[sustran] Re: Second Master Plan for Chennai. - request for comments

Prof J G Krishnayya sri at giaspn01.vsnl.net.in
Wed Apr 18 13:16:46 JST 2007


Most of us are very forgiving anyway, and those of us who live in India
have become accustomed to the (a) level of squalor, (b) level of
indifference, and (c) levels of civic incompetence that surrounds us all
the time, and which is measurably increasing.  In Pune, one can measure
the tightening of the traffic noose with the increased number of
intersections at which increasing delays are experienced, the times of
day this happens, the days of the week this happens.  Nothing whatever
is being done about it, except the city fathers have decided to change a
proposed riverside road to an elevated highway (at triple the cost, with
more chance of graft). Sujit knows how the "guardian Minister" for Pune,
one of the Pawar dynasty, without flickering an eyelid or a hairlock,
blocked all bus traffic through an intersection where an overpass has
been very badly delayed in construction.  This causes workers - like
from my office - taking 2 hours in the morning and in the evening, and 3
changes of bus to get to and from work. This will continue for 2 months
at least. 
 
I think it is refreshing to have an outsider give us his honest
experienced view (insiders would not dare "insult" their comrades by
criticizing at this elevated level).
 
Keep letting us know what you see, Jonathan!
 
J G Krishnayya
==============
 
Prof J G Krishnayya
Director, Systems Research Institute,
17-A Gultekdi, PUNE 411037, India
www.sripune.org                 Tel +91-20-2426-0323
jkrishnayya at yahoo.com       Res 020-2636-3930
sri at giaspn01.vsnl.net.in       Fax +91-20-2444-7902
 
-----Original Message-----
From: sustran-discuss-bounces+sri=pn1.vsnl.net.in at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+sri=pn1.vsnl.net.in at list.jca.apc.org] On
Behalf Of Sujit Patwardhan
Sent: Monday, April 16, 2007 11:15 AM
To: Global 'South' Sustainable Transport
Subject: [sustran] Second Master Plan for Chennai. - request for
comments
 



I agree with Setty and was surprised to see Jonathan's language...was
looking for evidence of it all being said in a lighter vein but failed
to see any. As an NGO working for sustainable Transportation (and indeed
sustainable development) I feel pessimism is the best way to encourage
"business as usual" attitude, and pessimism is what comes across from
Jonathan's message which surprised me as my exchanges with him on Email
some time back were very enlightening for me. 
--
Sujit Patwardhan
Parisar/ PTTF
Pune, India









On 4/16/07, Pendakur < <mailto:pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca>
pendakur at interchange.ubc.ca> wrote:
I wish Dr. Richmond would list his favorite cities and tell us the 
attributes which make them great.  Also, before we characterize any
city,
with serious problems, as a "disgusting dump", I would suggest that Dr.
Richmond look up the meaning of his attributes and then evaluate, from a

planning perspective, what he would suggest to improve Chennai.

His diatribe below is neither positive nor should it belong in a sober
discussion among professionals.  SUSTRAN network is meant for
professional 
discussion, promoting learning and exchange of ideas and knowledge.


Cheers.

Setty
Dr. V. Setty Pendakur
Professor Emeritus, University of BC
Honorary Professor, China National Academy of Sciences; 
Director, ITDP (NY) & Secretary, ABE90-TRB

President, Pacific Policy and Planning Associates
702- 1099 Marinaside Cresecent, Vancouver, BC
Canada V6Z 2Z3
604-263-3576; Fax: 604-263-6493

-----Original Message----- 
From:
sustran-discuss-bounces+pendakur=interchange.ubc.ca at list.jca.apc.org
[mailto:
<mailto:sustran-discuss-bounces+pendakur=interchange.ubc.ca at list.jca.apc
.org>
sustran-discuss-bounces+pendakur=interchange.ubc.ca at list.jca.apc.org
] On Behalf Of Jonathan E. D. Richmond
Sent: Sunday, April 15, 2007 10:44 AM
To: Eric Britton; Global 'South' Sustainable Transport 
Subject: [sustran] Re: Second Master Plan for Chennai. - request for
comments


I am in Chennai right now. I would be amazed if anything close to
planning
were ever to be possible here.

The city is a disgusting dump -- in fact, the whole place appears to be 
one big public urinal as far as I can see! The city cannot even plan
public toilets: the few that exist are so sickening that people piss on
the outsides of them as well as in the street everywhere.

Almost everything in this city is a mass of unplanned ugliness. I don't 
know if there is a city bus system, as no information is available (as
is
usual in Indian cities, nothing is done for the consumer). There is a
small rail system, served by filthy trains whose doors stay open at all 
times. I got off one such train last night to be landed in a deserted
station with no information and filled with people sleeping rough in
the middle of piles of garbage: the smell was so bad that I could hardly

walk to the main road to have the opportunity of being ripped off by one
of the many rickshaw wallahs who refuse to use their meters.

So, how does one plan in this environment?

My answer is that there is no point in planning at all, because the
plans 
will not come to reality until institutions have changed. The existing
house must be put in order before anything new can be realized -- and
that
is a very hard job amidst the mismanagement, corruption, and dirt that 
constitutes Chennai today.

                                --Jonathan

-----
Jonathan Richmond

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e-mail: richmond at alum.mit.edu
http://the-tech.mit.edu/~richmond/
<http://the-tech.mit.edu/%7Erichmond/> 
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the real sustran-discuss (even if the yahoogroups site makes it seem
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SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred,
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-- 
------------------------------------------------------
Sujit Patwardhan
sujit at vsnl.com
sujitjp at gmail.com

"Yamuna", 
ICS Colony, 
Ganeshkhind Road,
Pune 411 007
India
Tel: 25537955
-----------------------------------------------------
Hon. Secretary:
Parisar
www.parisar.org
------------------------------------------------------
Founder Member: 
PTTF 
(Pune Traffic & Transportation Forum)
www.pttf.net
------------------------------------------------------ 


-- 
------------------------------------------------------
Sujit Patwardhan
sujit at vsnl.com
sujitjp at gmail.com  <mailto:sujitjp at gmail.com> 

"Yamuna", 
ICS Colony, 
Ganeshkhind Road,
Pune 411 007
India
Tel: 25537955
-----------------------------------------------------
Hon. Secretary:
Parisar
www.parisar.org
------------------------------------------------------
Founder Member: 
PTTF 
(Pune Traffic & Transportation Forum)
www.pttf.net
------------------------------------------------------ 
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