Rape of Delhi Ridge in the name of modernisation

Delhi was a place of distances when I settled here after migrating from Pakistan in mid-1947. A swathe of vacant lands gave the city its vastness and depth; otherwise it was clusters of habitation, surrounded by thick wild growth. There were thick trees and bits of forest. All that has gone now and a jungle of cement and steel has come up to the disappointment of citizens who are beginning to be conscious of their surroundings.

What has been done is a violation of human rights, the rights to clean air, clean water and clean environs. The government, particularly Delhi Development Authority (DDA), is most to blame to allow buildings to devour Delhi's greenery and forests. But the judiciary is responsible for legalising illegal constructions.

The Supreme Court was a ray of hope but it has given a disappointing judgment on what has come to be known as the Vasant Kunj buildings. The two-judge bench, even after three years of hearing, has not appreciated the importance of the Ridge which is older than the Himalayas. It is the Ridge which has been destroyed to let the malls and plazas to come up.

It is the destruction of heritage. The judges have not even bothered about the natural source of water in the area and there is not one word in the judgment against the Defence Ministry which has appropriated hundreds of acres of the greenery to build tenements for its men.

The bench, when asked in the Court about the remedy against the Defence, said that it had mentioned it in the judgment. But there is not a word of it. And the case has been closed. When the judges did not absolve the DDA of blame and said that "it had definitely created an impression that all necessary clearances had been obtained though it does not appear to be so".

Then why there is no criticism of the Defence? Is it because it is considered a holy cow? In fact, the judges have taken the least line of resistance. They quote from the report of Environmental Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority that there is no statutory definition on the Ridge. Then they go on to say that the expert committee had referred to the land as "similar to ridge area." Finally, they pronounce their own opinion, "That (is) being so, at this juncture, it would be inappropriate to reopen the whole issue as to whether the land in question was a constraint on the ridge land."

Surely, the judges could have consulted Delhi's Master Plan and government records. One person who has met me has said that he has the records of the Ridge since 1890. The fact is that the judges made no effort to find out what the Ridge meant to Delhi and how old it was.

The judges feel that it was too late to disturb the construction but they are themselves to blame. The construction began in 2004 and the petition that there should be no construction was already pending. The expert committee, appointed by the court had declared the area part of jungle and had pointed out that. There should be no construction because the place lacked water, the point which the Bhure Lal committee had made earlier: there is simply no water to feed the buildings which are coming up.

The malls which have been partially built have already poured concrete at the point where water was surcharged naturally. The judges have said that the construction, if razed to the ground, would cost a heavy loss. But they do realise that the cost of water surcharge, now plugged, would be equal to Rs. 200,000 crore a year. How colossal is this loss against the removal of construction? The civil society is to blame because its interest in the Vasant Kunj building is very little. The media is not concerned.

A few environmentalists have voiced their protest. But none at the top has heard them. This applies to entire Delhi. Even today, whatever is left in the city in terms of land is being appropriated by builders who have joined hands with the authorities and politicians to make easy money.

I recall when I wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India some 12 years ago, it was treated as public interest litigation (PIL). The court not only ordered the constitution of an authority to deal with the environmental protection of the project but also stopped any construction or development of any kind in the area by DDA or any other authority. How things have changed since, because in the Vasant Kunj case, the judges have gone along with the builders.

The rejection of the objection against the construction at the Vasant Kunj raised a larger question, not confined to a place, a city or a country. It concerns us all in South Asia, wherever we are living. Money, more aptly, the mafia with the help of corrupt public servants is destroying our national heritage in the shape of forests and fields. This is supposed to be modernisation.

I have nothing against it, except that what is being built looks hideous. My real complaint is that as the land in cities becomes scarce, a forest, a park or, for that matter, any green patch is being blotted out to make room for concrete contraptions. Where does environment figure?

Dazzled by skyscrapers in Europe and America we have come to prefer bricks to plants, opulence to simplicity, buildings to nature. And when I travel through India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, I find tall buildings devouring open spaces which are lungs of our habitations. Most of us are indifferent to what is going on but we will regret the loss of greenery some day.

India is the worst example. The green cover has already come down to 6.5 per cent from 15 per cent in the last 50 years. The phobia of eight per cent annual growth is not only bulldozing the dissent on the type of development, but doing worse. The government is itself a party to the changing complexion of India through steel and cement. Unfortunately, it is thoughtless, inept and crass development.
(The writer is a veteran journalist, High Commissioner and former Rajya Sabha member)