The Pioneer 13.10.2010
‘Form body to plan city’s development’Nishu Mahajan | Chandigarh
With a number of scams surfacing in the mega projects of Chandigarh, the debate on setting up of an effective legal body on the lines of Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) to administer the development plans of the city is echoing in the city. A section of the city’s senior politicians assert for the need to set up such a legal body, while others feel that forming such a commission is not an answer to the growing needs of the city.
Worsening the state of affairs in the city with troubles like parking, traffic congestion, poor transport system, is certainly raising the question whether Chandigarh stands true to its sobriquet - City Beautiful?
“To regulate the development plans for the city and to preserve the sanctity of the city’s architecture legacy, a legal body like Urban Arts Commission should be set up in the city,” MN Sharma, Chandigarh’s first Indian chief architect told The Pioneer.
He said: “The Commission would be helpful in studying all the proposed projects and assessing its viability with the real character of the city, hence would assist in maintaining the aesthetic beauty of the City Beautiful.”
“In July 2006, we met Congress president Sonia Gandhi to request her to constitute a similar legal body and to put an end to the ongoing development projects of the city which posed threat to the cityscape of Chandigarh. But nothing concrete could be done till now,” he added.
“The move was also opposed by the Administration as the Commission threatens to lessen the powers enjoyed by top brass of the City Administration to decide the future plans of the city,” he added.
Chandigarh was planned for a population of five lakh people only but now with over 12 lakh inhabitants, the city needs effective legal body to chalk out the solutions to the emerging needs of the city denizens. Increasing number of vehicles and multiple commercial activities have also left the city facing a development dilemma.
City’s Congress president BB Bahl said: “A holistic approach for the development of the city is the need of the hour. The city is developing and to retain the real splendor of the city is the main task for the higher authorities.” “Perhaps, it will be best for the city denizens to set up such a commission,” he added. Earlier in 2007, the proposal of Urban Arts Commission had generated a political controversy in the city. Though Bahl was among the ones who favoured the commission to curtail the powers of City Administration, but after almost three years he did not seem keen to talk much about the formation of such commission.
Asserting the need to set up an effective separate body to give clear directions and vision to the city development, former city’s MP and BJP leader Satya Pal Jain said: “The constituting various committees for the development of the city will not assist the City Administration. The higher ups should think about constituting an effective decision making body with the involvement of the general public.”
“The recent expose of corruption and scams in the much-hyped mega projects has come as a major embarrassment for the city. The UT Administration under the City Administrator and Punjab Governor as well as the city’s MP are to be blamed for misdeeds in land deals in the mega projects,” he said.
“The authorities continue to pass the buck for their failures and this will continue to happen if a separate body is not being constituted to channelise the tasks of the local Administration,” Jain added.
Ajay Jagga, an advocate and president of the city unit of the Janata Party, said there is an urgent need of a proper legal body in the city to provide effective guidance in executing development projects and to avert controversies.
He said: “The formation of Chandigarh Urban Arts Commission on the lines of Delhi Urban Arts Commission should be constituted here so that proper directions could be given to the local administration in respect of any project of building operations or engineering operations.”
