[reader-list]IT SANK BY 8 cms-is it the beginning of the end?

[Anand Vivek Taneja]

Dear Sabir, Nidhi, Leena, 

Your first posting is interesting, especially since it seems to
indicate the costs at which the 'global city', Delhi of the future is
likely to be achieved. Costs in term of dispossessions and
dislocations,  and a disruption in the 'ecology' of the land.

A few questions which I hope will be addressed in future postings - 

 - Do you have details of how the ISKCON acquired the land for the
Akshardham Temple and how much they paid for it? These details of
acquisition would be fascinating, especially since I have a feeling
that land use patterns (as envisaged in the Delhi Master Plan)would
have had to be changed to accomodate the Mandir. How have the fartmers
been compensated for their land? What  were the norms under this was
to happen? How have these nomrs been followed?

 - You write,  'The population is closing on to the river extracting
every bit the river could offer.' It seems to me that the very
opposite is happening, becuase the dense network of livelihood linked
to the river (farmers, fishermen) is being disrpupted to make  way for
monuments, and not habitations. I think it would be interesting if you
also looked at the other bank of the Yamuna, at Nigambodh Ghat for
instance, where an old setllerd colony of Kewats is to be dispossessed
to develop the area for 'religious tourism.' More than population
pressures, you should perhaps concentrate on the planning imagination,
which ignores obvious seismic faults, and the livelihood claims of
people, to instead concetrate on the city of the future.

Cheers,
Anand  
 
   
On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 10:37:00 +0000 (GMT), Sabir Haque
<sabirhaque at yahoo.co.in> wrote:
> What sank by 8 cms.
> --------------------
> 
> A temple build over a 40 yrs old ashram, which was
> surrounded by farming land, over 1000 farmers were
> dependent on it. The ashram was demolished, the
> farmers were overthrown, a future of opportunities was
> unvieled for us...the citizens of Delhi. What else can
> we ask?
> 
> We have in our hands, the most glaring example of
> defiance of human values and ecological care -
> Akshardham Temple.
> 
> In a never disclosed news (read "media"), farmers
> around that land claim that the akshardham temple have
> sunk 8 cms. The construction is no longer happenning.
> Although we are still checking out the details. Does
> it really come as a shock?...frankly, we were
> anticipating it.
> 
> What will happen to Yamuna? Or rather How will it
> affect us? High rise building on the river banks, when
> it is a common knowledge that the river yamuna lies on
> a faultline. Does this still manages to scare us?
> 
> This  research is titled "Developments on the Eastern
> Banks of Yamuna - its future implications". It will
> mainly  document the lives of the rest of the farmers,
> who will be directly affected by the Akshardham temple
> & Commonwealth Games village, and the topographical
> changes waiting to happen in the destined site. The
> eastern bank river bed area is disputed, and
> Commonwealth Games village is following the same model
> on which Asian Games went. The population is closing
> on to the river extracting every bit the river could
> offer.
> 
> We have been already involved in a project concerning
> the yamuna bed - a film completed just two weeks back
> titled "Fistfull of steel". A screening will be
> organised under the aegis of Hazard Center & Lady Shri
> Ram college. The venue will be finalised soon, we will
> inform you more about it once the venue is finalized.
> 
> Well, this is our first posting, will get you more
> from the site itself.
> 
> do keep checking this space,
> 
> Sabir Haque
> Nidhi Bal Singh
> Leena Rani Narzary
> 
> Our Brief
> ----------
> Sabir Haque: Working as a visiting faculty ("New
> Media") at CMAC, Rai University. Presently editing a
> documentary film titled "Crises in Crimson". A
> freelance editor and digital artist.
> 
> Nidhi Bal Singh: presently based at NDTV, working for
> the program titled "Gustaki Maaf". A freelance editor
> and looking forward to make interesting documentaries.
> 
> Leena Rani Narzary: A freelance producer, loves on
> work on socially relevant themes. Three of us have
> just finished our Masters in Mass communication from
> AJK MCRC, Jamia Millia Islamia.
> 
> Looking forward for a positive response from you all.
> 
> sabir haque
> new media evangelist
> www.whatasight.bravehost.com
> email: sabir.haque at gmail.com
> mob: 9891408334
> 
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