embroidery, crochet, tailoring and other crafts, while marketing support for their products is provided by the Aga Khan Trust to Noor and Insha, the women self-help groups.

The municipal polyclinic in the basti has got a new pathology lab, while gynaecologists, paediatricians, ENTs and eye specialists are available there at regular hours. About 50 women have been trained as health workers and their job is to identify, monitor and extend support to those in need. Sanitation has been a major focus of the programme. An eco-club with youth from the community works to build awareness on sanitation. Street theatre is also aimed at promoting a clean environment. Dustbins are placed at critical locations to encourage the habit of no littering, and a garbage collection system has been put in place. However, much more needs to be done in the area of solid waste management.

Poor state of sewerage and stormwater drains earlier meant that the waters of the sacred baoli were polluted and the streets would flood at the slightest hint of rain. The MCD school would be worst hit since it is at the lowest location in the basti. On average, resident families were spending around Rs 400 per month to clear choked drains. Besides laying some sewerage lines and paving the streets, financial and technical support is being provided to individual households for structural improvements, connecting to sewerage lines and even tiling of bathrooms for cleaner environment. Women are getting sensitised to the importance of building right and maintaining the facilities properly.

Community toilets were needed for the large influx of pilgrims and for the 20 per cent of basti households without private toilets. The two community toilets were in a state of disrepair, and open defecation was common. In 2009, the community toilet at the baoli gate of the dargah was rebuilt with ground floor facilities for women and first floor facilities for men. A second, much larger toilet complex with additional facilities for bathing and washing clothes was opened in October 2013. Both toilet blocks are being operated and maintained by Rehmat Nigrani Samooh (a community-based organisation created as an initiative of the project) and the user charges are also set by this organisation — Rs 2 for toilet, Rs 5 for bathing and Rs 10 for washing; a monthly pass for Rs 120 can be made for a family of five for residents. Even so, the Aga Khan Trust provides a modest subsidy for meeting operating costs.

The first thing that struck me when I entered the basti to visit the famous baoli, Delhi’s only surviving stepwell that still holds water, was the clean look of the access road, the Musafirkhana Street with shops on both sides. It has been paved after laying 100 metres of new sewerage line at a depth of 8 feet to replace the rotting pipes that conveyed the sewage into the sacred baoli.

Things had come to a head in 2008, when the western wall of the baoli collapsed. The safety of the 18 families that were occupying the southern terrace and the pilgrims who used the corridor overlooking the baoli to visit the dargah was endangered. After the ASI issued eviction notices to these families to safeguard the monument, Shveta Mathur and her team from the Aga Khan Development Network played an exemplary role first in persuading the families to relocate and then securing plots from the MCD and building residential units for them. It took more than two years; considerable handholding was provided for their relocation to Savda Ghewra.

In restoring the baoli, 700 years of accumulated silt (over 20 feet above the wooden foundations) had to be removed. The collapsed portion was restored with traditional materials by master craftsmen working under close supervision of structural engineers and architects with significant community support. The involvement of the community can be seen from the fact that a private homeowner next to the baoli agreed to move back the façade of his house by 3 feet, with financial and technical support in reconstruction from the AKTC, and another is following the good example. During my visit, I saw a group of four young girls coming to the baoli to pray, just as I have seen so many pilgrims praying at the sarovar of the Golden Temple in Amritsar. We are so similar, after all! The other dilapidated buildings next to the baoli, the waste generated by pilgrims as they cross over to the dargah from the passage overlooking the baoli and new encroachments, however, continue to pose a challenge to keep the sacred waters of the baoli clean.

Finally, no urban rejuvenation is complete without open public spaces and parks for the community. Prior to the restoration, such dedicated spaces in the basti were neither safe nor clean, and were typically used by drug peddlers and ragpickers. The transformation in this respect is truly salutary. I was particularly impressed by a screened garden exclusively for women, and an adjacent park for children. I saw a large park which, I was told, had been used for dumping construction material. It has now been reclaimed by the community and put to multiple uses, including the annual “Apni basti Mela”.

The writer is chairperson of Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) and former chairperson of the high-powered expert committee on urban infrastructure services.

The Indian Express, 29th January 2014

Top two floors of the British-era building Gorton Castle, which housed the Civil Secretariat of the British regime in 1904 and the Accountant General office at present, were destroyed in a fire early today. The century-old four-storey heritage structure was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out around 3 am today in the top two floors. Fire personnel were informed about the incident around 3.35 am as efforts were made jointly with the Army to prevent the fire from reaching the lower floors.

It was only around 10.30 am that the fire could be controlled even though smoke rose from the smouldering structure throughout the day. The first information about the fire came not from four security guards on duty in the AG office, but from a guard of a hotel, located adjacent to the building.

The fire personnel had to break open the main entrance of the building to enter it as it was locked when they reached there around 3.45 am.

With massive woodwork adorning the interiors of the grey stone building constructed in 1901 catching fire, sky-high flames rose from the building. It is only after the inquiry, ordered into the incident, is complete that the real cause of fire will be known. The possibility of short-circuit or a heater having been left on could not be ruled out, said officials.

With vehicles being parked on both sides of the building inside the compound, Army personnel had to remove these to pave the way for the movement of big fire tenders. A portion of the stone wall was also pulled down by a JCB for providing access to the hosepipes to douse the flames.

Over a dozen British-time buildings have already been lost in devastating fires since Independence. Though the four-storey structure was centrally heated, heaters were also being used. “The fire broke out in the flag mast side of the building and within no time it spread to the top two floors,” said Satish Loomba, Chief Accountant General (Audit). He said the main server and computers had been saved but some record of pension, salary, Contributory Provident Fund and leave had been gutted.

With the red tin roofs and turrets, which gave it a castle-like look, being reduced to ashes, the stark grey stone walls presented a gloomy look. Efforts were on to save the documents, computers and furniture which were damaged due to water.

Constructed with grey stones quarried from the Sanjauli hills from 1901 to 1904, the imposing structure, which derived its name from its first owner, was a must-see, especially for British and other foreign tourists.

About Gorton Castle
Gorton Castle belonged to Gorton, ICS in 1840. To accommodate several offices, the structure was constructed from 1901 to 1904. Though the original design was made by Sir Swinton Jacob, it is Major HF Chesney under whose supervision it was erected and housed the Civil Secretariat with offices such as Home, Legislative, Finance, Education and Land Department. At present, it houses the Accountant General office

Fires in British-era buildings

• Snowdown Hospital building
• Walker Hospital
• Wild Flower Hall, Mashobra
• Kennedy House
• Kennedy Cottage
• Himachal Dham
• Western Command
• Raj Niwas
• General Post Office
• DC office
• US Club Army Mess
• Old Central School building

The Tribune, 29th January 2014

It’s no surprise that pollution is a perpetual problem in India. But it’s definitely disheartening to hear that India has slipped 32 ranks in the global Environment Performance Index (EPI) 2014 to rank a lowly 155 and its capital Delhi has earned the dubious tag of being the world’s most polluted city.

A comparative study of 178 countries on nine environmental parameters released earlier this month by the US-based Yale University shows that one of the world’s fastest growing economies is a disaster on the environmental front.

Read: How air and water pollution plagues Indian cities

What’s worse, India’s pollution levels could be playing havoc with the health of its citizens. “A bottom performer on nearly every policy issue included in the 2014 EPI, with the exception of forests, fisheries and water resources, India’s performance lags most notably in the protection of human health from environmental harm,” said a statement issued by Yale.

The study described India’s air pollution as the worst in the world, tying with China in terms of the proportion of population exposed to average air pollution levels exceeding http://www.hindustantimes.com/Images/popup/2014/1/29-01-14pg01a.jpgWorld Health Organisation (WHO) thresholds.

A deeper look at the data gathered by a Nasa satellite showed that Delhi had the highest particulate matter 2.5 pollution levels followed by Beijing. Delhi, with 8.1 million registered vehicles, has repeatedly beaten the Chinese capital on particulate matter pollution.

The high PM2.5 pollution caused by high vehicle density and industrial emissions is the reason for the dense smog that has been engulfing Delhi during the winter months in the last few years, with adverse health implications. And while Beijing’s infamous smog has hogged headlines and prompted government action, even led to the announcement of rewards for cutting back on pollution, the dangers in Delhi have been largely ignored.

According to a study by the Harvard International Review, every two in five persons in Delhi suffer from respiratory ailments. The Lancet’s Global Health Burden 2013 report termed air pollution the sixth biggest human killer in India. The WHO last year termed air pollution carcinogenic.

Particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter (PM2.5 in shorthand) are fine enough to lodge deep in human lung and blood tissue and cause diseases ranging from stroke to lung cancer, the Yale study said.

Anumita Roy Chaudhary, executive director of Delhi-based advocacy group Centre for Science and Environment, said policy-makers have failed to take the kind of action needed to check phenomenal growth in air pollution in India. “The gains of the introduction of CNG in 2000 have been lost. We are heading for dark days if policy-makers fail to wake up to the growing environmental health hazard,” she said.

The Central Pollution Control Board’s report of 2011 said only two cities, Kochi and Coimbatore, met the national ambient air quality standards, which are six times higher than WHO standards. Air pollution in half of the 280 Indian cities monitored has been termed critical or hazardous for human health. “Air pollution levels in almost all cities are on the upward trend,” said a CPCB scientist.

The Hindustan Times , January 29, 2014