Geospatial Industry: Bitten by Identity Bug..

A huge lot of contracts for the survey and mapping are being awarded throughout the country to the firms interested in entering into the business. The mega sales team entering the GoI offices have increased their rounds, each targetting a client to boost their sales. Similarly state government departments hanging large projects to lure the industry enterents. To all this we are yet to frame a overarching geospatial policy, when mapping was restricted to 11 entities, since then government queitly opened the policy. A large amount at stake the industrial houses entered into the business of Geospatial services. Very few became successful in completing the projects, even departments flattered after investing huge amount on spatial data creation and so call building 'GIS' capabilities.

What the industry is lacking? As a expert we can feel the lack of training and exposure of the government towards the technology and its potentials. The companies are interested in selling their product then improving the geospatial business of the clients. The solutions and hardwares are sold in bulk (from mid 1990s to 2005) to increase the sales pitch and enter into the services area (where solutions needs to be customised). As industry dealing with customization in the geospatial solutions are negligible the clients are not backing the new ideas and enterents in the field.

There are plenty of pilot projects abadoned in order to avoid the challenges of implementation and responsibility towards the technology developers. The huge tracking and services market is being ballooned out in last two years with solutions not approaching clients as per their requirements or neither the clients allowing any changes in existing protocols. Thus creating a deadlock on the technology penetration and development. Large corporates though have capacity to play a key role in industry finds lagging behind in development of human resources.

Our universities and institutions of higer learning have failed to educate professionals on this technology, ever since a lot of universities have started Masters programme of Geoinformatics/GIS/RS the trainers are hard to find. The teaching material itself is highly underdeveloped and not available in the right format. The dependence on the government run application centre for the research on RS/GIS is paying bad divindings in country like India. The research outputs and learning were never seriously documented and presented to the community outside. Lets see how we deal with this new identity bug

Caste and Census 2011 : Debating researchers

Yesterday it happened to be a quite a long afternoon in an heated discussion on the 'inclusion of caste in Census 2011'. Eminent Sociologists acting as panalists dwelled on the the impact and modalities of the caste based census. The following are the observations;

For those Opposing the caste census:
(a) Caste is tricky issue diffecult to enumerate and collect the right information on the individual castes.
(b) People tend to confuse between caste and sub caste would never be able to give the correct information.
(c) Enumeration of Caste at the state level and National level would be different, when caste categories are overlapped, diffrently placed and represented in various parts of country.
(d) Diffecult to draw questionnare.
(e) Our forefathers who drafted the constitution has aimed at casteless society and culturally lot of changes has taken place in Marraiges, customs and caste identieties. Whether the caste enumeration would lead to division in the the society. This would not be rational decision.
(f) The issue of caste has been raised for political gains to take accounts of Other Backward aste (OBC) and would further create tensions in society.
(g) Census of India has no capacity to conduct the caste based census.
(h) The present government is not conducting the caste based census with Census 2011 but seperate excercise which may not be repeated in next census.
(i) Sociologists have never accepted or recommended caste based census in India.

For those Supporting the Caste Based Census

(a) The caste is reality of Indian society, identity of its people and there is no harm in accounting or collecting data as we collect information on other variables of households.
(b) The upper caste and those who are on high social ladder does not want caste to be included in census, since they fear the power of the OBC would be known.
(c) The intellectuals and government officials who holds key position are taking undue advantage of the their position and trying to stop genuine assertation of the backward castes.
(d) The caste based census is not the only demand of the political parties but also of the social organisations working for the backward castes.
(e) Traditionally the census of India has taken counting of the Scheduled Tribes and Castes which have not created any kind of disharmoney rather we were able to concentrate on the development of these social groups. Similarly, the counting of the other caste would also be helpful for the planners to target the communities.
(f) The methodological difficulties needs to be overcome in this case and there are ways to conduct the caste based census.
(g) By our insufficient methods for caste enumeration we can not allow the neglect of very important excercise.

In our view those who are opposing the caste in census are taking caste only as an sociological phenomena and forgets that it also has administrative, political and economic importance. This needs to be better understood after conducted in the census.

The interpretation of the claims of the individuals are subject to discussion by the sociologists, but an individual need not get certificate from the sociologists. Its the immediate society where his or their claims needs to be settled. The claims of the individuals can be settled by the local bodies, panchayats and village elders. The law of heritage makes it stand on the intercaste marraiges, and Hindu Marraige Act also specifies it, then where is fear of placing the bracket.

The simple enumeration excercise as regards to caste categories have been complicated by the misconceived notion of sociologists to tide over the social desires. The identity of persons cannot remain same forever and if he claims to be of 'X' caste then it is their choice. The issue of grants of rights and previlages of the castes rests with the communities. If there is no caste identities or changes caste identities which helps the households to take benefits of social networks then let him do so..at his own will.

Our law does allow any person to change name and claims of caste can only be challenged by the society. Let the census take place and help us in understanding the desires and nature of these castes in India.

Slum Free: Talk to Cities First!!

The national policy makers are determined to have our city 'Slum Free' with a simple agenda to provide all slums an alternate housing (better than now with basic amenities) under the Rajiv Awas Yojna. But is it so simple to get away with slums, the migration of people to the cities would not stop and their desire to stay in city would not go away. The slum dwellers are also part of the this social ladder, where in they are always looking for chance to have better living.

In someway the urban local bodies and those who implement the slum policies are less sympathetic to their target groups. The much talked public participation have seldom undertaken in the slums with local bodies looking away.. and NGOs given responsibility to talk to them to the alternatives. Most of the cases the Slums have never been seriously accounted and consulted on the housing options. Till recently the demolition drive in all the metros hit the slum dwellers hard, with little promise of alternatives. The people are left to live with their plight with insecure, unhealthy and unsafe livelihoods. What can be asked when no comprehensive and long term policy issues are not handled. Scores of schemes dealing with urban poor targets as much their budget permits.

Interface between the academic, administrators and NGOs are limited in the conferences and seminar, they make a poor team on the field. Some of the best success stories are also there when these different views and minds have met in various cities. Complexities of the issues related to Slums have been taken differently when dealt in isolation with slum dwellers themselves. Mostly they have to follow the directions from the administration who may place them in different positions, divide their social network, disturb livelihood and children education.

If cities does not guarentee them home when a new comer arrives then where is the place he/she can settle. In case of 'Slum Free' notion, whether the mass housing schemes are in place for the future population to arrive in particular city. If the answer to the question is not available in the near future then just by changing the physical outlook of the slums does not make it 'slum free'. The people would move to better areas and newcomers would continue to occupy the space left by earlier groups.

Most of the streets would serve large amount of pavement settlers like in Kolkata and Mumbai stopping their chance to look for house in slums. A refuge or shelter in corner of bus stop, public building, Fly over, or underpass would be more common in upcoming cities. Cities need to chalk out effective programs in understaking the serious excercise then spending the funds in the name of schemes like Rajiv Awas Yojna (RAY), which would lapse within couple of years to pave way for new schemes.

When Urban Planning met Common Wealth Games in Delhi

Suddenly the hue and cry over the Common Wealth Games (CWG) induced corruption has marred the Delhi and sporting politics in country. An investment estimated to be over Rs. 30,000 crores for the games, for which over 70 percent goes to building sports and other support infrastructure.

Delhi would not need the funds of JnNURM when they get a mega investment in its visible physical infrastructure. A investment that would make the city global (using the cacophony attached)! tends to be missed by the city planners. Those even in MCD, DDA and NCT authorities are pegging high hopes in effective implementation of the schemes targetted at Delhi but serving the 15 days mega event. Why not develop some sporting city in country encompassing all the gaming events? Delhi has now become not only administrative capital but it has also added a tag of sporting capital of country. The event though may come and go..it would leave giant structures tough to look after once close ceremonies would be over.

The planning authorieties likely to be marred in corrupt practices during the CWG construction phase would face an axe once culprits are to be cought. The hordes of technical support staff from the agencies need themselves to stand in que in order to be investigated or come clear from audits (which may take years to resolve). Delhi was not planned by their master planners to be sporting hub, yet spaces are carved out from the public reserved lands to host the event and place permanent structures on it. What would be left for their citizens and other planning needs in future. Lands which was supposed to last for next 20 years of demand have been exhausted in last five years of activities.

May for the future needs we may have look to aerial spaces in high rises to accomodate the demand for public spaces other then sports. Master planning for Delhi would be caught in mess within next five years, since the spaces would be left unutilized or underutilized given the state of sports in country and Delhi. Yes the elite and powerful would have enough time to join the clubs costing Delhi its dear open spaces...