Gag the Civil Society and tag them Anti National

The soft spoken ex prime minister has left a harsh decision to get the intelligence report on the Non-Governmental organisation. The recently submitted report alleges lots of irregularities (financial?) and anti national activities (protesting against developmental projects and stopping exploitation of environment). These NGOs are posing threat to the governments development programs (developing private industries, and investment in corporate facilitation infrastructure) which are supposed to raise the GDP. Due to civil society protest, now say the right to information, revised land acquisition bill and forest rights etc, which was passed by parliament under the pressure from the NGOs. The activism which led to the justice and policy for the Sardar Sarovar Dam, led by supreme court. All these measures made post 1991 libralisation led government unhappy over the civil society namely the NGOs. They could only target now the internationally funded NGOs for their alleged 'Anti National' or 'Anti Development' activities. How strange the governments led by the Congress in past ten years got the service from the National Advisory Council whose member belong to these so called internationally funded NGOs!! The present IB report made these NGOs responsible for the slow growth rate. Good at least they recognised that NGOs can become a big force to effect the governments decision making.

The activism of the NGOs led to rise of a political party namely 'Aam Aadmi Party' AAP due to their struggle against the injustice done by the past governments. Governments instead of listening to these voices rose with repressive actions against the citizens. The stalemate of December 2011 upto April -May 2012 with the Anna Movement and government showed the government the power of civil society. The action now against the NGOs are targeted to supress the voice of civil society in the name of anti-nationalism. The rights based activists are wrong in assuming that government listens to their concern of environment, they only provide lip service.

The government at present is led by huge corporate supporter base who want their projects on the fast track. The more the projects cleared, the more investment, and thus the raise in GDP in two digits. Instead of focusing on the 'inclusive growth' and addressing the needs of rural and urban poor the government tries to bypass their own agenda set for the Twelfth Five Year Plan. It tries to hide its failure to improve HDI in the name of economic growth. Thats what the economists have be tought in the classes and many PhDs they do to address the macro economic issues. The lack of sensitivities towards the civil society and improper action to supress independent voice. This is gag order by the government machinary against the NGOs and civil society to support unilaterly the desires of the capitalists. Let the people now think again in the manner in which government should be going about in running the country for next decade. The political parties do not matter, its sold to the high and mighty to thawart an attempt to protest against the unjust actions.

Master of Urban Planning at Vallabh Vidyanagar, JOIN the Change...

Message to leader and nation

Power are in the hand of people, many assume power. Let true wisdom lie within you before you decide to take over the country. Politics apart, nation need true leader not a hungry politician for power. India would continue hero worship, and let the leader take them over with power to make change. Reality, you are one of the spoke of the wheel, and so where the others. If you can ask they did not do anything, what you can do, you do not have absolute power. That's goodness of constitution. Like every politician you also try but if you fail its neither yours or if you succeed its not you. All in the team. You cannot blame one or two, neither you can give credit to anyone. You know it, but this is politics. To gain power you need to tell lies again and again till its regarded as truth. Many pains for your desire to overthrow the political opponents, but do not disregard the nation which so develop to have many good post independent India. You can do many more, but respect the past as your own, do not disown the past leaders just as they belong to different political groups. Its mutual, response of politics of apartheid towards BJP and RSS in country has been harsh in your actions. Let there be no doubt the path ahead will not be easy, you win or loose thats not the end of road. Nation needs leaders for development, not a general to rein war on everybody. 

Scope of Urban Planners on Election Eve

Country is going through an election phase which is rolling information and data on the status of various states regards to the development. The basic needs of the humans have not met in many constituency and need of hour is to understand the importance of planning and implementation. Most of the political leaders lack ideas and plan for going about conducting development works in their respective areas. The failures of the urban governance at large in providing the basic urban services and satisfying the citizen has resulted in performance of ruling party. The election to election vision of the party is different than the organised planning procedures adopted in the planning mechanism. The discussions across the board shows the concerns of all to improve the situation, irrespective of the political parties. Very few have distinct agenda for the change, the system of governance relies on the delivery, and urban services depends on efficient management. Most of the cities in India lack the efforts, despite the scores of reforms and financial aid given in last decade.

The problem lies in unwillingness of the political class to provide for the services, where on the ground its divided on the basis of class, vote bank, religious groups and power centers. The services provided in the cities are not uniform, one or the other areas are neglected not because of efficiency of the local bodies but priority which is not granted over the others. The decision makers are often people's representatives who if lucky to be in ruling party gets hearing and priority over those who are from opposition. This selective development framework of the leaders and ineffective the outreach of the services which are responsible in the state of mess in our cities.

As a professional, there is need to understand the political notion of the development for the cities, where the systems and law does not distinct the service delivery on the basis of its political support. The apolitical work of the professionals should be taken up for understanding the need of the service area. The plans so made should cater to all the section of the society without any prejudice. There are cases on the most of the cities where old areas, slums, minority areas, and urban poor are not serviced with the basic need. Cities like Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Surat, Varanasi, Allahabad etc has not been able to provide for the needs of the people in terms of the urban services.

The posh and hip city areas are provided with good road, gardens, clubs, fountains and other urban amenities which envy the poorer section which often creates a social division by the way of differential development efforts. The planners would have scope to reduce the gap of development efforts by the urban local bodies. The people often see the government from the prespective of the services they are able to receive, till the local issues are resolve it would be hard to imagine that elections would be fought on the national issues.