Shubhra’s Article

I found the theme of a recent workshop held in the city quite fascinating. Organised by the international Charter for Compassion, the workshop brought together change-makers to talk about compassionate initiatives in Gurugram. My mind went a trifle off tangent. I wondered how compassionate is Gurugram as a city? Here are some of the thoughts that crossed my mind. Is the city serving its workers well? These are the industrial, construction and domestic workers—the people who built this city and are sustaining it. They left their villages to work here as shop floor workers in auto units and their ancillaries, as masons and labourers constructing our homes, buildings and offices; as maids, drivers and support staff. Aren’t these the ignored, invisible, faceless lot of the city? There aren’t enough government and private schools that cater to them, neither are there enough government hospitals, dispensaries or primary health centres to cater to their medical needs. Is the city conserving its natural resources such as water, air and forests? Certainly not. The real estate boom, the weak town and country planning and subsequent land use changes and manipulations have all left Gurugram and its people devoid of precious natural resources. The water table is down in the dumps; the air quality has gone from bad to worse and the natural forests of Aravallis that provide the last vestige of hope—being a water recharge zone, our green lungs and home to biodiversity—are under constant threat. The pressure on land and water resources is so high that the city’s liveability index is at an all-time low. What will we do of the plush malls and condominiums when the air becomes too toxic to breathe? We can’t stop it from penetrating our homes. It’s high time that Gurugram becomes conscious about and compassionate towards its natural environment. Conservation must be taken up on a war footing. We need to monitor our air closely and take stringent steps to clean the air, revive water bodies, conserve rainwater in ponds, homes and buildings, and save the Aravallis by declaring all of it as a “natural conservation zone” for all times to come. Is the city designed and structured to cater to the needs of all sections of the society? Is it easy for pedestrians and cyclists to move on the roads? Is it comfortable for people to use public transport? Are there enough parks and playgrounds for children? Are there public places that can be used by all in the city? Are our streets, footpaths, streets, buses etc designed for the differently-abled? Are there enough night shelters for the poor and homes for the elderly? Are there enough schools that cater to children with special needs? To sum up, can all sections of the society live with greater dignity and comfort in the city? There is a lot that needs to be done in upgrading the quality of life for the disadvantaged. Are the city authorities compassionate enough in ensuring a hassle-free experience for residents to get basic services done such as renewing driving licences, paying property tax, getting a birth/death certificate issued? These functions, as per my personal experience, have become more streamlined in the city. Is there a thriving civil society that is monitoring and engaging with the authorities? Here again, I can vouch that Gurugram scores decently well. Gurugram is fairly diverse and but do people have a sense of belongingness towards the city? Gurugram has a diverse set of residents—the original descendants whose forefathers lived here, families that have migrated from neighbouring cities like Delhi, youngsters who are temporarily here for jobs. The point is, how do we develop a “new shared culture” for the city? For this to happen, we need to have more cultural centres and public places where people can converge, express, raise concerns and collaborate. Finally, are we compassionate as individuals? When our domestic help is in trouble, do we grant her a few compassionate leaves to help her tide over her issues; do we reach out to a person in distress on the road; forgive someone who has accidently brushed against our car or simply start our day with a random act of kindness? In the fast-paced, frantic lives that we lead, we need to make some room for good, even if we are not volunteering with any organisation or supporting a cause. It will need effort from all of us—the authorities, NGOs, city planners, citizen groups and residents—to make Gurugram compassionate as a city. A compassionate city will have greater well-being, will respect human values, be smart and sustainable and, perhaps, a happier city to live in where everyone feels a sense of belonging. So, get, set and go! Let’s work together to make Gurugram more compassionate. Let’s be compassionate.

A recent incident in Gurugram that went viral on social media has once again highlighted the sexual harassment dilemmas that our society face. For those who are not tuned in, this is briefly what happened. A middle-aged woman entered a restaurant in Gurugram, and seeing young girl(s) in short dress(es), she implored a group of men sitting beside them to feel free to rape such girls who had what she thought was ‘immoral’ dress sense! Shocked and outraged, the young girls followed her and confronted her for an apology that turned into a rather ugly shouting match. The confrontation was captured on a video and in no time became a social media spectacle. The apology eventually came, but by that time, the women on both sides had faced severe bullying in cyber space. There is no denying the fact that our woman in question had no business whatsoever to comment on the girls dressing and heinously insult them in public. The girls did the right thing by asking her to apologise. But in reality, while most women may not have such an outrageous and extreme outburst as our woman in question, there are many in society who mirror her sentiments. Among my morning walk friends, several felt that some girls and women do dress to attract unnecessary attention. So whether we accept it or not, this perception runs through and through. Another notion that emerged from the group was that your figure decides what could be the appropriate dressing for you. A friend in particular who had two grown-up daughters sounded helpless when she said that she had stopped commenting on her daughters’ choice of dresses long ago and that she does find some of the dresses inappropriate. This incident brings out many deep-rooted biases in our society. It highlights the twisted perceptions and biases we have about our own gender, in the backdrop of rather stereotypical cultural values. It also brings out how we are becoming a “trigger happy” society quick to drop our “civil conduct” at the slightest provocation. Why just this incident? On the roads, it is appalling to see when people instantly start calling names when another car even has a slight brush with their car. A healthy outcome of the incident would have been to build public opinion on certain acceptable norms and code of conduct to minimise the cultural and civil divide that exist in the society today. One might argue that India is a land of many cultures and ideologies. It is indeed impossible to bring all on a common ground, especially for a topic as sensitive as this. But with more and more discussion at homes, formal and informal communities, forums, workshops, at least some prejudices and biases can be identified and resolved. A common myth surrounding sexual harassment is that women provoke sexual harassment by the way they look, dress and behave, and that there is no smoke without fire. However, studies on sexual harassment have found that victims of sexual harassment vary in physical appearance, dress-type, age and behaviour. How else do you explain girl children getting molested or raped? Another myth is that those women who face such harassment lack self-confidence and therefore self-defence training is important. The reality is that even so-called confident women can be taken for a ride and self-defence trainings are not the “be-all, end-all” for preventing such crimes. We need to go beyond these myths and biases to do a deeper root-cause analysis of the problem that plagues our society. Many real answers will emerge and, surprisingly, a lot will be to do with women themselves. One key point will be what mothers tell their boys about the rights of women and what it means to respect them. What women think of other women especially from different age groups and economic status will also throw up many surprises. As a civil nation that is progressing and evolving, we will have to draw the lines, somewhat, on what is appropriate and inappropriate. Otherwise, ugly events such as these will continue to expose the underbelly of our divergent society.

When I heard the news that the Rapid Metro is facing an uncertain future due to financial losses, a lot of mixed thoughts crossed my mind: That the project was ill-conceived, that it didn’t cater well to the city’s real traffic needs, that there were vested interests involved, etc. But one overriding thought was: Will the urban planners learn a simple lesson that one needs to think twice before building any new infrastructure in the city? When planned, the Rapid Metro was to be the pride of Gurugram, the crowning glory of its majestic Golf Course Road. Investments were first made to build it and then to sustain and promote it. However, it could never get enough ridership to make itself sustainable. The Golf Course Road itself today is neither here nor there. On one hand, it has no room for the movement of pedestrians or cyclists. On the other, it does not assure of hassle-free driving experience to car owners given the frequent traffic congestion at its tail-end. There are other examples of ill-thought infrastructure decisions. We don’t think twice before chopping off the green belts on both sides of the road for the sake of widening the road. The moment you widen roads, more cars occupy and choke up the road, making a mockery of the exercise. The traffic situation becomes the same in no time. The real loss is of green vegetation that is so very crucial for the city. Besides, we need to fix the real problem (of restricting private traffic on roads) head-on, and not please ourselves with quick-fix solutions in the interim. As experts say, road widening is akin to loosening our belts to accommodate our larger waist size! Attack the root cause, the flab. Do not resize the belt. Another bad decision has been to build foot overbridges on city junctions where they were not needed. Some of these high structures remain unused and are poorly maintained. In fact, it is not a rare spectacle to see motorcyclists and cyclists using them as a short cut rather than pedestrians. People on foot (especially elderly) find climbing up and down the stairs too cumbersome. In the evenings, another issue is that these structures become desolate places and therefore unsafe. Pedestrian subways too remain unused for the same reason. Underpasses that get waterlogged and flooded in rains due to lack of proper drainage are another nuisance. They need to be well-lit, well-maintained and have proper signage. Initially, due to lack of information, people even use unidirectional underpasses for moving from the other side. This can have disastrous consequences. Speed-breakers too need to put at the right places. Besides, infrastructure, such as multilevel parking has failed in some cities like Chandigarh. So, one needs to undertake a complete feasibility study before constructing such massive structures. The basic problem with our city’s planning is that more and more capital infrastructure is being planned, allocated and invested for cars, and continuously less and less for public transport, cyclists and pedestrians. We need to reverse this trend. After all, we have to move people not cars and the majority of people on our roads are not car-owners but those who use public or non-motorised modes. Also, each time the solution does not necessarily lie in creating “hard” infrastructure. Sometimes innovative “soft” solutions such as geometric improvement of road intersections, improved design, reducing encroachments, improving markings on roads, traffic and road signage can help achieve greater all-round mobility and safety of all users. Besides using policy interventions such as de-incentivising car use, innovative parking policies, congestion pricing, creating low carbon emission zones and introducing vehicle quota can also work wonders. Other “soft” solutions include operational improvements such as better traffic management. Still, others include bringing behavioural changes in citizens. Let’s not forget that a city does not become modern by fast-lane road networks or massive zig-zag flyovers. It becomes modern when its infrastructure caters to all. Next time, when we think of building new infrastructure in the city, let’s think twice. Do we really need that capital investment? Can we not divert a small part of that investment in making pavements across the city? It’s high time we focus on simple solutions that cater to all citizens.

Gurugram has all that it takes to become a “solar rooftop” city—loads of sun, a conducive policy environment, large buildings, and above all, a progressive mindset. Installations across the city have, in fact, risen sharply in the last two years across schools, colleges, RWAs, hospitals, corporate and commercial buildings, industry and individual homes. The installed solar rooftop capacity in the city has crossed the 25MW mark (8MW is grid-connected, while the rest is off the grid), but the city’s real rooftop potential is well over 200MW. The call for solar is loud and clear. Cities urgently need to opt for greener and cleaner energy to control pollution levels. Solar power can decrease significantly, if not eliminate, the reliance on expensive and highly polluting DG (diesel generator) sets. It also partly saturates the rising electricity demand and the need for associated transmission infrastructure. Solar cost is low and falling (Rs 5-Rs 6 per unit), while the cost of grid power (Rs 7-Rs 8 per unit) and DG power (Rs14- Rs 22 per unit) are high and rising. The return on investment for solar is in three to four years, after that consumers can enjoy free electricity for the next 20 years or till the solar panels last. In fact, by putting their excess solar energy into the grid through net metering, one can actually earn too. But for cities to up the ante on adoption of solar power, it is imperative to popularise solar power as a commodity at the household level. For this, substantial work needs to be done to demystify solar power, improve basic understanding of it and update people on government policies on solar power. People seem to be carrying myths, misinformation and pre-conceived notions about solar power. It is considered as a hard-to-understand, fast-changing technology. The upfront cost seems daunting and the financing options appear limited. Besides, installation of and maintaining solar panels seems cumbersome. There is even resistance to use rooftops for solar panels as it may look “ugly”. Then, it’s a competitive market with too many vendors with little differentiation. Consumers often get perplexed comparing quotes from various vendors selling multiple qualities of products. Benchmark pricing and empanelment of vendors on government sites gives some indication, but not enough. What will really help is clear and simple guidelines from a credible source on the complete process of going solar—from inspection of roofs for assessing the solar need to structuring and financing options to commissioning, and observations and measurements, including when and how to apply for subsidy. Besides, success stories highlighting cost savings, the installation and running experience needs to be showcased in workshops and solar melas (fairs) so that potential users gain confidence to take the plunge. Nothing can be more reassuring than listening to real experiences. Citizen visits to National Institute of Solar Energy on the Gurugram-Faridabad Road to get acquainted with solar technology can be organised. Besides, Gurugram serves as headquarters to various solar companies that should provide courses on “solar basics” in schools, colleges and RWAs as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR). By demystifying solar power, it could be promoted and popularised as a commodity or product rather than a project. This will remove the acquisition barriers to a large extent. (These days solar solution for homes is sold in a box with in-built subsidy and clearances. Such products are generating a lot of interest among residential consumers.) The installation process, too, should be simplified with single-window clearances and seamless coordination among all agencies involved, such as HAREDA (department of renewable energy for subsidy) and DHBVN (for net metering). Since “net metering” is what adds the real attractiveness, availability of net meters, their speedy installation, and integration with billing systems need to be resolved at the earliest. In fact, the DHBVN should play a more proactive role in facilitating growth of solar power, much beyond simply providing the “net metering” functionality. As for HAREDA, it needs to have more capacity in creating awareness, coordinating and monitoring. If all government buildings are run on solar power, it will have a huge demonstrative effect on citizens. Besides, RWAs can be encouraged to light up at least all their common areas, such as parking, parks etc, using solar power. Policies need to be more directed. On the one hand, mandatory provisions need to be implemented and monitored well, while on the other, new ways of incentivising solar panel installers need to be put in place. The HUDA (renamed as Haryana Shahari Vikar Pradhikaran) should have more regulatory oversight to ensure that all new buildings install solar panels, as per the mandate. Innovative policies such as rent-a-roof policy or those that support community solar projects should also be put in place. Most developed countries, such as Australia and Germany, started their solar programmes by targeting households and have a huge solar share under the rooftop segment. India, on the other hand, like China, has bulk of solar power under utility. Gurugram will become a solar city in the true sense when homes and residential communities make the solar switch.

Last week, as World Environment Day was approaching, I asked a group of 10-year olds to write a short essay on the topic “less is more”. They were clueless and confused and nonchalantly asked me how less could be more. I took them to my childhood days when sharing clothes and books were common, there was less wastage, and we thought of ingenious ways to recycle things. Those were the days when everything carried a higher “perceived value” and less was indeed more. I went on to explain to them that for every single thing that we produce, we consume some precious resource such as energy, wood, water and others, and that it was high time each one of us took a re-look at our daily living and consumption patterns and made “ethical” and “mindful” choices. Today, it is not economic compulsions, but the plight of our environment that is compelling us to adopt sustainable ways. While we do talk about managing resources wisely, there is still very little focus on reduction of consumption. Buying more things than we actually need seems to give us some sense of security and ownership. So, we end up owning more assets that we need — more cars, bigger homes, more clothes, more food items to stack up our refrigerators. Besides, the more stuff we buy, the more shopping bags and packaging material we bring home. Till recently, we never understood the connect between environment and consumerism. But now we do. We are beginning to realise that our consumption ways are responsible for depleting resources, shrinking forests; and deteriorating air and water quality. How do we make the qualitative shift? At our homes, we need to shift to equipments and processes that consume less energy, recycle waste and conserve water. This could be done through a variety of things such as switching to energy efficient devices such as LEDs, CFLs , energy star-rated appliances, solar power and sunlight during the day, opting for a bucket bath rather than a shower, recycling water, using taps and faucets that conserve water, installing rainwater harvesting systems, and composting kitchen waste and using compost for your kitchen garden. Opting to walk or cycle shorter distances, using public transport and avoiding use of diesel cars are greener choices in transport. There are endless possibilities — all we need is readiness to switch. In fact, new houses and buildings can be designed in a way that conserves resources. Communities including resident welfare associations too can install rainwater harvesting, recycle grey water, switch to solar and reduce reliance on DG sets and undertake community kitchen waste composting. Several retail products ranging from jeans, t-shirts and shoes to fruits and vegetables are available that have been produced using more sustainable products and processes. Clothing from recycling plastic waste too is available. Sustainable choices today may be more expensive or hander to find, but they are the right choices. Sustainable packaging too could be a differentiator when choosing what to buy. As demand for such products increases, consumers will find them easily and cost too will reduce over time. Besides, as a society, we will have to make “sharing of resources” more popular. Carpooling, for instance saves cost and planet’s resources. Technology platforms and mobile applications today have made sharing resources a very viable and practical options. In fact, technology is also enabling people to “work from home” or “freelancing” and it may not be long before physical office spaces may become redundant. In future, cities too would have to be designed in a “hub and spoke” transit manner where residential areas, schools and work places are all in the vicinity of each other. Some innovative concepts that are fast catching up are worth taking a note. A crockery bank of steel utensils run in Gurugram lends free crockery for parties and events, negating the need to buy thermocol or plastic cutlery for one-time use. Feeding India is a non-profit organisation that channelises food from individuals, weddings, restaurants and corporate offices to people who really need it. Other mobile applications too are preventing food wastage by collecting food from hotels and restaurants and distributing it in night shelters and orphanages. Recently, in Suncity, in Sector 54, Gurugram a first-of-its-kind community fridge was inaugurated where residents keep food that can be used by anyone at anytime. More such open fridges are being put up in Gurugram in the coming months. So the next time you feel the urge to buy something, ask yourself if you really need it. Make informed choices and make “sharing resources” your second nature. The children, meanwhile, promised that they will create a “sharing club” in their class to share books and games and buy fewer new things from the market. Way to go!

Declared as the most polluted city in the world last winter, Gurugram will have to take multi-pronged steps to improve its air quality. One relatively easier step it can take is to switch to solar energy. This option is relatively easier because, along with reducing the reliance on polluting gensets, this clean, smoke-free source of energy can also bring commercial gains via the reduction in electricity bills. With the introduction of progressive solar policies of Haryana, presence of large buildings, more than 300 sunny days and the presence of International Solar Alliance as well as the National Institute of Solar Energy, Gurugram is quite ideally placed to become a solar-powered city. The good news is that about 40MW of solar rooftops have already been installed in the city, up from 25MW achieved till last year. With concerted efforts, the city can easily become a 200-MW solar rooftop city by 2022. Haryana is targeting to add 1,600-MW solar rooftops by 2022. However, only 150-MW rooftops have been installed in the state so far. The potential is huge. However, it is only when households and residential complexes start adopting solar power that the Gurugram would truly become a solar city. With the installation of 350 kwp of solar power, Wellington RWA in DLF-5 has become the largest RWA solar installation in Haryana. At least five more residential complexes, Hewo Apartment-i, Maple Heights, Davinder Vihar, DLF Icon and Bestech Park View Residency, have also been solarised. The not-so-good news is that as solar becomes popular, the 30% subsidy that some solar installers enjoy may soon become a thing of the past. The subsidy will be removed first for institutions such as schools, NGOS etc and then for the households. But with falling costs of solar panel costs and the declining payback periods, there is every merit in switching to solar energy even without subsidies. Consider this. Payback periods are now as low as four years with subsidy and six years without subsidy. This means that one can recover the cost within this period and subsequently enjoy free gains in electricity bills for the next 19-20 years easily, as the life of solar panels is about 25 years. The real “game changer” in making solar energy economical has been the provision of net metering. A solar installer becomes a “prosumer” i.e. both producer and consumer of electricity, using the solar energy produced at his rooftop, and feeding the surplus produced into the grid. Through a bi-directional net meter, electricity can be both taken from and be given back to the grid, and the consumer only pays for the net electricity drawn from the grid. If his rooftop production is more than what he needs, the extra energy can be “banked” in the grid, with the distribution company, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Limited (DHBVNL), and can be drawn back over a period of a year. If his rooftop production is less than what he needs, he only draws the deficit amount from DHBVNL that is charged at a predetermined tariff rate by the distribution company. Haryana may not be a front-runner in solar power as compared to states like Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh or even the neighbouring Rajasthan, but it has a very attractive solar policy and net-metering policy. The prosumer in Haryana can install a system of the capacity that matches his sanctioned load. The net metering policy of Haryana allows the solar installers to export solar electricity at the “same price” at which he buys conventional power from the grid. Since, consumer’s consumption from the grid reduces due to switching to solar, the consumer shifts to a lower slab in the tariff rate card, and lower slabs ensure lower electricity rates. Besides, as per an order in October 2018, solar users in Haryana can claim a rebate — ₹ 1 per unit for every unit of electricity generated from solar energy. Another ₹ 1 per unit is available for those with battery back-up, which is a slightly expensive system. This rebate is on the gross amount of solar installed at the end of the financial year. Despite these policies, the solar rooftop penetration in Gurugram is still low. There are concerns of high upfront costs ( ₹ 50,000- ₹ 1, 00,000 per kwh), techno-commercial risks, complicated procedures, and lack of time and effort needed to deal with vendors and agencies such as Haryana Renewable Energy Department (HAREDA), for the subsidy, and DHBVNL, for net metering. Greater public awareness can help gain consumers to gain confidence. Solar needs to be viewed as a commodity just like mobile phones. Besides, innovative financing schemes by banks are needed. The HAREDA and the DHBVNL must show greater agility and focus. Solarising not only reduces electricity bills but also control rising pollution. Those who produce solar and pass electricity into the grid are actually reducing the reliance on conventional energy, reducing their carbon footprint and contributing to nation building! Let us tap the good sun on our rooftops for a clean and green future.

Lack of empowered local governance is one the biggest challenges facing Indian cities today. A city like Gurugram, which contributes to more than 70% of Haryana’s revenue, has to depend on the state government for sanction and approval of projects. This is indeed very disempowering. Gurugram put in place its third tier of governance in 2011 by electing 35 councillors and a mayor. However, the fact that these councillors have little power to implement the city’s development agenda also makes its local governance weak. What can empower local governance to a large extent is implementation of the 74th Constitutional Amendment (CAA). It can make our municipal corporations autonomous and efficient, empower our councillors and mayors, remove the multiplicity of agencies, make ward committees more effective and even attract better local talent to enter politics. Basically, the CAA shifts the control from the state to the city and enhances the city’s ability to use the funds as per its needs. However, despite over 20 years of the legislation becoming effective, state governments have delayed, not implemented the CAA either in full spirit or at all to retain their powers on cities. All the major neighbouring states of Haryana, including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, have implemented the legislation, then why is Haryana elusive regarding it? To be sure, this is what the 74th CAA grants — First, there are 18 civic functions that are mentioned in the 74th CAA including sanitation, roads, health care, urban planning, water supply, public parks, street vendors, public transport, street animals etc that must rest with the municipal body. It basically means that the municipal corporation is a complete city government with a constitutionally defined clear mandate. Second, it grants powers to mayors. Mayors of London, New York and even Shanghai run their cities as CEOs. As the mayor of New York City during the terror attack of September 11, 2001, Rudy Giuliani played a vital role, coordinating the efforts of all city departments and making all the key announcements in the media. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi went on his first official visit to the US, his first meeting was with the mayor of New York. Such is the importance of the mayor. How many of us know who the present mayor of Gurugram is? Are these positions merely ceremonial? Mayors are democratically elected for a period of five years by the people. They should have more powers and accountability since commissioners are bureaucrats who are frequently transferred. Gurugram had seen eight MCG commissioners come and go in a period of four years in the recent past. In a welcome move, however, the Haryana cabinet approved the direct election of mayors last year, which means the voter will cast vote for both the ward councillor and the mayor. Earlier, the councillors, after ward elections, elected the mayor among themselves and there was a lot of horse-trading to garner support. This move also ensures that better candidates from the city will stand independently for the mayor’s post. Hisar, Karnal, Rohtak, Yamunanagar and Panipat, which had elections last October, have already benefitted by this move, and so will Gurugram when it goes for elections in a couple of years. The third thing that the CAA ensures is the presence of effective and operational ward committees. Gurugram has in fact hurriedly set up the ward committees in January this year to garner points under the Swachh Sarvekshan Survey. The MCG has set up a 13-member ward committee in each of the 35 wards of Gurugram to oversee sanitation, water supply, parks etc at the ward level. These committees would be chaired by councillors and progressive citizens and members of non-governmental organizations would be members of the committee. One nodal officer from the MCG will oversee the work of these committees in each ward. Creating ward committees is one thing; however making them effective tools of local governance is quite another. Let us hope these committees help in improving citizen’s participation, councillor’s interests and resolution of local civic issues. Because of the lack of implementation of 74th CAA, the MCG has a low threshold for expenditure. Its limit to decide on projects is Rs 25 million. Besides, budgets are often not presented on time. The budgeting quality itself is questionable. Citizen’s participation in budget allocation is non-existent. Robust revenue streams such as stamp duties and entertainment taxes are not devolved fully to the urban local bodies. Since, multiple authorities are involved, the total resources spent on civic projects, such as building roads, is unclear. The 74th CAA if implemented well can help in creating better budgeting and accounting standards, gaining better control of municipal finances, granting more autonomy to municipal corporation to decide on its needs of manpower, and ushering other urban reforms. Decentralised governance is the need of the hour. By creating decentralised platforms of autonomy, we are encouraging the citizen of the land to get interested in local issues, to feel empowered and be engaged in the affairs of the city. There will be a better turnout of voters and more competent and honest people will start contesting elections. We will then have mayors who are good administrators and have a vision for the city. Besides, cities are the fulcrum of our economic growth. They cannot be operated through remote controls. Further, they are not the ATMs of state government that can be milked whenever needed. Certainly Gurugram is not. It has been made what it is today by its people, its industry, its entrepreneurial spirit and its civic society. Implement the 74th CAA in Haryana, and let Gurugram decide its own destiny.

A few days ago, the news that Gurugram was the world’s most polluted city in 2018, as per the data released by IQAir Visual and Greenpeace, hit the headlines. (Ghaziabad stood at number two, Faridabad at number four; seven Indian cities were among the world’s top 10 polluted cities). Clearly, as a country, we have set our priorities for development wrong. What is most disappointing is that even with the general elections just around the corner, the issue of pollution is nowhere being publicly discussed by political parties in their election manifestos. As one of the fastest growing cities of north India, Gurugram has paid a high price for development. We must be fools to not realise that pollution will eventually impact Gurugram’s ability to attract investment and talent. From what I hear from my friends in corporate roles, conversations about moving corporate offices out of Gurugram are not uncommon. More aware citizens, especially those who have lived outside India, have been shouting from the rooftops about the deteriorating air quality on social media groups for a while now. Affected families with children are also saying goodbye to the city. The ‘liveability index’ of the city is certainly at its lowest ebb. Pollution is a complex problem to tackle especially in India, which has democratic structures aligned to populist politics and diverse stakeholders’ priorities. Unless there is political willingness to take drastic steps, nothing much will change. Besides, authorities need to back the policies with stringent enforcement. Last but not the least, citizens have to be fully engaged as drastic steps and enforcement will mean some pain for the larger good of a cleaner environment. After all, we must remember that progressive cities are those that have quality integrated public transport, walking and cycling tracks, are low on emissions, adopt solar energy, make sustainability and inclusiveness their priority. These are certainly not cities that thrust more and more cars on their roads, then build more roads and flyovers to accommodate these cars and, soon enough, have choking roads. So, where do we start? Planning to fight pollution is as important as fighting it. We need to have a national action plan with clear short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. In each city, a multi-disciplinary high-level committee (with citizens’ involvement) must review the problem on a regular basis. Gurugram currently has only two air quality monitoring stations, at Gawal Pahari and Vikas Sadan. A city of its size must have at least eight air monitoring stations. And the city should have regular analytical assessments on the causes and trends of the problem. The high-power pollution committee in Gurugram must focus on one or two immediate ‘actionables’ to set it on a course of correction. The main culprits of pollution are dust, vehicular emissions, and waste burning and dumping. To control dust, construction sites that flout construction norms should be duly covered need to be monitored closely. Besides, C&D waste cannot be allowed to be thrown. Trucks carrying construction material should also be covered well. Water sprinklers can also be used. Vehicular emissions can be controlled by better pollution checks, avoiding traffic jams, encouraging e-rickshaws, improving public transport and last-mile connectivity, as well as introducing non-motorised infrastructure. Decentralised waste solutions will reduce transportation costs and congestion of over-loaded trucks of garbage going to and fro to landfills. In all this, enforcements by authorities will play a key role — we need strict penalties for non-compliance at construction sites, waste burning, C&D waste dumping and tree-felling. Citizens’ education and awareness will play a key role in creating vital checks in neighbourhoods. Fighting pollution is also about raising collective consciousness at an individual and community level. Can we limit ownership of multiple cars, not buy luxury SUVs/diesel cars, opt for car-pooling, go ‘car-free’ once a week, compost our kitchen waste, switch to solar energy, and plant trees? The beauty of embarking on the sustainable trip is that different steps all integrate at one level and one positive cycle builds the other. If we improve the waste cycle, we will see both water and air cycles improve as well. So, if we start solidly somewhere, it won’t be long before we start seeing synergistic gains elsewhere. Recently, Gurugram scored a poor 83 ranking (among 99 cities in its category) in 2019’s Swachh Survekshan. It may not be misplaced to say that had our Swachh Survekshan rankings been better, that would have reflected well on our pollution scorecards as well. We have all heard the story of how the greedy farmer cut his goose that lays golden eggs in the hope of getting all the eggs in one stroke. Gurugram is the golden goose of Haryana. Let’s not exploit it to the point of no return!

James Cameron, the director of the globally acclaimed film Avatar, once said that his film was a lesson for humankind to stop damaging the environment. But blockbuster movies such as Avatar, the stark evidence of climate change around us, and green awareness campaigns have still not made us realise that we cannot any longer mess with our environment and that the human race must formulate strong policies to protect the environment. But we continue to pollute our skies, our oceans and rivers, denude our forests and exhaust our natural resources in the name of development. If the life-sustaining systems of our planet get choked, who will be left to enjoy the fruits of this so-called development? It will be a hopeless future for us and our children. For landlocked areas especially, forests are the most vital life-sustaining systems. They do much more than provide a green canopy. They purify the air, bind the soil, prevent floods, help in water recharge, and are home to some rare species of flora and fauna. Perhaps that is why they are called the healing forests. For a city like Gurugram, where air pollution is high, porous ground surface is negligible and green belts are few and far between, the presence of the Aravallis is the lifeline for the city’s residents and the last vestige of hope for the city’s fast-degrading environment. Gurugram sadly is also a city where hungry real-estate developers are vying to grab every any inch of land for construction and profiteering. This mountain range of India that majestically lines the skyline of the city has been under a constant threat. A few activists have been trying to save this precious cover through petitions and court orders. But they find themselves up against a powerful lobby. Recently, in a blatantly irresponsible move, the 118-year-old Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which legally protects and preserves the Aravallis, was amended in the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, opening room for uninhibited construction in the Aravallis. Environmentalists are calling this amendment nothing short of an “ecological disaster”. The Act protects areas ‘not notified’ under the Indian Forest Act as reserve or protected forest in Punjab and Haryana. In effect, the PLPA in Haryana extends protection to forests and trees on private lands, community lands, panchayat and municipal lands in both the Aravallis in South Haryana and the Shivaliks in North Haryana. The amendment accords unlimited powers to the government to classify land as it pleases. This will legalise all the illegal transactions, mining and construction undertaken on these lands. At risk are 16,000 plus acres of forest in Gurugram and 10,000 plus acres of forest in Faridabad, as well as 10,000 acres of Shivalik hills around Chandigarh. Natural forests, such as the Aravallis and the Shivaliks, should be permanently protected for all times to come. After all, forest land cannot simply be treated as surplus land available to be utilised for expanding cities, mining or being cut up to build roads. The Aravallis help restore environment by being our green lungs that fight pollution. The cracks and fissures in its hills act as the only large-scale groundwater recharge zone. This is a region that has limited rainfall, and the groundwater extraction rate in Gurugram is 300% over the recharge rate. Besides, the ranges act as a watershed for nullahs and lakes such as Badhkal, Dhauj and Damdama lakes. It confines in itself 400-plus species of native trees, herbs and shrubs and eight types of eco-systems that exist in dry conditions. It has 200-plus bird species, including native and migratory birds, and a rich wildlife, comprising leopards, jackals, hyenas, neelgais and reptiles. It is also an archaeological site with ancient remnants. Aren’t these priceless advantages that should encourage us to fortify our forests? The Aravalli land is protected by 20-30-year-old notifications under the PLPA. The Aravalli area notified under the PLPA has been treated as forest by the Supreme Court, which has time and again, through various judgments, reiterated the need to protect this area. What needs to be done is to fortify this protection by re-notifying these areas. Instead, we are exposing this treasure trove to private profiteering. The PLPA amendment is an out-and-out regressive move. All of us, including the forest animals, birds and plants, have a fundamental right to live in a clean and healthy environment. Politicians, beware! Citizens will not sit easy and will do all in their might to force the withdrawal of the amendment. These protests can soon take shape of ‘jan andolan’. It will be not long before right to clean air and water security will become key issues on which elections are fought and won. Are the politicians listening?

Finally, the verdict has come. Seven years after the December 16 gang rape and subsequent death of the woman, death warrants were issued against the four perpetrators recently. The verdict is not just a vindication of a long legal battle fought by her parents, but also a strong signal that such heinous crimes will be treated with zero tolerance. In many ways, the case was a turning point in bringing women’s safety centre stage in India; the huge public outcry compelled the government to re-look at laws to protect women. But, have we really learnt our lessons? It does not seem so. Rapes, physical assaults, molestations continue to be reported from all parts of the country. One can argue that these incidents may be increasing as more cases are now being reported because of heightened public awareness. While an increase in numbers is good from this perspective, what is worrisome is that neither are we working to bring deep-rooted attitudinal shifts in our society nor improving our infrastructure improvements to help women feel safer. Let us revisit some of issues. The fact that the Nibhaya incident took place in a private bus underscores the need for safe and reliable public transport system. Private transport is invariably non-regulated and may employ unregistered, ad hoc drivers and conductors. The drivers are not well-trained and often fail to produce driving licence, when checked. On the other hand, public transport buses have registered drivers and conductors with permanent jobs, which may act as an incentive against misconduct towards women. Private means of transport proliferate when the public transport system is inadequate. It is high time that cities boost their public transport system, and make them accessible and reliable. Women need to move out of their homes/safe spaces at odd hours for a variety of reasons. They may need to travel for work late at night or early in the morning, to catch a flight, to buy emergency medicines/groceries or just for entertainment. On December 16, 2012, the woman, too, was returning late in the evening after watching a movie with a friend. One cannot restrict women from stepping out at night. Cities need to make public places safer by ensuring there are proper pavements and lighting. The more we use public spaces, the more vibrant and safer they become. Cases of misdemeanour can be checked before they spiral; police intervention or medical aid can be sought faster; there is a greater probability of eye-witnesses all of which help build a strong case. Prevention needs to start from an early age. Very few schools have adequate age-appropriate gender sensitisation programmes on an ongoing basis, starting from an early age right up to late teens. Therefore, gender conversations must begin at home and reinforced within informal communities. Fathers, mothers, sisters must talk to their sons and brothers about gender equality and respecting women. Children must be encouraged to talk about their feelings within the family. A vigilant family will catch the early signs of unwarranted behaviours and attitudes and nip it at the bud. Underlying societal values need to be challenged Clearly, just education and pro-women laws are not enough to prevent such crimes. We need to identify the underlying basis of patriarchy, masculinity and gender stereotypes in our society and address them appropriately. A study conducted a few years ago by the International Centre for Research on Women and the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, revealed that the average Indian man is “convinced that masculinity is about acting tough, freely exercising his privilege to lay down the rules in personal relationships and, above all, controlling women”. Such a warped sense of gender identity often becomes the basis for violent crimes. Besides, negative influence of movies and easy access to questionable content on the internet makes things worse. The Indian film industry is notorious for propagating certain inappropriate behaviours as “cool”. Rape cases must be dealt with expeditiously Despite the December 16 case trial being handled by a fast-track court and while it being a seemingly open-and-shut case, it took seven years to deliver the verdict. The government has set up over 1,000 fast-track courts in the country for disposal of rape and child sexual offence cases. Hopefully, this should help in quick clearance of cases. Due to delays, the perpetrators may feel that they have a good chance of evading persecution. Take for instance, the recent Hyderabad case, where four accused of gang raping and murdering a veterinarian were killed in a police encounter when they allegedly tried to run away, was hailed by many as “immediate justice”. This sets in a wrong precedence and makes people lose faith in the judicial process. To sum up, the December 16 gang rape verdict is not an end in itself. It should continue to inspire us to keep working towards building a safe and just society that respects women and treats citizens as equals. That will be the greatest tribute to the woman’s dream cut short.