The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Thursday, September 20, 2001, Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I L B A G

Jagmohan must share blame for mess in Delhi

EVER since Mr Jagmohan was shifted from the Ministry of Urban Development, there has been a flood of letters, comments and editorials criticising the Prime Minister. It should be remembered that Mr Jagmohan has 35 years’ association with the civic administration of Delhi as a civil servant, as Vice-Chairman of the DDA, as LG of Delhi and lastly as a minister. Therefore, he must share some responsibility for the mess today.

Two policy decisions may be mentioned:

(1) For redevelopment of CP, the concept of FAR was changed from per plot to whole of CP as a single unit facilitating the construction of multi-storeyed structures in place of low rise buildings on individual plots on the ground that the required breathing space was available in the open space within the circle and other areas. This surely gave unearned advantage to a number of plot holders, contractors and real estate investors. For the commoners it created a severe problem of traffic, pollution and lack of civic amenities.

(2) The DDA perhaps is the sole example anywhere of total monopoly over land and its development for an entire state. This created the most corrupt and inefficient organisation totally oblivious of peoples’ problems, creating an acute shortage in housing, substandard construction, congestion, lack of amenities and illegal structures. There is no redemption now.

Mr Jagmohan is an administrator in the colonial “mai-baap” mould who thinks that he can do no wrong, a personally honest, arrogant day-dreamer unmindful of the aspirations of the colonised and highly popular among the colonised intellectuals.

G. V. GUPTA, IAS (retd), Panchkula

Of thermometers

The write-up by Pushpa Girimaji regarding the verification of thermometers from the Weights and Measures Department (Sept 10) is quite educative for the general public as these are used by a majority of people.

I had worked as a Controller, Legal Metrology, Haryana, and on the basis of my experience, I pose a question: have the state legal metrology organisations got infrastructure for the verification of accuracy of thermometers?

Such infrastructure, if not available, can be provided by spending money. Have all the Inspectors of Legal Metrology charged with the responsibility of verification got the requisite qualifications and knowledge for doing so?

The state governments should immediately consider this issue and train the Inspectors, wherever necessary.

N. R. GOEL, Karnal

Polluting culture

In the name of freedom of thought and expression, a trend has been set to blindly ape the Western norms of life — even to blindly and unhesitatingly adopt several silly customs of the West.

During the last three-four decades, the role played by cinema is largely responsible for this state of affairs, but for the recent 10-15 years both money-spinners of the Bollywood and the small screen (TV) are playing havoc by polluting Indian culture.

Modesty and decency have become casualties and are being replaced by vulgarity, rowdy behaviour, crime with an open consumption of liquor at social and domestic get-togethers. There is an excessive use of sex and romance — in ads, in TV channels showing young women in semi-nude dresses. Many serials are showing adultery, extra-marital affairs and pregnancies of unmarried girls.

The old culture that produced great Indians like Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi is being discarded, replacing it with a crime and sex-charged atmosphere which can produce only dons and criminals. There is a rise in crime against women.

It is high time that we awaken to the need of the hour with consensus and above party politics, shedding any hypocricy, to save our great heritage and culture.

K. R. CHOPRA, Chandigarh