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FORFORFORFORFORUMUMUMUMUMFOR A BETTERHYDERABAD

Twelve Years of Activism & Service

Annual NumberAnnual NumberAnnual NumberAnnual NumberAnnual Number2011-20122011-20122011-20122011-20122011-2012

Published byFORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABAD

17, Street No. 3, Umanagar, Begumpet, Hyderabad-500 016Tel: (0091-40) 27636214, Fax: 27635644,

E-mail: betterhyd@yahoo.co.in Website: www.hyderabadgreens.org

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Printed at :Charita Impressions, Azamabad, Hyderabad. Ph: 040-27678411

Cover Page Centre : Google Map of Hussain Sagar

Edited by : Mr. R.K. Sinha

The Theme of World Environment Day

2012 (5th June) is:

“GREEN ECONOMY : DOES IT INCLUDE YOU?”

The Green Economy is really something that is applicable all around youand it is easy to imagine how you fit in it.

The FORUM’s Objectives are:

To be proactive and constructive.

To mobilize public opinion.

To stand up and make it heard on major issues exposing lack of concern or neglect ofenvironmental consideration.

To involve in decision-making on such issues.

The FORUM is focused on issues pertaining to Sustainable Development by highlighting theecological and environmental problems caused by uncaring and unthinking developmental activitiesdisregarding required prior assessment.

The FORUM is functioning through various committees, and is networking with NGOs,bringing to light issues pertaining to Urban Planning, Urban Development & Management, HeritageConservation, Lakes & Water Bodies, Parks - Forests & open space, Traffic & Transportation, Water& Air Pollution, Solid & Industrial Waste Management, Rock Formations, Right to Information.Relevant issues are brought to the notice of the Authorities (and if required pressurizing them totake action) offering positive suggestions and optimum solutions. The FORUM also files PublicInterest Litigations whenever called for.

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FORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABADAdvisors

Sri.B.P.R.Vitthal,IAS.,(retd.,) Former Chief Secretary, Govt.of Andhra PradeshSri.J.M.Lyngdoh,IAS., (retd.,) Former Chief Election Commissioner of India

Executive CommitteeSri. M. Vedakumar PresidentSri. M.H. Rao Vice-PresidentSri. Omim Maneckshaw Debara General SecretaryDr. V. B. J. Rao Chelikani TreasurerSmt. Sanghamitra Malik Joint SecretaryDr. M. Mandal E.C. MemberSmt. Indira Lingam E.C. MemberMrs. Frauke Quader E.C. MemberDr. C. Kulsum Reddy E.C. Member

Committee Convenor1. Urban Management Mr. O.M.Debara,

Capt. Manohar Sharma2. Heritage, Culture and Musi River Mr. M.Vedakumar3. Water bodies, Water supply and Drainage Dr. Jasveen Jairath

Mrs. Sanghamitra Malik,4. Traffic and Transportation management Mr. R.K.Sinha,

Mr. Deepankar Dutta5. Pollution Mr. Umesh Varma,

Mr. O.M.Debara6. Right to Information Act (RTA) Dr. M.Mandal7. Forest and Wild life Mr. M.H.Rao,

Mrs Farida Tampal8. Housing Dr. V.B.J.Rao Chelikani

Mr. S.Jeevankumar9. Ganesh Immersion Dr. Kulsum Reddy10. Rock Formations Mrs. Frauke Quader11. Solid Waste Management Mrs. Indiralingam,

Mrs. Sanghamitra Malik

Themes of World Environment Day :

2008 - “Kick The Habit - Towards A Low Carbon Economy”

2004 - “Wanted! Seas or Oceans - Dead or Alive?”

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Capt. J.Rama Rao, (I.N., Retd.,) V.S.M,Mr. R.Rajamani, IAS (R)Mr. C.Sarvothama Rao, IFS(R), SPEQL.Mr. M.H.Rao, EnvironmentalistMr. Naram Krishan Rao, Former Chief Engineer, P.H.Dr. M.Mandal, Managing Trustee,

Hum Sab Hindustani TrustMr. M.Vedakumar, Engineer, Urban & Regional PlannerMr. Omim Maneckshaw Debara, IIPE, COPESDr. V.B.J.Chelikani Rao, President, U-FERWASDr. C.Kulsum Reddy, Concerned CitizensMs. Sanghamitra Malik, Secretary, Apna WatanMs. Frauke Quader, Society to Save RocksMs. Indira Lingam, Jubliee Hills Civic ExnoraDr. Jasveen Jairath, Convenor, Concerned CitizensMr. R. K.Sinha, Retired Principal,

State Bank Inst. Of Rural Dev.Ms. Farida Tampal, State Director,WWFMr. Mazher Hussain, Director, COVAMr. K.S.Murthy, AdvocateMr. C.Ramachandraiah, CESSCapt. Manohar Sharma. President,

Uma Nagar Residents’ Welfare associationMr. S.Jeevan Kumar, President, Human Rights ForumSr. S.Selvin MeryMr. R.Ravi, SamataMr. Ali Asghar, Director, EED, Roshan VikasMr. M.Kamal Naidu, IFS(R),W.W.F.-APMr. B.Ramakrishnam Raju, Convenor, NAPM, APMr. Afzal, (PUCAAR)Mr. T.Dharma Rao, Chief Engineer (R)Mr. Mohammed Turab, Executive Secretary, COVA.Mr. Umesh Varma, Co-ordinator,Joint Action for WaterMr. K.Vijayaraghavan, MMTS Travellers GroupMr. K.Umapathy, IAS(R), INTACH.Mr. Asheesh Pitti, Birdwatchers Society of A.P.,Mr. Anil C. Dayakar, GAMANA.Ms. Rani Sharma, INTACHMr. Narendra Luther, IAS (R), Society to Save RocksMr. Dipankar Dutta,Mr. Belal, Social ActivistMr. Venkateshwarlu, CHATRIMr. Chandra Prakash, Kalakar

Mr. M.Gopal Krishna, Convenor, INTACHMr. Sagar Dhara, Director, Ceram FoundationProf. K.Purshotham Reddy,Osmania UniversityMr. Shravan Kumar, IAS(R)Ex-Convenor, INTACHMr. A.H.Moosvi, IFS(R), Former PCCF, APDr. K.Babu Rao, Scientist, CCMBDr. K.L.Vyas, Osmania University.Mr. K.Prabhakar, Children’s Educational AcademyDr. Satyalakshmi Rao, Red Cross Institute of YogaMr. Saugath Ganguli, GAMANAMs. Sheela Prasad,University of HyderabadMs. Arshea Sultana, Urban PlannerMs. Kanthi Kannan, The Right to Walk FoundationDr. Yerram Raju, Regional Director, PRMIAMr. Sajjad Shahid, Co-convenor, INTACH Hyd.ChapterMs. P.Anuradha Reddy, SPEQLDr. Chenna Basavaiah, Convenor, MADAMr. G.K.B.Chowdary, JETLMr. P.Janardhan Reddy, SPEQLMr. K.V.KrishnamachariLion. S.Dhananjaya, Social ActivistMs. Maya Anavartham.Dr. K. Mutyam Reddy, Registrar,

Mahatma Gandhi UniversityMr. T.Vijayendra, EnvironmentalistMs. G.Moti Kumari, AP.U.N.A.Ms. Asha Dua, Social ActivistDr. Arun K.Patnaik,CESSMr. Bada Binjafar, Social Welfare SocietyMs. Nandita Sen, Society to Save Rocks.Mr. V.Nagulu,Osmania University.Dr. D.Narasimha Reddy, President, Chetana SocietyMr. P.Narayan Rao, EnvironmentalistMr. K.V.Narayana, CESSMr. Rashid AhmedMr. K.Narasimha Reddy, Ex-MLA (Bhuvanagiri)Mr. Praveen, SPEQLMr. N.Rajeshwar Rao, LawyerMr. R.K.Rao, IFS (R) Former PCCF, A.P.Mr. G.B.Reddy, EnvironmentalistMs. Saraswati Rao, M.S.D.Mr. A.Srinivas.Mr. Narasimham, Architect

FORUM MEMBERS, ASSOCIATED INDIVIDUALS & ORGANISATIONS.

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Mr. Solaman Raju, GAMANAMr. H.D.Srinivas.Ms. S.Kalyani.Mr. T.ChakradharMs. Champak RaoCol. N.A.KumarMr. S.R.Vijayakar.Ms. Devi Rao.Mr. S.Srinivasa Reddy, Project Director, APSAMr. Adarsh SrivastavaMr. Mahesh,Musi lifeMr. Vishnu Kumar, SPA, JNTUMr. S.Q.MasoodMohd. Kaleem AhmedMr. M.A.ThariqMr. Vipin BenjaminMr. Abhishek RichariaMr. Syed Khaled Shah ChistyMr. Murali SagarMr. Naemi FuhramannMr A. Raja Sharma

Mr. N.V.WonkarMr. P.C.MenonMr. Abbas MoosviMr. Mortuza MoosviMr. P.S.N. PrasadMs. Latha RaoMr. R. Sheshagiri RaoDr. Sarosh BastawalaMr. B. Shiva SrinivasMr. V. Yella ReddyMr. Omer KhanMr. KamalakarMs. AshwiniMr. G. Nagamohan, ArtistMs. Padma BalachandranMr. Iliyas Ahmed KhanMr. V.Dakshina MurthyMr. Mirza Zubin BeigMr. Navin ShahMrs. Meera DeshpandeMrs. A.Sita Devi

Networked:

* APNAWATAN * COVA * CHATRI * APSA * CONCERNED CITIZENS * CHETANA SOCIETY *CITIZENS’ FOR BETTER PUBLIC TRANSPORT * CHILDREN’S EDUCATION ACADEMY(CEA) * CHELIMI FOUNDATION * DECCAN DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY * DELOITTE * IAAB,Hyd * THE RIGHT TO WALK FOUNDATION * GAMANA * HYDERABAD ACTION GROUP *HELP * INTACH, HYDERABAD CHAPTER * INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERS, A.P. * JANAVIGNANA VEDIKA * MOVEMENT AGAINST URANIUM PROJECT (MAUP) * MMTSTRAVELLERS GROUP * FORUM FOR A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT * PLANETARYSOCIETY OF INDIA * SAVE ROCKS SOCIETY * TARNAKA RESIDENTIAL WELFAREASSOCIATION * TURAGA FOUNDATION * UMANAGAR RESIDENT’S WELFAREASSOCIATION * UNITED FORUM FOR RTI CAMPAIGN * FORUM FOR A BETTER VISHAKA* M.V.FOUNDATION * NAPM * UNITED FEDERATION OF RESIDENTIAL WELFAREASSOCIATIONS (U-FERWAS) * BIRD WATCHERS’ SOCIETY * SOUL * SAVE LAKES SOCIETY,Hyd * ITMC (Its Time to Make a Change) * APEC GROUP * HERITAGE WATCH * V.K.DHAGENAGAR WELFARE SOCIETY, Hyd * SAAKSHI * SPEQL

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FOREWORDBy. Mr. Vedakumar. M 8

ENVIRONMENT& DEVELOPMENT

Peak oil impact: Death of fossil fuelled cities and birth of solar cities of tomorrow by Sagar Dhara1 and T Vijayendra2 10Negawatt instead of Megawatt ! by Capt. J. Rama Rao 24Environment by Mohamed Yasin 26Every Drop Of Water Counts! by Sanghamitra Malik 28Deep Borwells Bad For Environment by Harendra Yadav 30Use Cloth Bags: Say No To Plastic Bags by B. Ramakrishna Reddy 31

HERITAGE

I am Hyderabad, I welcome you all with an open heart by Sanghamitra Malik 32Heritage Lessons to Learn by Vasant Kumar Bawa 35How Protected is Our Heritage? by Sajjad Shahid 36An Update on the Hyderabad Golf Course in Naya Qila Fort by Dr. M. Mandal 38The Spirit of Freedom & Justice? by Sajjad Shahid 47The Future Of Hyderabad’s Heritage – Involving The Civil Society by Dr. V.K.Bawa 48

WATER BODIES & LAKESCapt.J.Rama Rao’s Letter dt. 26.4.2012, to Smt. Chandana Khan, I.A.S. 51Forum’s Letter No. 507 dt. 17.4.2012 (jointly with SOUL) to the Spl. Chief Secy. YAT & C 53Save the Lakes, Save the City by S. Vishwanath 57Blame It On The Rains? by Roli Srivastava 58MISSING: 2,700 LAKES by Sudipta Sen Gupta (Times of India, Hyderabad 22-05-2012) 60URBAN PLANNING & GOVERNANCENo Estoppel: Claiming Right to the City via the Commons by Anant Maringanti 62Are the Political Parties Relevant in Urban Governance? by Dr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani 72Area Sabhas: Power to the People to Participate in Governance and Become Masters by Mazher Hussain 78It happens only in India by Sanghamitra Malik 81The Need For A Welfare Association by Capt. Manohar Sharma 84

CONTENTS

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ROCK FORMATIONSNew Rock Sites in Greater Hyderabad for Proposed Master Plan 2031 by Mrs. Frauke Quader 85Rocks – Natural Hardwares by Sanghamitra Malik 87

REPORT ON FORUM’S 11th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS on 05-06-2011 88

GLIMPSES FROM FORUM’S PAST ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS 89

STATUS OF COURT CASES FILED IN THE HIGH COURT AND PENDING AS ON 30-4-12 92

INCOME TAX APPROVAL FOR FBH u/s 80G(5)(vi) 95

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY by J. Rama Rao 96

GENERAL SECRETARY’S REPORT - by O.M.Debara 98

HINDU, HYDERABAD, June 4, 2012

Replantation of trees to be a reality soonCII, GHMC plan to start tree bank where axed trees can be stored and sold to individuals, corporates.

Imagine a place like tree bank, where you can buy a full grown tree and replant it at your house oroffice premises. Well, this is going to be a reality soon in the city.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in association with the Greater Hyderabad MunicipalCorporation (GHMC) is planning to set up a tree bank in the city to store trees that are otherwise axedduring road widening works.

The tree bank likely to be established next year is being planned so that trees can be stored,maintained and sold to corporate companies and individuals, said S. Raghupathy, Executive DirectorCII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business centre.

He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting “Promoting green and biodiversity inHyderabad” organised as part of birth centenary of Sohrabji Godrej. Other aspects of the proposed treebank pertaining to identification of land, legal formalities, equipment, etc., were being finalised, hesaid.

GHMC Special Commissioner Navin Mittal, who delivered special address at the session, said itwas essential to adopt effective methods to save greenery in the city.

He said all advertisement boards on the road medians would be removed and the place would bededicated only for planting trees and maintaining greenery.

Further, GHMC was promoting “Adopt and fund your park” among residential colony associa-tions. Already 500 municipal parks were being maintained by different colony associations and GHMCwas contributing the initial capital for such activities. It was also extending support to the associationsin maintaining parks, he added.

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Foreword

Mr. Vedakumar M.

President, Forum For A Better Hyderabad

It is twelve years since Forum For A Better Hyderabad was formed. Ever since its inception, it hascarved itself a niche as a prestigious social organisation. Despite making Hyderabad as its focus theorganisation has also been putting forth its view on environment protection in the State at appropriateoccasions. It has been the backbone for people and people-oriented social organisations.

As far as the issues so far taken up by the forum, the agenda remains the same as initiated in its earlydays. A few more issues too have joined the stream. The Forum had its upper hand in few issues. In others,the government has tightened its hold. In several other issues, the Forum has taken a via-media stand. Wehave achieved some during these last twelve years. However, some remains to be achieved. The necessityto enhance our efforts is never more acute than now.

An alien culture is holding sway on the city. Growth is welcome. It is also an imperative. At the sametime, our history, heritage and environment too are vital. Forum For A Better Hyderabad had been theoxygen for the last twelve years in the fight for these issues.

The trials for construction of Metro Rail infrastructure are going ahead in full steam. The Forumcondemns the destruction being witnessed in the name of creating this infrastructure. It questions themethods and transparency in its affairs.

People migrated from rural areas to the urban areas a few decades ago in search of employment andseveral amenities. The present situation beckons us to run away to the rural areas. Several problematicissues such as polluting Musi river, Osman Sagar and the twin water bodies of Himayat Sagar, trafficissues, public transportation system, Metro Rail project, Master Plan, tree cutting, slums, rehabilitation ofpeople, bio conservation zone have become the bane of urbanites. Forum For A Better Hyderabad hasraised its voice over several such issues.

The results in several issues has been minimal despite the untiring efforts of social organisations.People remain oblivious to their rights. They hardly make any effort to enforce their rights. Due supportis also lacking for them. Several have discarded their moral duties eons ago. Some others have turned ablind eye towards discharge of their legal duties. The government too is moving on similar lines. Theideals propounded at the highest levels are hardly been seen to be implemented at the micro level. Thelower rung administration too is tip toeing the government.

Despite such a gloomy scenario the Forum For A Better Hyderabad is putting its own effort toimprove the situation. It is continuing its crusade towards advocating the preservation of monuments,heritage sites and buildings of the 400 year old culture of Hyderabad and in carrying forward the legacy tothe forthcoming generations.

There are innumerable architectural monuments, cultural practices, skills, specialties, and unique-ness associated with the reign of Qutubshahis and Asafjahis. These cultural heritages are as vital as bloodfor a human being to exist. It is not the mere existence of human beings that reflects any particular sect. Itis its culture which lends life to that sect. If that very culture is lost it amounts to extinction of such a sect.

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That is precisely the reason why the Forum For A Better Hyderabad is emphasizing on the preservation ofhistorical monuments. It is essential to preserve those monuments at any cost. The Forum has demandeda similar view in the construction of Metro Rail too.

The Forum has demanded the government for allocation of a special budget for the day to daymaintenance of heritage buildings. It has also requested the government for creation of Urban ArtsCommission to keep check up urban aesthetics and also a panel of conservation architects and engineersfor maintenance and evaluation of heritage buildings. The Forum also proposed the government to de-clare special incentives to private people who are maintaining heritage structures. Road widening worksand other developmental works are being taken up without a proper evaluation of loss to heritage monu-ments and without exploring suitable alternatives. In several cases, prior permission from HCC is also notbeing taken. The Forum has raised its voice over such issues before the appropriate authorities.

The gap between the new and old city, between the colonies of the haves and slums of the have-notshas been persisting in Hyderabad. As a result, bias in creation of basic infrastructure has become a norm.Cities are witnessing darkness all around and no water for drinking specially the slum areas. The inhabit-ants are being continuously exposed to diseases. Fear of floods too haunts them.

Once upon a time Hyderabad prospered in the Deccan Plateau with the presence of natural andman-made water bodies and baghs (gardens). Several of these lakes and gardens are hard to find by now.Several water bodies and open spaces were subject to illegal occupation. Several others have fallen prey topollution. Consequently even the recharging of underground water too has decreased, resulting in acutedrinking water shortage in the city.

Another scourge of the city is its drainage. Developmental works, real estate boom and other miscel-laneous building activity, both on the bed of Musi river and along its banks, has enhanced the danger offloods to the city. Narrowing down the Musi river, labelling it as a drainage, ignoring the rain waterdrainages, faulty lay out and maintenance of sewerage system are also the reasons for increased danger offloods to the city. The Forum is endeavouring to highlight these issues to the government by roping inpeople and environmentalists together.

Stated simply, the Forum has adopted the several infrastructural and societal issues of the people asits own. It is making efforts to project these issues to the authorities for seeking solutions. It is endeavour-ing to educate the people matter of improving green belts. It is working jointly in this issue with thegovernment. It has been canvassing for natural clay idols for immersion in water bodies and specially inHussainsagar.

The Forum has achieved success in checking unbridled development of Golf course at Naya Quilla.It drafted residential welfare associations(RWAs) as well as students of various educational institutions aspartners in planting saplings. The Forum has toiled for the formation of Tree Protection Committee toprevent mindless felling of trees.

In a nut shell, the Forum is marching ahead by ensuring to prevail upon the government to maintaina balance between growth and heritage with an eye on environment. Youth is being given a lion’s share inour future endeavour. The Forum is trying hard to augment its membership strength. It is bending itsback to enhance its activities.

***

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Cities are energy consumers, not producers.They exist as they siphon large quantities of energysurpluses from their hinterlands. Their energy sourcehas a predominant influence on their configuration.With the fossil fuel era coming to a close withinthis century, and no viable alternative energy sourcevisible on the horizon, cities as they exist today areunsustainable. Their future depends on whetherthey can reinvent themselves radically—reduce theirenergy consumption drastically to come closer tothat of their hinterlands, and distribute energyequitably to all their residents. Cuba and transitiontowns in North nations have already begun to godown this road.

IntroductionProposition 1: Our future is in the cities. In

1900, 13% of the world’s people lived in cities, todayhalf the global population live in urban areas, andby 2050, the United Nations Population Fund(UNFPA) projects that 70% of the world’spopulation will live in cities.

Proposition 2: Hyderabad and Bengaluru arefast becoming global cities (whatever that means),and will soon become like Brisbane and SanFrancisco, their sister cities. Both cities are big ITand bio-technology centres. They export software,software personnel and pharmaceuticals to theworld.

Do these propositions hold good? They donot. Here is why.

The world’s urban population increased from0.2 billion in 1900 to 3.5 billion today, and isprojected to increase to 6.3 billion by 2050. Urbanpopulation increase between the years 1900-2012and 2012-2050 are approximately the same, about3 billion in each of these periods.

Peak oil impact: Death of fossil fuelled citiesand birth of solar cities of tomorrow

Sagar Dhara1 and T Vijayendra2

Europe and North America urbanized from17% to 75% of their population during theTwentieth Century. North nations used surplusenergy siphoned off from their rural areas and Southnations and using a very large amount of fossil fuels.During this period they also transformed their citiesfrom biomass and animate energized cities to fossilfuel energized cities.

During this period, South nations saw arelatively modest urbanization. Urban populationsgrew from about 7% of their population in 1900 to40% today. Except in some select cities, theenergizing of South nation cities by fossil fuels is farfrom complete.

Over 80% of urban growth projected tohappen between now and 2050 is expected in theSouth nations of Asia and Africa. Oil productionhas peaked (peak oil) recently, and peak gas isprojected to happen a couple of decades hence.There are no viable alternate energy sources that canreplace fossil fuels. We now no longer have themassive energy required for 70% of our 9 billionpopulation in 2050 to live in cities, or to transformHyderabad and Bengaluru into Brisbane and SanFrancisco? To understand why the abovepropositions will fail it is necessary to firstunderstand surplus energy because cities have beenbuilt using that energy.

Surplus energyAll living beings are energy seekers, users and

converters. Living beings other than humans takeonly as much as energy from nature as is requiredfor survival and reproduction. Throughout historyhumans have improved their knowledge of energyextraction and conversion and have drawn increasingamounts of energy from nature, a fraction of which

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was surplus energy.

A hundred thousand years ago, homo sapiensmoved out of Africa. For ninety thousand yearsthey hunted and gathered food and when game andwild fruits thinned, they migrated in search of moreproductive environments. Their wanderings tookthem to Eurasia first, then to Australia and lastly tothe Americas. About 12,000 years BP the colderYounger Dryas period was followed by a warminterglacial one. This was one of the two importantprerequisites for hunter gatherers to make a gradualtransition to agriculture, the other being thegeneration of surplus energy.

It is surplus energy that propelled societies fromone stage of social development to the next, eg, fromhunter-gatherer to primitive agriculture totraditional agriculture, to industrialism. As surplusenergy grew, so did society’s appetite for it. Hadenergy surplus entitlements been distributedequitably or owned socially, class society would nothave arisen, nor would the energy withdrawals haveexceeded earth’s capacity to supply it. However,social structures since slavery were fashioned to giveinequitable energy surplus entitlements to apriveleged minority.

photosynthesis. Output energy is the energycontent of the gathered food and biomass. Outputenergy exceeds input energy because solar energyused in photosynthesis comes free of energy cost,ie, no input energy is required to obtain it.

Surplus energy in the form of food and biomassfor hunter gatherers was about 10-20 times theamount of energy expended to obtain it.Consequently, they did not have to be in search offood all the time, and had spare time that was usedfor leisure and to create knowledge of energyconversion. However, the surplus energy generatedby hunter gatherers was inadequate for division oflabour to happen.

Primitive agriculture began independently inthe Middle East and China (9,000 BP) and theAmericas (4,500 BP), soon after certain plants andanimals were domesticated there. Founder cropsfrom Mesopotamia and China quickly spread to theIndus Valley and Egypt and local crops there weredomesticated as early as 8,000 BP. Surplus energysurplus ranged 20-40 times the input energy. Thecomfort of this surplus led to rudimentary divisionof labour, including between genders. Not allpersons had to harvest energy in the form of cropsand biomass; some could make implements; otherscould build shelters, etc.

Gradual improved agricultural practicesreduced the risk of crop failure, and brought abouta shift from primitive to settled agriculture by about4,000 BP. Surplus energy ranged 20 times the inputenergy during the Roman period, 40 times duringthe Middle Ages and 150 times in Early NineteenthCentury.

The Industrial Age saw a radical shift in theenergy source. Fossil fuels replaced biomass andsolar energies as the primary energy source. Fossilfuels are energy dense (coal—22-32 MJ/kg3, oil—42-46 MJ/kg, natural gas—50-52 MJ /kg), and areeasy to transport and store. Other energy sourcesdo not have the same energy density (water at 100m head 0.001 MJ/kg) and lack the storage andtransportability advantages of fossil fuels. Fossil fuels

Surplus energy is the difference between theoutput and input energy of any activity. Forexample, input energy for hunting gathering is theenergy expended for obtaining food and biomass,which is human energy (energy required formetabolism) plus solar energy required for plant

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allow larger energy throughputs to flow through theeconomy and also generate larger surplus energy.An input of 1 Joule of energy to produce fossil fuelsgives an output of 20-80 Joules, the differencebetween output and input energy being surplusenergy.

The first class society, slavery, arose around thetime settled agriculture took root and a sufficientamount of surplus energy was generated. Otherforms of class societies—feudalism and capitalism,came into existence later. All class societies are basedon the appropriation of surplus energy by the upperclasses for they claimed that since the investment (asenergy input into the economy) was their property,the product (as energy output) also is theirs, whichthis includes the surplus energy from the sun andfossil fuels that is available free-of-energy cost.

water, as happens in conquest or illegal occupation.In the last three centuries, colonial powers were ableto extract and accumulate very large quantities ofsurplus energy from their colonies by throughplantations, taxing agriculture, and extracting andusing cheap timber and fossil fuels. The BritishEmpire thrived because it harvested energy from itsvast colonies in the old and the new worlds.

Surplus energy obtained from solar energy andfossil fuels has been created by nature, thereforebelongs to it. Human ownership claims over surplusenergy is resources is unsustainable.

Energizing citiesSince ancient times, the rise of cities, and their

location, structure, functioning and collapse havebeen deeply influenced by the availability of surplusenergy.

Cities in ancient times: Ur, Kish and Urukwere some of the first cities that came into existencein ancient times (7,000 years BP) in the world’s firstcivilization in Mesopotamia. Mohenjo-Daro,Harappa, and Dholavira were built in the IndusValley 4,500 years BP. Mohenjo-Daro had apopulation of 50,000 people. The Nile Valley citiesof Thebes and Memphis were established soon afterin 3,500-2,500 years BP. Ancient America too sawthe rise of cities in Meso America and the Andesaround 5,000 BP. Around 2,700 BP, Rome andAlexandria had a population of a million each. Mostof these cities were located either in river valleys oron sea coasts

Cities of Mesopotamia

Land, water and the atmosphere indirectlyyield energy, the former two because they are hoststo plant life, and the latter because wind motionproduces energy. Land is the easiest global commonto harvest energy, so it was the first to be privatized.That happened during antiquity. Harvesting energyfrom water is a little more difficult, hence wasprivatized more recently. Harvesting energy fromair is the most difficult. Privatization of theatmosphere began with the Kyoto protocol by givingcarbon dumping wastes to North nations.

The other way to accumulate surplus energy isby forcible occupation of someone else’s land or

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Why were the first cities not built earlier?Human-edible phytomass in the wild is low indensity, and that prevented hunter gatherers fromgenerating sufficient surplus energy to supportdivision of labour. Moreover, hunter gatherers werenomadic and followed migratory game, or movedto richer pastures after exhausting older ones. Rivervalley cities had populations of 10,000-50,000 each,and were located in fertile soils along rivers, close tofarm lands which generated adequate surplus energy(food and biomass) to support them.

mud, wood, thatch and other material that couldbe obtained and worked upon with small amountsof energy. The buildings themselves were mostly 1-2 stories.

The birth of ancient cities coincidedwith the development of the first class society, ie,slavery. To maximize their energy surplusaccumulation, the upper class (slave lords)minimized input energy costs, in particular transportcosts, by bunching artifact production, trade andother functions, eg, religious, administration,knowledge generation and resource sharing as closeas possible to one another; hence the developmentof cities. Moreover, defending cities (considered ofhigh value) against marauders required lower energyinvestments in smaller boundary walls, moats andstanding armies than defending the much largerhinterlands.

Middle Age cities: The primary energy sourcesin the Middle Ages remained the same as duringthe ancient period. Additionally, wind and waterpower, which are secondary energy sources derived

Mohenjo Daro ruins

Market in ancient Bianjing

Ancient cities came into existence only duringthe Iron Age when charcoal began to be used. Theywere configured around low density energy sources(animate, biomass, solar) that were available duringthat period. Streets were wide enough forpedestrians and carts, building materials were stone,

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from solar and planetary energies, were tapped topower sail ships, wind and water mills. However,the quantities of energy generated with wind andwater were small, though not insignificant in termsof their political ramifications. Sail ships facilitatedtrade between Asia, Africa and Europe. Moresignificantly, sail ships helped Europeans colonizeAsia, Africa, Australia and America, and reap thebenefit of harvesting surplus energy from colonies.

The Middle Ages saw significantimprovements in energy conversion and conveyancetechnologies. Better iron tools and joints,windlasses, capstans, treadwheels and gearwheelsassisted in doing a host of mechanical jobs moreefficiently, eg, lifting water and heavy weights.Agriculture, though, continued to remain theprimary economic activity.

Since trade with distant places gainedimportance, cities were built on rivers, seashores,on important overland trade routes, at religious andcultural centres and political seats of power. Venice,Machilipatnam, London, Herat, Angkor Wat,Guangzhou, Reims, Ashikaga, Baghdad,Teotihuacan, Lahore, and Macchu Picchu were citiesof this period.

Roads in these cities were still just wide enoughfor pedestrians, carts and chariots. Buildings werestill made of the same materials as earlier, exceptthat better architecture, design (arches, beams) andbuilding materials allowed taller buildings to beconstructed, though the height rarely exceeded 5-6stories. Cities were slightly larger than earlier, andimproved roads and carriages allowed for them tobe better connected with one another. Cities wereinvariably walled and moated to ward off enemyarmies. The walls now had to be thicker to withstandcannon balls.

Industrial Age cities: Fossil fuels and vastlyimproved energy conversion and conveyancetechnologies launched the Industrial Age. Europeanimperialism siphoned off vast quantities of surplusenergy from Asia, Africa and the Americas. A partof this energy was used to transform Europe’smedieval cities into fossil fuel age cities. Roads were

widened for automobile use. Cities expandedlaterally eating up farmland; and vertically todizzying heights as cement concrete had the strengthto do that. Massive bridges allowed wide rivers tobe crossed easily, and aeroplanes reduced travel timebetween continents.

There are two types of cities in the IndustrialAge. The first type is located largely in Europe,North A North Industrial Age city

America and Australasia, where the transitionfrom Medieval Age cities is largely complete. Typicalexamples of North cities are: Berlin, San Francisco,Stockholm, Melbourne and Tokyo. The second typeof cities is in the developing countries in Asia, Africaand South America, where the transition is still inprogress. Rawalpindi, Bangkok, Tehran, Delhi, SaoPaulo are examples of South cities.

Per capita energy use in Eurasia and AfricaModern cities have problems of higher crime

rates, higher living costs, long commute times,growing traffic and air pollution related healtheffects, and high cost of utilities. While Europeanand North American countries have been able tosolve these problems to an extent, the new cities inthe South nations have either been unable to copewith them adequately or have been overwhelmedby them for lack of adequate financial resources (readsurplus energy).

Energy analysis of urbanizationUrban areas are net energy and life support

system consumers, rural areas are net producers: Amajor part of the energy production happens in

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hinterlands, but its consumption happens largelyin urban areas. Of the 18 Btoe4 being consumed byhumans today, over 95% is harvested, mined andproduced in hinterlands as biomass, fossil fuels,nuclear and renewable energies (wind, water, solar).

This pattern of production and consumptionis true not just for energy but also for other naturalresources, including the critical life-support systemsof land, air, water and bio-diversity. For example,water for Hyderabad city is pumped 200 km fromthe Krishna River. The carbon dioxide generatedin cities is exchanged for oxygen in forests and ruralareas. Land required for producing food, fibre andbuilding materials is largely in rural areas. Likewise,biodiversity that is so essential for the very existenceof the human species largely exists in forests andrural areas.

Power consumption is significantly higher incities: Power consumption of today’s North cities isin the range 10-100 W/m2. Current global (urban+ rural areas) power consumption is 0.55 W/m2, ie,20-200 times lower than urban consumption levels.Rural power consumption will be lower than 0.5W/m2.

Net energy transfer from rural to urban areas:Surplus energy in agriculture creates division oflabour, ie, frees a fraction of working people fromproducing food. These persons can produce othergoods, services and knowledge for society. Sincethe global outlook is to maximize gain for a few,surplus from agriculture flows to such activities thatdo this most efficiently. Since these activities arelocated in urban areas, agricultural surplus istransferred primarily to cities.

There are many ways that transfer ofagricultural surplus is transferred to cities. Privateownership of agricultural land is the most widelyused method for doing this. Since input energyinto a farm is claimed to be owned by a person, aclaim of ownership is made on the output energy,including surplus energy contained in the products.To maximize gain, surplus energy is invested in anurban area.

A second way of transferring energy is by notpaying the full energy cost for goods and servicesproduced in rural areas but consumed in urban areas.In one study, an analysis of the 1,200 MW coal-based power plant in Udupi District. Coal for theplant is imported either from other Orissa or fromabroad and 90% of the power produced is sent toBengaluru. The air pollutants are not removed andtherefore cause crop yield loss in a 25 Km radiusaround the plant. When yield loss was convertedinto net primary production6 (NPP) loss, it wasfound that the loss farmers in a 25 Km suffered aloss equal to 10% of the plant’s power7 generationcapacity, ie, 120 MW. By not expending energy toclean up their pollutants, but by dumping them onthe environment, the power plant was in effectcausing an energy loss to the local farmers, andindirectly causing a gain for the urban area that itwas largely servicing.

If the polluter pays principle, which holds forIndia as well, is followed, this power plant shouldbe located in Cubbon Park in the middle ofBengaluru city. Where is there environmental justicein the farmers of Udupi suffering crop yield lossesin order for Bengaluru to benefit?

A 1,000 MW thermal power plant usingIndian coal generates 9 MTPA8 of carbon dioxideper year, requiring 12,000 km2 of forest area tosequester. Andhra Pradesh (AP) has a coal-basedthermal generation capacity of about 8,100 MW,which requires 100,000 km2 of forest land tosequester its carbon emissions. Fifty seven percentof the power generated in the state (urbanpopulation 33%) is consumed by cities, requiring57,000 km2 of forest land (90% of the 63,800 km2

of forests in the state) to sequester the carbon dioxidegenerated by the power plants.

Hinterlands downstream of cities, particularlyin South nations, often get untreated city sewage,which impacts their health, livestock, fish and crops.By not paying effluent cleanup costs or rectifyingthe downstream impact, cities save energy, whichthe hinterland pays for either in cleanup costs ordegraded environments and health impacts.

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Hayatnagar, a downstream settlement to Hyderabadsuffers because of Hyderabad’s environmentaldumping.

Urban power consumption is higher than allenergy sources except fossil fuels and nuclear energies:Historically, the power consumption density in citieshas been limited by the power density of its energysources. Global average net primary production(NPP) for all biomass is 0.47 W/m2, and for cropsis 0.4 W/m2. Power production in rural areas wouldbe a shade lower for crops in the ancient andmedieval periods. The power consumption inancient and medieval cities that were dependent onbiomass, animate and solar energies were thereforelow. Fossil fuels power production density is of theorder of 1-2 kW/m2, an order of magnitude threetimes more than that of biomass. Today’s Northcities therefore have a power consumption densityof 10-100 W/m2. Such power densities can onlybe supported by energy-dense fossil fuels. The olderenergy sources cannot support today’s North cities.Nor can renewable energy sources support today’scities as power production densities of renewableare significantly lower by an order of magnitude ofthree when compared with fossil fuels: solar—30-35 W/m2; geothermal, wind and hydrogeneration—5-15 W/m2.

Cities distribute their energy unevenly: Barringa few odd exceptions, cities, since ancient times,distributed their energy resources unevenly,reflecting a bias in favour of the rich. They got thelion’s share of city’s energy investments in the formof infrastructure, etc, whereas the poor got the least.The poorer parts of a city were more polluted, dirtyand unsafe than the richer parts. Fifty percent ofMumbai’s population that lives in slums has to besatisfied with poor transport infrastructure,sanitation, public parks, water and power supply,whereas those that live in downtown rich areas likeMalabar Hill are well serviced with broad roads,good sanitation, power and water supply.

Power production and consumption densities

Power production and consumption densities

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Energy cost of cities: Assuming that the averagepower consumption of North and South cities are80 and 40 W/m2, respectively, and the average globalfarmland NPP is 0.4 W/m2, North and South citieswould require all the biomass energy (leavingnothing for those who live off this land) generatedon croplands that are 200 and 100 times the area ofthese cities.

Metropolitan Hyderabad with an area of 250km2 requires all the energy produced on 25,000 km2

of rural AP land. Since only 33% of Hyderabad’senergy consumption is biomass, biomass energyfrom 8,250 km2 of rural AP land is required tosupport Hyderabad. Hyderabad occupies less than0.1% of AP’s land, but requires the biomass energyproduced on 4.3% of the state’s rural area9.Projecting this analysis to all of urban AP, biomassproduced on 18% of the state’s rural areas will fulfillthe biomass energy requirements of the state’s cities.

Had all of urban AP been energy consumerslike North cities, 36% of AP’s rural area would berequired to meet the state’s urban population’sbiomass requirement. Since AP urbanization ratio(33.4%) is quite similar India’s (31%), the abovestatement would hold good for India as a whole.

The world’s urban areas occupy an area of400,000 km2 (<1% of the earth’s land mass), butconsume 80% (@50 W/m2) of the world’s energyconsumption of 18 Btoe per annum. One third ofglobal urban energy consumption is biomass, ie, 5Btoe/yr. This is the energy contained in all thebiomass produced on 16.6 mill km2 of rural areas,ie, 33% of the world’s rural areas. The percent ruralland required to provide biomass energy to theworld’s cities is higher than that required by AP citiesis because energy consumption of North cities issignificantly higher than that of South cities.

Some simple projections illustrate why furtherurbanization is unsustainable. If UNFPA’s 70%urban population projection in 2050 is valid, of allthe biomass on 85% of the world’s rural areas wouldbe required to satisfy urban biomass demand in205010. Where then do rural people and otherspecies get their biomass energy from?

City icons to establish superiority: From theziggurats the ancient Sumerians built to the EifelTower built in the late Nineteenth Century, citieshave consistently created icons to create theperception of awe and superiority in hinterlandpopulations so that they could continue toappropriate surplus energy.

Cities epitomize anthropocentric and gainmaximization for few: Cities epitomize the twoglobal outlooks that have had a major influence onhuman history in the last 5,000 years. City dwellersare not generally in touch with nature and this aidsin developing an attitude that they are apart fromnature. That cities can extract 33% of NPP fromrural areas indicates that nature is meant to be usedfor the enjoyment of humans, particularly citydwellers.

Cities are a good device to maximize surplusenergy accumulation in private hands as theyminimize energy cost of goods and services,particularly of transport cost, by concentratingvarious functions in one place. Cities serve the “Gainmaximization for few” outlook well. And in doingso, they even destroy their natural heritage like theyhave done to lakes and unique natural rockformations around Hyderabad.

Consequences of energy overdraw andinequity

Humans have overdrawn on the Earth’scapacity to deliver energy and natural resources. Wenow require 1.5 Earths in order to satiate our energyneeds. We have dipped into the Earth’s naturalcapital rather than learnt to live off its interest; forinstance, rather than using only rainfall foragriculture, we are using increasing amounts ofgroundwater, thus lowering groundwater levels each

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year. Rampant environmental degradation(pollution, freshwater depletion, etc) around theworld and global warming are manifestations of this.

Oil is getting over. This phenomenon isknown as peak oil, ie, global oil production is peakingas new oil finds have been few and far between inthe last few decades, and gas will also peak in a coupleof decades.

The consequences of the massive fossil fuel useare beginning to be understood only now. Globalwarming is one of them. Despite a lot of publicdiscussion in the last few years, global warmingimpacts are yet to be understood properly.

Historically, those responsible for the energyoverdraw are Europe, North America, Australasia,Japan, Russia, and the very rich (even though theywere small in number) in developing countries.Carbon emissions data since the industrialrevolution correlates very well with fossil fuelconsumption. Historical carbon emissions (seefigure on historical emissions) can be interpreted asbeing representative of fossil fuel consumption.Europe was able to consume large quantities ofenergy as they were able to siphon surplus energyfrom their African and Asian colonies. NorthAmerica was able to do the same by initially tappingits own vast resources, and subsequently by buyingoil cheaply from other countries though unequalexchange.

A far less understood consequence iscivilization collapse. The collapse of many pastcivilizations—Roman, Mayan, Polynesian—can betraced to energy overdraws. Each of these collapsesremained specific to one civilization. Today theworld is globalized and tightly integrated. Aneconomic slowdown in one part of the world causedby an energy shortage could very quickly spread toother countries, as happened in 2008. And if thecrisis is sufficiently severe, it could lead to a globaleconomic meltdown.

The world has coal reserves to last another 100years. But, if coal were to replace oil and gasconsumption, global warming would happen evenfaster. For every toe of energy delivered, coal emitstwice the CO

2 that oil does, and more than 2.5 times

that gas emits.

Neither green nor nuclear energies are capableof replacing fossil fuels. Green energies have a 0.5-2.5 EROEI11, whereas fossil fuels have a 20-80EROI. The significantly higher energy density offossil fuels allows them to yield more energy for every

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joule of energy invested in producing them.Moreover, the environmental costs (cost of injuryto human health, crops, forests, water bodies, etc),of fossil fuels are not paid for, making them verycheap. As for nuclear power plants, there is uraniumore sufficient only to power the current nuclearreactors for another 80 years. Moreover, they haveintractable safety and waste disposal problems.

The average per capita annual non-biomassenergy consumption is a little over 1.7 toe/yr forthe world as a whole; for North America it is 8.1toe/yr, Western Europe 4 toe/yr, Central Africa 0.3toe/yr, South America 1.1 toe/yr, South Asia 0.5toe/yr, and India 0.4 toe/yr. Clearly, it is people inthe developed countries that are consumingsignificantly more than those in the developingcountries.

All human conflict is fundamentally driven byhuman perception of the potential difference in theaccess and control of energy between people. Thisexplains class, gender, race, caste, conflicts, as wellas conflicts between nations. In the last century,three types of conflicts—interstate, colonial and civilwars were responsible for 100 million deaths.

To avoid civilization collapse due to energyoverdraw and conflict due to inequitable distributionof energy, two measures need to be adopted:

● Powering down non-biomass energyconsumption to about 40% of its currentconsumption of 12 Btoe/year, includingbiomass energy, and in future relying on solarenergy for our needs.

● Moving towards energy equity.

If both these steps were implemented today,the per capita energy available would be no morethan what was available in the Eighteenth Century.

The opening propositions do not hold good

Let us examine the validity of the twopropositions we started with:

● With 70% of the global population becomingurban by 2050, our future is in cities.

To create the necessary urban infrastructure foran additional 2.25 billion people to live in Southcities and 0.5 billion people to live in North citieswould require an energy investment of 1.23 Btoe/year or about 10% of the total fossil fuels consumedannually today. With oil supply stagnating at around85 Mb/d since 2005, despite oil price increasing,the energy source for future urbanization to sustainitself is moot.

Per capita primary energy consumption(otherthan biomass)

Region toe/yrCentral Africa 0.34Northern Africa 0.69Southern Africa 1.18Australia-New Zealand 5.56Central Asia 3.43NW Pacific + East Asia 1.28South Asia 0.49SE Asia 0.73Central Europe 1.81Eastern Europe 3.49Western Europe 3.86Caribbean 1.11Meso America 1.29South America 1.13North America 8.08Arabian Peninsula 3.62Mashriq 1.23

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● Hyderabad will upgrade to be like a North city.

To upgrade Hyderabad to become like a northcity requires an energy investment of about 12Mtoe12, which would cost approximately Rs 150,000crores, which is slightly greater than APGovernment’s 2012-13 budget. Where canHyderabad get this money from?

Cities must re-invent themselvesGiven the impending energy crisis, cities will

not have the necessary energy surplus to sustainthemselves. They will not disappear overnight, butwill perforce shrink. If such a downsizing is not tobe chaotic, it is better to plan it from now. Some ofthe fundamental issues for cities are:

● Cities should plan their shrink so that they donot to exceed a population of 500,000.

● Cities should distribute energy evenly acrossall its residents to avoid the risk of conflictbetween various sections of its residents.

● The difference in the per capita energyconsumption of city and rural people shouldbe narrowed significantly.

● Cities must plan to configure themselves onthe future energy source, ie, solar energy.

● South cities in will never have the resources(energy and financial) to complete thetransition to becoming like North cities. It isbest to abandon the attempt to make thattransition right away and begin the transitionto becoming solar cities.

● Urban environmentalism perforce requiresraising issues of environmental injustice thatcities have done to their hinterlands, and theneed to correct it.

Cities in transitSeveral scores of cities and rural communities

all over the world are beginning to make localchanges to meet the challenge of peak oil. They areknown by different names—ecological villages,transition towns, post carbon cities. In India toomany urban initiatives are taking place. This story,

however, must begin with Cuba where many of theinitiatives we are talking about took place about twodecades ago.

Cuba: “Peak oil” hit Cuba in 1989—in anartificial manner—because there was no oil shortagethen. The Soviet Union had begun to collapse andCuba petroleum imports dried up. US embargoagainst Cuba did not permit imports from othersources.

Cuba’s response is an inspiration to the rest ofthe world. First, a nation-wide call was given toincrease food production by restructuringagriculture. It involved converting fromconventional large-scale, high input monoculturesystems to smaller scale, organic and semi-organicfarming systems. The focus was on using low costand environmentally safe inputs and relocatingproduction closer to consumption centres to cuttransport costs.

A spontaneous decentralized movement tosetup urban farms was born. By 1994, more than8,000 city farms were created in Havana alone.Front lawns of municipal buildings were dug up togrow vegetables. Offices and schools cultivated theirown food. Many of the gardeners were retired men.Women played a larger role in agriculture in citiesthan they did in rural areas. By 1998, an estimated541,000 tons of food were produced in Havana.Food quality improved as people had access to agreater variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. Someneighbourhoods produced as much as 30% of theirfood.

The growth of urban agriculture was largelydue to the State’s initiative. New planning lawsplaced the highest priority on food production.Licenses were granted to convert unused urban landinto farms, and resources were made available toaspiring urban farmers. This helped in convertinghundreds of vacant urban spaces into foodproducing plots. Another successful device was theopening of farmers markets that allowed direct saleof farm produce by farmers to consumers.Deregulation of prices combined with high demand

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for fresh farm produce in the cities allowed urbanfarmers to generate two to three times the incomeof rural farmers.

When oil supply stopped in 1990,transportation in Cuba ground to a near halt. Nocars ran; public conveyance collapsed; and the streetswere empty. People walked. In the early-1990s,Cuba imported 200,000 Chinese bicycles. Truckswere converted to buses by simply welding steps atthe back and adding a skeletal frame of rods and acanopy. The concept was refined into the‘Camellone’ (The Camel), Cuba’s mass transit bus.Built on a long chassis vehicle, it could accommodate250 persons. For shorter distances cycles and autorickshaws were used. In smaller towns, horse drawnor even mule drawn ‘cabs’ were used. Car-poolingand ride sharing became common. Designatedgovernment officials in yellow uniforms were giventhe right to pull over even government vehicles andseat people in need of transport.

Transition towns: Transition towns are a morerecent phenomenon. It is a grassroots network ofcommunities that are working to build resilience inresponse to peak oil, climate destruction, andeconomic instability. Transition towns is a brandfor environmental and social movements founded(in part) on the principles of permaculture basedon Bill Mollison’s work titled, Seminalpermaculture—A designers manual (1988) and DavidHolmgren’s book, Permaculture: Principles andpathways beyond sustainability (2003). Thetechniques in these books were included in a studentproject overseen by permaculture teacher RobHopkins at the Kinsale Further Education Collegein Ireland. Two of his students, Louise Rooney andCatherine Dunne, set about developing thetransition towns concept and took the far-reachingstep of presenting it to the Kinsale Town Council,resulting in the historic decision by councilors toadopt the plan to work towards energy independenceof the town. The transition towns movement is anexample of socioeconomic localization.

The concept was then adapted and expandedin Hopkins’ hometown of Totnes. The initiative

spread quickly, and as of May 2010, there are over400 communities recognized as official transitiontowns in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada,Australia, New Zealand, the United States, Italy, andChile. The term transition towns has morphed intotransition initiatives to reflect the range and type ofcommunities involved.

Central to the transition town movement isthe idea that a life without oil could in fact be farmore enjoyable and fulfilling than the present: “byshifting our mind-set we can actually recognize thecoming post-cheap oil era as an opportunity ratherthan a threat, and design the future low carbon ageto be thriving, resilient and abundant-somewheremuch better to live than our current alienatedconsumer culture based on greed, war and the mythof perpetual growth.”

An essential aspect of transition in many placesis that the outer work of transition needs to bematched by inner transition. That is in order tomove down the energy ladder effectively, we needto rebuild our relations with ourselves, with eachother and with the “natural” world. That requiresfocusing on the heart and soul of transition.

A key concept in transition is the idea of acommunity-versioned, community-designed andcommunity-implemented plan to proactivelytransition the community away from fossil fuels.The term “community” in this context includes allthe key players—local people, local institutions, localagencies and local councils. By 2010, transitioninitiatives have created a series of local currencies intransition towns including the Totens pound, theLewes pound, as well as the Brixton pound inLondon.

Urban IndiaIndia has an urban population of over 300

million, greater than the population of USA, or forthat matter, greater than any country except China.Urban India lives in 400 urban agglomerates, 35 ofthe largest ones having a population of over a millioneach and a total population of 180 million. Threemega cities—Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi have more

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than 10 million residents each. Hyderabad andBengaluru, have more than 5 million each.

It is easier to tackle the problems of the 120million people who live in the 365 urbanagglomerates of less than a million each. On theother hand, many groups and individuals in themega cities are more aware and have the resourcesto initiate alternative programmes. And they canhelp groups and residents in smaller towns. Onlyin the mega cities has restructuring to suit cheapfossil fuel occurred in a significant way—wide tarredroads, suburbia, etc, though remains incomplete.One third or more of the population of these cities(in Mumbai it is more than half the population)live in slums, poorly serviced by amenities such asproper roads, drinking water and sanitation.

Changes required for a fossil fuel-free societyare far easier and cheaper to put into place in Indiaand in other developing countries than in thedeveloped countries. On the other hand publicawareness on these issues is low and is not able toeffectively influence government policy or evenaction by local bodies. So the changes that will beginto happen will come as a response to the acuteproblems that people face. These responses will bein the form of greater use of rain water harvesting,fuel efficient stoves, bicycles, cycle rickshaws, animaldrawn vehicles. Solid waste management is probablythe only area where city wide policy interventionwill be possible.

Roof top rain water harvesting has been widelytalked about, but implementation has been slow. Itis the most promising area of activity for creation ofgreen jobs and green entrepreneurship. Rain waterharvesting need not be limited to rooftops. Itinvolves tree planting in cities, restoring tank andponds and in general what is called ‘urban watershed management.’

Starting with Magan Chulha, fuel efficientstoves have existed since the 1950s. The problem isthat they are initially a bit expensive, and requireproper knowledge of their use and maintenance.People with means have alternatives like gas. The

long term solution is to increase equality in society,have abundant fuelwood by planting fuel wood trees,have community kitchens and install large reflector-type solar cookers for large kitchens.

The urban garden movement too has caughton with relatively modern and affluent urban people.There are e-groups, training programmes and guidebooks in most big cities. Poor people, whereverpossible do manage to grow whatever is possible.

Bicycles are beginning to make a genuinecomeback. Better cycles are now available. On theother hand city planners are still governed by fossilfuel lobby and the convenience of private carsdominates. Indian cities are highly short onpedestrian footpaths and bicycle lanes.

In Vellore in Tamil Nadu a zero wastemanagement programme has been successfullycarried out. Several municipalities all over thecountry are trying it out. This coupled with anti-plastic movement is slowly changing the face ofurban India.

Political hurdlesThere is lack of awareness and political will in

India to transit to fossil fuel free cities. Such a transitrequires the making of local decisions and theimplementation of local solutions. But localinstitutions and grassroots democracy are yet weakin India. Indian politics—left, centre and right—since independence has concentrated on capturingcentral power. These ideas require anarchistinputs—ideas that opposing power in all forms, localdirect democracy and local self-management.

Historical roots of town planning in IndiaMany of the ideas discussed above have roots

dating back to a hundred years. In urban planning,as Peter Hall says in ‘Cities of Tomorrow’, we mustbegin with Patrick Geddes. Geddes was pioneer inpeople centric urban and regional planning. ‘Townplanning is not mere place-planning, nor even work-planning. If it is to be successful it must be folk-planning.’ Geddes introduced the ‘DiagnosticSurvey’, ‘Conservative Surgery’ (as against

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demolition), planning for health and planning foropen spaces and trees. He influenced town plannersall over the world. Lewis Mumford and TheRegional Planning Association of America and itsjournal ‘The Survey’ played an important part inspreading his ideas.

Patrick Geddes was in India between 1915-19and carried out some 60 town planning exercises.A book, ‘Patrick Geddes in India’ was reprinted sowe have access to most of his ideas.

A quote from Patrick Geddes is an appropriateway to end this article: ‘Town planning … shouldstart by the development in youth of a civicconsciousness, working up through a knowledge ofthe immediate locality and city to a larger and mostgeneral grasp of their problems. … There is,therefore, a great need of public co-operation; of anever-increasing body of active citizens who will nolonger leave all maters to official authority but workwith the municipal representatives.’

References

● Hall, P, 1988. Cities of Tomorrow, BasilBlackwell.

● Humphries, P L, 2007. Patrick Geddes inIndia, 1947, Select Books, Bangalore.

● http://www.downtoearth.org.in/content/foot-pedal

● http://zerowastemanagement.org.in/index.php

● ‘Plastic bags bigger threat than atom bombs:Supreme Court’, Deccan Herald, May 8, 2012.

● Smil, V, 2008. Energy in nature and society,MIT Press.

● The RPAA Manifesto. 1925. The Survey,Journal of RPAA.

● Vijayendra, T, 2010. Regaining Paradise:towards a fossil fuel free society.

● Wikipedia, Transition Towns.

Footnotes :1 Sagar Dhara belongs to the most rapacious predator tribe

that stalked the earth—humans, and to a net destructivediscipline—engineering, that has to take more than afair share of the responsibility for bringing earth andhuman society to tipping points. You can write to himat: sagdhara@gmail.com

2 T Vijayendra trained as an engineer. He supports severalpro-poor and environment-friendly causes. His emailid is t.vijayendra@gmail.com

3 Joule (J) and calorie (cal) are measures of energy. 1 cal =4.2 J. Kcal = Kilo (103) cal. MJ/kg is Mega (106) Joulesper kilogram

4 Btoe-Billion tons of oil equivalent. 1 Ton of oil equivalent(toe) = 42 Giga (109) Joules

5 Assumptions: Global energy consumption = 18 GJ/a, ofwhich 1/3rd is from biomass. Global cropped area =15.3 mill km2, woodland/grassland = 34.4 mill km2,urban areas = 0.4 mill km2, forest land = 39.9 mill km2,other land (inland water bodies, deserts, polar areas,uninhabited lands) = 44.1 mill km2. Only the first threeland use categories were used for computing the world’spower consumption (Source for land use area-FAO).

6 NPP is mass or energy in biomass and is expressed asKg/m2 (if NPP is expressed as mass) or Kcal/m2 (if NPPis expressed as energy)

7 Power is defined as the energy consumption or generationper unit time. 1 Watt (W) = 1 Joule/second

8 Million tons per annum

9 AP has an area of a little less than 275,000 km2, 70% ofwhich is rural (farm + pasture + wood lands)

10 Presuming that energy consumption will increase at thecurrent energy growth rate, ie, 2.25% per annum, andthat land under crops, woods and pastures remains thesame as today. In 2050, urban areas would require 12.75Btoe of biomass energy, which is the entire biomassenergy produced on 42.33 mill km2

11 EROEI is Energy released for energy invested. AnEROEI of 20 indicates that one unit of energy is requiredto explore, mine, refine and deliver 20 units of energy.A negative EROEI, as is the case with some bio-fuels,means that more energy has to go into making anddelivering them that the energy they will yield. A lowEROEI makes the energy source unattractive.

12 Assuming that energy cost of the upgrade requires 0.12Mtoe/km2 on 100 km2.

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Planning Commission Integrated EnergyPolicy

The Expert Committee Report of August 2006on “Integrated Energy Policy” points out thatlowering of energy intensity of GDP Growth,through higher efficiency, is important, as unit ofelectrical energy saved by user is greater than a unitproduced. Thus a “NEGAWATT” produced byreduction of energy consumption, has more valuethan the “MEGAWATT” generated. It furtherpoints out that by aggressive pursuit of energyefficiencies & conservation, it is possible to reduceenergy intensity up to 25% from current levels. Thereport further states that most importantly Indiamust pursue Technologies that maximize EnergyEfficiency.

Inefficiencies in existing Power SectorThe fact is, “It takes energy to make energy”.

In the case of coal based TPPs, the energy isExtracted from Coal and Converted (Thermal-Mechanical-Electrical) to Electrical Energy. It isestimated that by using Subcritical technologyboilers and the steam turbine-generator sets, theefficiency of Extraction and Conversion to Electricalenergy from Coal is hardly 33% and it may go upto around 40% even by using Supercriticaltechnology boilers.

Taking into account, auxiliary consumption ofTPPs, T&D Losses (20%) and the inefficient useof Electrical Energy by the end users (PotentialSaving of 25%), the percentage of the actual energyeffectively utilized comes down drastically. Atpresent, the overall efficiency, of extraction andconversion of Coal Energy to Electrical Energy andits transportation & the end use, may work out tobe around 20 to 25%.

Negawatt instead of Megawatt !Capt. J. Rama Rao VSM; FIE

Indian Navy (Retd)

Stop Capacity Addition (Megawatt)Syndrome!

While about 80% of coal energy is being lostin the system, should the addition of Coal basedTPPs be continued, unmindful of their socio-economic & environmental impacts and their costsand with out giving a thought and priority, forimproving the efficiencies in Transportation (SupplySide Management) & the End Use (Demand SideManagement) Sectors of electrical energy, which ismore cost effective?

The linking of energy consumption/supplywith the growth rate embodied the Myth thateconomic vitality requires steadily increasing energyconsumption. The Nation’s Energy Security dependson efficient use of Energy Services that maximizeeconomic competitiveness & minimizeenvironmental degradation / impacts. It is suicidal,trying to add generation capacity and feeding intoinefficient network and to cater for energy inefficientend usage, with the sole object of sustaining targetedannual growth rate of high energy intensity, whileabout 40 % of population have no access to power.

Any capacity additions, without improving, theperformance/efficiency of the power sector utilitiesby suitable SSM Measures and the energy efficiencyby DSM Measures, is like pouring water into a potwith holes, going down the drain. Beforeundertaking massive increase of installed capacitiesat huge financial costs and enormous adverseenvironmental and social impacts, it is worthconsidering by the Planning Commission, foradequate investments, if required by PPP; in SSMand DSM measures as “Energy Conservation” is thefastest and the cheapest way of making availableClean Energy.

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SSM & DSM Measures (Negawatt)It is a better option to bring down the energy

intensity by energy efficiency measures and tosuppress the demand, through cost effective & eco-friendly technological innovations. The Supply SideManagement (SSM) Measures, for bringing downT&D Losses estimated to be around 20% andimprovement of network Power Factor toInternational standards by the Power Utilities needto be given the highest priority. At present themetered and billed energy is estimated to be lessthan 50% of the energy handled by the powerutilities. As a result the bulk of the energy generatedby the Power Plants is not reaching the consumers /not being metered and billed.

Whatever the energy received by the consumersand billed, is being wasted, partly due to energyinefficient devices, appliances, equipment, process,technology, practices, life-styles etc. used / adoptedby the consumers. It is estimated that there is energysaving potential to an extent of 25% by adoptingsuitable/appropriate Demand Side Management(DSM) Measures. (Agriculture 36%, Industry 25%and Commercial& Domestic 20%)

Renewables & Energy SecurityIn view of local environmental & Global

Warming impacts of fossil fuels, particularly Coal,it is the right time to lean towards alternate energysources such as Solar, Wind, Fuel Cell & otherRenewables on a decentralized basis, rather thanthrough centralized, large size units based on Coal& Nuclear. They can cater for local consumers,independent of the grid and feed excess power intothe grid. The stand alone Solar-LED Lighting systemmay be a viable substitute for subsidized kerosenein remote rural areas. The grid interactive Roof-TopSolar PV systems with net-metering facility may bea viable option, as it does not place any pressure onalready scarce land resource.

Taking into account the Economic Costs ofCoal Based Power and Nuclear Power—A VeryExpensive, Sophisticated and Dangerous Way toBoil Water— which should include all benefits andcosts incurred for the Society, during their entirelife cycle, the Solar Power may prove to be cheapereven today.

“Electricity is but the fleeting byproduct ofNuclear Power. The actual product is forever deadlyRadio Active Waste”.

Sustainable City ManifestoThe sustainable city has to respect natural environmental assets, conserve

resource use, and minimize impacts on the local and wider naturalenvironment; its responsibilities stretch beyond the city boundaries. Itinvolves radical change where individuals are encouraged to take on more;environmental assets and impacts are distributed more equitably than atpresent. It is a learning and internationally networked city; it need not bean idealized version of past, nor cast off its own identities in the name ofthe latest passing fad for wholesale urban change; it should presenttremendous opportunities for enhancing environmental quality at local,regional and global scales. (Haughton & Hunder, Sustainable Cities,London, Jessica Kingsley, 1994)

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And Almighty created,the earth, mountains, rivers and oceansand humans,to live and make practical, worth while use of his creation,his nature and his environment.

Land to toil, rivers to irrigate, forests, trees and plants to growand to produce,to prosper , to live in harmony and add sheen tohis creation, his nature & his environment.

He gave us sense to relish his creation,a mind to judge, eyes to see & ears to hear.He also gave us ambitions, desires and greedto lead a competitive life.

Alas,human greed has superseded and started interfering inhis creation, his nature & his environment.Today’s human is devoid of satisfaction & contentment.His quest for luxury living has made him to adopt harmful waysand means and factors leading to ruin,his creation, his nature & his environment.Supersonic jets, speed, automobiles, electronics, factories, industries,emissions, exhaust, gas, oil, fumesand end result,Harmful substances pumped in to the atmosphere, pollutingGod’s creation, his nature & his environment .Lets understand and accept that the earth is losing its cool.Global warming is not a myth,Recent eruptions of dormant volcanoesand unheard tsunamis, are enough proofs thatNature has rightfully shown its wrath for meddling withhis creation & his environment.

Air missiles, missiles carrying nuclear weapons, nuclear bombs,weapons of mass destruction, eliminate them.Let not even history talk about them.

Environment

Mohamed Yasin

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Lets not take our existence for granted,Tampering with laws of nature will destroy,his creation & his environment.Heart rendering scenes of Nagasaki are still haunting us,Bhopal’s misery has not been forgottenChernobyl is fresh in our minds,The mayhem of the spill of Gulf of Mexico,Killing millions of marine species has not yet gone in to oblivionAndthe disaster in Fukushima happened only yesterday.Lets not repeat these carnages & these massacres,Lest the globe explodes.Lets protect, save his creation,his nature & his environment.Lets wake up, come out of deep slumber, And realize the truth,Let the international communitymake a commitment to create a conducive environmentfor us & for our children,For to day and for tomorrow,Let there be peace, tranquility, harmony, love & brotherhood.Let there be unstinted endeavour to havea clean, healthy & unpolluted environment.Let there be environment as environment should be,Lets preserve god’s creation, his nature & his environment !

““mat dakhal andazi karo khuda ke banaye gaye nizam meingoya hum barbad na ho jayen,khuda ke banaye gaye wasul aur kayedon par amal karo,taki hamara aaj aur hamara kal aabad ho jaye””

“The large protected areas around Hyderabad- Mahavir HarinVanasthali, Jawahar Mrigyavani Park, Chilkur Deer Park, BrahmanandaReddy National Park (within the city), Nehru Zoological Park, PublicGarden, Sanjivaya Park, and Indira Park are places where one can seehundreds of varieties of birds, both resident and migratory.” – Extractsfrom Mr. Siraj A Taher’s article in FBH Annual 2001-2002. Is there anychange in the last ten years?

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There are about 1.4 thousand million cubickilometers of water on this earth. It covers morethan 70 % of the earth’s surface. Water iseverywhere. Yet, only 3 % of the earth’s water is freshand three fourths of the fresh water is frozen inglaciers and icecaps.

We use and reuse water over and over againbut you will be surprised to know that water is neverused up. It can never disappear or be lost. It doesnot even make more of itself. The most importantthing to remember is that the water that we havenow is all that we had earlier and shall ever have.

Besides the water that we use and get to see,there is water hanging in the air, in our body’s cellsand flowing through our veins. It is passing throughthe water pipes in our cities and towns and also deepbelow the ground. Every living thing consists mostlyof water. Water also controls the temperature of theearth.

Where did all the great civilizations of theworld begin? They always started and flourished inthe valleys of rivers. They built large irrigationsystems, made the land productive and theyprospered. When the supply in some of those riversdried up owing to being poorly managed, thecivilizations died down. People have fought overwater. In future, there will be greater wars over wateras our demands for water is continually increasingwith the increase in population. 97% of the wateris in the sea and oceans and is unfit for using as it isfar too salty. Some countries have put up desalinationplants to take the salt out of sea water. But,desalination plants are expensive and also use uphuge amounts of energy and are recommended onlyas the very last option.

Almost every drop of water that we useeventually goes back to the ocean. It gets evaporated

Every Drop Of Water Counts!

Sanghamitra Malik

and falls back as rain. Water gets used and reusedbut never gets used up. Water changes only fromone form to another and also from one place toanother.

Although only one fourth of the 3 % of freshwater on earth is available to us for our use, it isactually sufficient to meet people’s needs. Yet, manyplaces like our city of Hyderabad and Secunderabadhave water shortage. It does not rain evenly overthe earth. The same region may get normal rainsometimes and scanty at some other time. A placewhich usually gets normal rain may suddenly getscanty rainfall and yet another area may get flooded.But, some regions like Hyderabad have watershortage also because the agencies as well as themembers of the public have managed their watersupply very poorly!

Besides being used for domestic consumption,very large quantities of water is being used, forproducing electricity and more and more factoriesare using for various purposes. The cities andfactories are found to dump their waste into riversand lakes completely polluting them. It is foundthat sometimes there is enough water but owing tolack of storage facilities like adequate storage tanksand pipelines for distribution to all areas, peopleare suffering and are unable to get water for theirbasic needs.

Shortage of fresh water has become a majorproblem for people from time to time. Actually thetotal amount of water on this earth is enough for allour needs but the earth’s water is distributedunevenly. Some places have floods, some havedrought and some have normal rainfall. Thesituation also changes from one year to the other.However, water problem has also been created bymismanaging the water supply.

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We have also seen that people even try to getmore water by trying to ‘make rain’. They even prayto Rain Gods. Chemicals are sprayed on to theclouds for the process called cloud-seeding to releasethe rain from the clouds!

Earlier the population was less and the use ofwater for various purposes was less. Water tariffswere lower and water was available cheaply. Peoplehave been careless over the years and wasted plentyof water. A lot of untreated sewage too has beendumped into rivers and lakes polluting the water.

When people pay a fixed amount for water,no matter how much they use, they tend to bewasteful. Leaky taps are also not repaired promptly.Water pipes on the road are not repaired at theearliest, when they are found leaking, to preventwastage of water. The staff in the water- works, seethe leakage but pass by without taking action fordays together.

Since, water which was earlier available inplenty and at low cost has become scarce, water willbe available in future for a very high price. Reusingof water has today become necessary. Manyindustries are reusing water.

To manage water better, even sewage waterneeds to be treated and used for certain purposeslike in farms, factories and watering lawns and golfcourses. It is necessary to replace lawns with plantsthat need less water. Rain water harvesting has beenmade mandatory for all apartment buildings in thecity of Hyderabad since 2001. Arresting themaximum quantity of water from the terrace floor

and all around the compound has become necessary.

Water is available only from rivers and lakesand from underground. In cities, water is used notonly for household purposes but a much largerquantity is used for transportation, recreation, infactories , in hotels, restaurants, in offices and incommercial buildings.. Water is also used in largequantities for fighting fire, for watering domesticgardens and plants and trees on the roadside andlawns and plants in parks.

Water is a very common substance. But atthe same time, it is such an unusual substance.Water can do so many things that no othersubstance can. It is the only liquid which trulyquenches our thirst. We can survive without foodfor days or weeks but not without water. It is onlywater which is available in three forms as liquid,as solid and as gas.

The challenge today is to make the best use ofwater. The population and the industries aregrowing. Though there is water, it has beendistributed unevenly. There is massive wastage ofwater and pollution with domestic and industrialwaste of water bodies.

People have to realize that water is extremelyprecious. Every drop of water counts. People haveto stop taking bath in bath tubs and letting the waterrun while brushing their teeth or washing dishes aswell as clothes. The day is not far when it will benecessary to strictly ration water. Nations have tocooperate with one another to solve our mammothwater problems.

Stop at Tirumala and just in front of the shrine of the Lordof the Seven Hills, there is a hoarding in Sanskrit whichproclaims: "Vriksho Rakshati Rakshita"- (he who protects thetree, gets protected.)

(Extracted from SPEQL's Hyderabad Bachao, issue dt.Nov.1995.)

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With severe shortage of water, people are resorting to digging deeper borewells. Geologists warn that

deeper borewells will damage the water table. The terrain in Hyderabad is mostly rocky below 150 ft and

any search for water below this level is an exercise in futility. If water is harvested from borewells deeper

than 150 ft in the city, it is likely to be from the rock fractures and rock aquifers. Digging up to 1,000 ft

or more will only lead to unnecessary piezometric pressure, warn geologists. Considering the nature of the

terrain in Hyderabad, the practice of digging deep into the earth for groundwater will affect the whole

environment and its symmetry. The trend to dig deeper every year has come in for criticism from the

groundwater department officials.

Dr K.Venugopal, joint director, state ground water department, told this correspondent that measures

like obligatory rainwater harvesting and recharging pit should be the solution, and not searching for

groundwater deep in the earth. The practice of constructioning of cellars and sub-cellars is also harming

the ground water table. Concrete structures below the ground affects the absorption capacity of rainwater.

The top soil is porous and helps in seepage of rainwater. Cellars and sub-cellars prevent this activity.

Deep Borwells Bad For Environment

Harendra Yadav(reproduced from Deccan Chronicle Hyderabad 29.04.2012)

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I am propagating to buy cotton bags due to several advantages, which are neglected by some of us. Ifyou are convinced, it is time to change for cotton bags and firmly say NO to other types of bags. Thevarious advantages of cotton bags are.....

1. It is bio-degradable and cannot remain on soil. Worms will eat it and earth will swallow it.

2. Many people will get continuous jobs like tailors stitching these bags or weavers in makingcotton cloth

3. Petroleum can be saved with saving in foreign exchange.

4. It can be reused for more than 1000 times. Less garbage will remain on earth. Municipalities andPanchayats will save lot of money while transporting daily waste.

6. Fruits, vegetables and seeds would not get spoiled if you bring in cotton bags. Their naturalfragrance will remain for some more time.

7. Drainages can be free from plastic waste.

8. No danger to animals on land and water.

9. No allergy to our hands while using cotton bags.

10. Increased demand for cotton will give farmers better prices.

Despite several other benefits of cotton bags, some persons are advocating for polythene bags forpetty reasons and ignoring real problem of pollution. Whether we have responsibility to reduce polytheneor use it to spoil mother earth. Our members should say to the shop keeper – I don’t need a plastic bag asI carry my own cotton bag. Tell me is there any selfish motive in my wish?

Use Cloth Bags: Say No To Plastic Bags

B. Ramakrishna Reddy

The Earth has enough for everybody’s need but not

for everybody’s greed. — Mahatma Gandhi.

(Reproduced from FBH Annual 2001-2002)

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I am one of India’s famous historical cities,

I am more than four hundred years and two decades old,

It was the Qutub Shahis

Who seized power from the Bahamanis,

The Qutub Shahi dynasty was established,

And the kingdom of Golconda came to be.

Owing to diseases and water shortage,

Mohammad Qutub Shah planned a new city.

The new city with Charminar as its focal point

Was the contribution of Quli Qutub Shah, the King.

Once known for its art, culture and architecture,

Also a centre for the diamonds and pearls trade,

Now, as a major Information Technology centre,

It is found to have made the grade.

Over the years the people coming to visit me,

They who come from distant lands and from nearby,

Most of them see the Golconda Fort, Qutab Shahi Tombs and Charminar,

Birla Temple, Salar Jung museum, Chowmohalla Palace and Lad Bazaar.

But that is not all that is there to see,

There are so many palaces, mosques, temples, rock formations and deorhis.

Golconda fort was just a mud fort a thousand years ago,

It was later strengthened & still has the mighty Balahisar to show.

Not too far away are the Qutab Shahi tombs nearing thirty,

A little away on a raised terrace you can see the Taramati Baradari.

Today, musical programmes and theatre are staged here,

On the raised terrace, the auditorium or at the amphi-theatre.

Along with these monuments one gets to see all around,

The 2500 million years old rock formations rising high above the ground.

In the area called Karwan, one can see the magnificent Toli masjid,

Not very far is also seen the famous temple of Jham Singh.

Near to this area, on the road is seen the Kulsumpura mosque,

I am Hyderabad, I welcome you all with an open heart

Sanghamitra Malik

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Closer to Purana Pul is the interesting Masjid Malik Mian Mishk.

There are twenty two arches in the famous Purana Pul of fifteen seventy eight,

It has stood the ravages of floods and now serves as an open air market.

On the south bank of the river Musi stands the stately High Court building,

On the opposite side of the river, one gets to see the Osmania Hospital building.

On the left bank of the Musi river is the imposing State Central Library,

Another hundred years old building nearby is the City College that you see.

About a hundred metres from the Naya Pul bridge stands the Badshahi Ashur Khana,

Decorated with exquisite mosaic tile work, it is a House of Mourning for Shias.

A must see when one visits me is the famous Salar Jung museum,

It is known to be the largest single man’s collection of objects of art & rare items.

Another place of interest one must see is the Nizam’s museum in Purani Haveli,

The world’s largest wardrobe & the silver artifacts would impress everyone very strongly.

You could now visit the famous icon, Charminar,

It is my most famous landmark, my pride, my star!

Just a hundred yards away is one of the largest mosques, Mecca masjid,

Sultan Mohammad Qutub Shah laid the foundation and it took seventy seven years to build.

Close to the Charminar is the street known as Lad Bazaar,

This narrow lane is full of shops selling glass and stone bangles and bridalware.

Beyond the Lad Bazaar is the Chowmohalla, a group of palaces so splendid,

As you enter the imposing gate to the palace, you’ll feel regal indeed!

This palace has won an award for the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage site,

I am known for so many beautiful historical sites.

In and around this area going towards Shah-ali-banda, not far,

One would see Deorhis of Sir Viqar-ul-Umra,Sir Asman Jah and Nawab Khursheed Jah Bahadur.

When visiting me, you have got to go to the Falaknuma Palace,

It is a splendid building with a commanding view of the city.

It has elegance, beauty, grace and opulence,

Now a Heritage Hotel, it was built way back in the nineteenth century.

To see artistry in marble, one must pay a visit

To the Paigah tombs in Santoshnagar,

Fine work in stucco and marble and graves studded with precious coloured stones

Are examples of tomb architecture.

In Bagh Lingampally, the Kacheguda station building is of importance,

The granite structured Moazzamjahi market with a high-domed clock tower, oozes exuberance.

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Continuing towards Sultan Bazaar, you’ll reach the two hundred years old British Residency,

Entering through the Empress gate, you’ll reach the University College for Women, within.

You may now visit a very attractive spot which everyone is fond of,

It is a large expanse of water, a lake between Hyderabad and its twin Secunderabad.

There is the huge big statue of Lord Buddha, in the centre of the lake,

But with encroachments of all kinds all around, the life of this lake is at stake!

Do you know when it was made, much before I was born, it was four times its present size,

If we lose this important water body someday, we’ll have to pay a heavy price!

Begumpet area has Vilayat Manzil, Hyderabad Public School and Vikhar Manzil to name a few,

The Paigah Palace, Spanish mosque, Alladin building and Chiran Fort Club too are there for you.

This year, in March, I was awarded for being the ‘Best Heritage City of this country’,

This has left me on cloud nine as I recollect my checkered History.

You need to return to me over and over again to see all there is to see,

There are numerous interesting places to visit and also taste the famous Biryani!

So, now do you see how much there is to see in this legendary city,

There is much to experience in the old as well as the new localities.

( One has to visit Hyderabad over and over again as there are innumerable monuments, buildingsof importance and palaces for one to see, all of which cannot be covered at one go.)

History of Names: (extracted from FBH Annual Number2003-2004)

Nampally: Raza Ali Khan was the Dewan of Nizam’s Statein 1670 A.D. His Title was ‘Nekh Nam Khan’. A jagir wasgranted to him, which came to be called Nekh-Nampally. Thisbecame “Nampally”.

Masab Tank: Hayat Bakshi Begum, wife of Quli QutubShah VI- was called Ma Saheba. The tank constructed by herto irrigate lands of Mallepally village, was called Ma Saheba kaTalab. Finally it became Masab Tank.

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The role of voluntary organisations inpreservation of our heritage had been insignificantprior to the founding of Intach in 1984. On specificoccasions, when gross neglect of any structure wasbrought to notice, concerned individuals and groupsrallied around to protest. Although it was evidentthat monuments were not adequately protected,heritage activists concentrated primarily on thosespecimens of our rich heritage which were notcovered by legislation, either because they were notconsidered valuable enough or were less than ahundred years old, a requirement for protectionunder governmental acts. It has now become evidentthat the importance of including both central andstate protected monuments in the city listing,repeatedly stressed by some conservation experts,should have been heeded to. It would have resultedin automatic protection under heritage rules to thosemonuments which are deleted from thearchaeological list.

Although the recently amended AncientMonuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains(AMASR) Act addresses quite a few issues, it requiresformulating specific rules for effective safeguard ofeach of the monuments under ASI care which initself is regarded by experts as a Herculean taskrequiring ages for proper definition andimplementation considering the vast number ofmonuments involved.

While the present trend globally is to treat amonument as part of its settings, archaeologicaldefinitions in India are still unclear on the subjectresulting in some of the more important aspects ofsetting and site integrity being neglected. With time,the surroundings are distorted to such an extent asto permanently alter the originally intended spatialarrangements.

How Protected is Our Heritage?

In Hyderabad, this lacuna has led to some verystrange scenarios. The Golconda fort is ahomogeneous entity. Interpretations of the Centraland State Acts have brought about a situationwherein the inner fort area and the outer fort wallsare under the protection of the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India. A few monuments in between thetwo walls are protected by the state. Most of theremaining structures and spaces have no protectionat all.

A worse scenario has unfolded at theCharminar. Considered as one-of-its-kindmonument of national importance, it was declaredas protected under the Central Act. But then theesteemed archaeologists forgot all about theCharkaman which are integral to the setting of theCharminar. The kamans along with various otherequally important monuments were left to the lotof the state. With time, state archaeology feltburdened with the numerous monuments in itspossession and ‘de-notified’ the Charkamanclaiming that they were insignificant and lackingmerit. Similar was the case of Darul Shifa, the uniqueQutub Shahi hospital complex. Fortunately thenotification of about 150 buildings and 9 precinctsin 1988 included the Charkaman, Carul Shifa anda number of other Qutub Shahi structures like theJama Masjid in its heritage list.

Religious monuments are prone to violationssince increasing population densities result in illegaladditions and alterations. The government’sreluctance to enforce stipulated penalties furtheremboldens the perpetrators to carry out grossviolations. In Hyderabad, a number of protectedmonuments have been interfered with. The QutubShahi mosques at Khairatabad, Musheerabad andPuranapul have all had extensions made in RCC in

Sajjad Shahid(Times of India, Hyderabad, 12th Sept. 2011)

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violation of the Act. Unauthorised interventionshave also been made to Sultan Quli’s Mosque in theGolconda fort and Akanna-Madanna temple atMaheshwaram.

Repairs in cement, by the archaeologydepartment itself or the custodians, is a commonpractice. The mosque at Maheshwaram has beenstripped of its stucco coat in the interiors andreplastered in cement. The exteriors have alsoreceived the same treatment. The state departmenthas reconstructed the Raymond’s Pavilion atMalakpet in cement and RCC, declaring that it wasimpossible to reconstruct in the original materials.This coming at a time when conservation architectswere executing professional projects conservingheritage structures of about the same period usingoriginal materials elsewhere in the city was andremains an untenable argument.

The department of archaeology remains thecustodian of the protected monuments. As such it

is responsible for their conservation and upkeep ina manner which conforms to appropriate guidelinesand internationally accepted procedures ofconservation. Selective focus on just a few examplesof our heritage has resulted in gross neglect of someof the finest architectural specimens that the cityhas inherited. A glaring example is the Toli mosque.Considered the best representative of Qutub Shahicraftsmanship, this grand monument with itsintricate stucco decorations has been left to crumble.

It is time citizens of Hyderabad demand ·anexplanation from the authorities - for the de-notification of protected monuments, for thecontravention of constitutional provisions regardingtheir protection and for the violation ofinternationally accepted conservation rules. Citizensmust also insist on participation in decision-makingprocess, especially in matters concerning ourheritage, culture and quality of life for it is ourconstitutional duty as citizens to safeguard ourheritage for future generation to cherish.

Hussain Sagar

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1. To briefly recapitulate, our oppositionto a golf course within Naya Qila Fort restedon the following grounds:

· An 18 hole golf course cannot beconstructed in the three areas allotted to the golfcourse, two of which consisted of Naya Qila andJamalikunta separated by moats, moat walls; withoutbreaching the intervening moat wall(s) and themoat(s), drying the water in the moat(s) to create apassage for players : the rocky terrain, the ups anddowns of the area, could not be made into a golfcourse without leveling of land, using heavymachinery, thus changing contours: obtaining waterfor grassing from talabs in the area, boring wells,laying water channels and pipes for which diggingbeyond one foot, and embedding of prefabricatedstructures below the surface, which amounts to“construction”, are required, while both areprohibited by AMASR Act 1958, and AM & ASR(Amendment) Act 2010: Naya Qila, being a virginand unexplored territory which had a sizablepopulation as evidenced by the existence of twomosques and the discovery of silver coins, artifacts,broken vessels, while digging, it is extremelyimportant to protect its site integrity and therefore,not cause any surface disturbance whichconstruction of a golf course would involve: andfinally, the numerous, recurring persistent violationsof the MOU, the AMASR Act 1958, and the HighCourt orders, undertakings given to the HighCourt,: the inability, recalcitrance and absence ofsupervision by ASI, and the Tourism department,the inaction of the police.

· In my last article in the Forum’s Annualnumber 2008-09, I related in detail all the abovepoints. Finally, we (the Peoples Union For CivicAction & Rights PUCAAR and the Forum For ABetter Hyderabad) were compelled to file PIL no

An Update on the Hyderabad Golf Course in Naya Qila Fort

Dr. M. Mandal

24623 with A.P. High Court by, praying that theHigh Court may please declare the action of theArchaeological Survey of India (ASI), New Delhi;ASI, Hyderabad Circle; Secretary to YouthAdvancement, Tourism & Cultural Department,Government of A. P (YAT & C, GOAP); AndhraPradesh Tourism Development CorporationLimited ( APTDC); Collector & District Magistrate,Hyderabad; Commissioner of Police(CP),Hyderabad; and Hyderabad Golf Association (HGA), in allotting the land in and around GolcondaFort in favour of HGA and not stopping the workof developmental activities including leveling of landetc., taken up by HGA in and around GolcondaFort especially the Naya Qila and the moat at JamaliKunta, as illegal and unconstitutional andconsequently direct the respondents to restore thearea to the pristine glory and restore the access tothe citizens - especially the tourists and the localpeople - to all the areas of ancient heritage structureafter directing the respondents to take back the landgiven to HGA.

· As the violations continued with impunity,we approached the High Court again. I ended thatarticle with the High Court’s order dated 17.3.09,directing the respondents not to take upconstruction or change the contours and adjournedthe hearing till 23.3.09 to enable the respondentsto file counter affidavits.

2. In September 2009, an MOU was finallysigned between the ASI, New Delhi and the GOAPrepresented by the Secretary, YAT & C. The MOUwas on identical lines with the earlier in-principleagreement of 2002, referred to in my earlier article,with certain modifications and additions. ASI choseto remain silent on our prior representation that noMOU can be entered for setting up a golf course inNaya Qila Fort without providing for the restoration

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of the contours of the area, which had been changed,and until the other devastations to heritage madeby the HGA are undone; that any MOU permittinga golf course inside Naya Qila would violate theAMASR Act 1958 and would destroy its siteintegrity. The whole thing was done in a hush hushmanner, and during the visit of the Director General(DG ) of ASI to Hyderabad prior to finalizing theMOU, we were denied any meeting with him,despite repeated requests.

3. On 22.10.2009, we filed another peti-tion to the Hon’ble Court as follows:

“ Hence it is prayed that the Hon’ble Courtmay be pleased to permit the amendment of theprayer and affidavit filed in support of the writpetition by inserting the words ‘ while setting asidethe MOU dt 23.9.2009 between R1 and R3’ afterthe words ‘take back the land given to Respondentno 7’ and add the sentence “ The ASI does not havethe authority to permit the land in Golconda Fortbe used for Golf course in view of the past conductof R4 and R7 as certified by the ASI itself and theMOU between R4 and R7 is to be set aside” at theend of para 14 of the affidavit filed in support ofthe writ petition and pass such other orders as thisCourt may be pleased to in the interest of justice”

4. On 8.6.2010, the Hon’ble A.P. High Courton basis of various undertakings given by HGA, ASI,Secretary, YAT & C, relaxed the order dated 17.3.09not to take up any construction, by permitting only“ the grassing of the area of course under thesupervision of the authorities to ensure that thecontours are not changed”. A 3-member committeeconsisting of the SA, ASI ; MD, APTDC ; and theHyderabad District Collector was formed by a GOof the State Government to supervise theimplementation of the court order. While conveyingour basic objection to the laying of a golf course inNaya Qila, we, at the request of some, made out achecklist for the members of the committee forsupervising the work of the golf course. This was,however, never observed fully, and severalsuggestions by us remained unheeded.

5. Even at this point of time, there was nocontour map of Naya Qila area . [ The contour maptaken on 7.12.2010 was approved by ASI and sentto us only under their letter dt 11.10.2011 ! ] Therewas, therefore, no reference point to check whethercontours are being changed or not since 2002, theyear when HGA took over the land. Nor was thereany approved plan of the lay out of the golf course[ It was given to us, vide letter dated 23.7.2010 ofASI, Hyderabad ], so that it could not be ensuredthat the HGA was not encroaching. Yet, the golfcourse continued to be laid. ASI, seldom on theirown, prevented any illegal action of HGA, but didso only on complaint by us, that too with muchdelay if not recalcitrance. And there was nosupervision either by ASI or by the YAT & C, GOAPover what the HGA was doing, although requiredby the Court order of 8.6.10.

6. Constructions within the Naya Qila Fortand prohibited area of 100 metres from the FortWall. VIOLATIONs of AM&ASR Act 1958 andAM&ASR (Amendment) Act 2010.

(These are in addition to those narrated in myearlier article in 2008).

Many constructions have been made withinthe 100 metres prohibited area of the Fort; e.g., asmall permanent building for security personnel, awall along the road separating the Jamalikunta areaof the golf course within the prohibited area of theFort. Also, the formation of road leading to MustafaKhan mosque, fixing of steel gate at entrance.

It is not true that the golf club building is at adistance of 105 metres away, as alleged by ASI,Hyderabad. The google map shows the location ofthe golf club house building at 97.35 metres fromthe Fort wall. Our letter dated 13.2.2012 to ASI,Hyderabad, under RTI Act 2005, seekingclarification in this context, still remains un-answered.

7. Filling up of moat and leveling itDuring inspection, the officers (of ASI

Hyderabad ) observed that the moat falling betweenBanjara Darwaja and Jamali Darwaja of Golconda

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fort within the fenced area of the HGA was partlyfilled with garbage and red soil, and the same wasleveled by the HGA. ASI again wrote on 5.9.08 tostop such unauthorized activity of filling the moatand to remove the earth already filled as the actionof HGA was against the principle of AncientMonuments and Archaeological Sites & RemainsAct 1958, and Rules 1959. ASI, Hyderabad filed anFIR against the HGA on 8.9.08. This was notpursued.

It is a substantive issue and must be redressedby invoking Sec. 19(1) and 19 (2) of AM & ASRAct 1958. In this connection, the ASI gave anundertaking to the Parliamentary StandingCommittee on Transport, Tourism and Culture (ref: the Committee’s letter dt 15.3.2011 to us) forsurvey work which would also envisage marking of100 m and 300 m boundaries of Naya Qila. Thissurvey should take into account the documentsproduced by us. A year has elapsed since then.

Photos of moat filling

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8. Construction of sand pits in the Naya QilaFort for golf course involves digging for non-agripurposes, and violates 19(1) of AMASR ACT 1958.No further sand pits should be allowed to be dug,as this is not ‘grassing’, but such plan exists in Annualreports of HGA ( 2009 – 10 ), and not objected toby ASI / 3-member committee.

9. A ramp- like mud slope created by the golfclub across the moat wall between the Nayaqila andJamalikunta parts of the golf course has not beenremoved, and still continues, despite our repeatedcomplaints to ASI, Hyderabad and to New Delhi.

10. Cutting channels to lay pipes, in excessof 1 foot.

Channels were cut to lay pipelines to carrywater for watering the golf course under the pretextthat this was part of “grassing” permitted by the HighCourt under order dated 8.6.10. This is over-extending the meaning of “grassing”. Further, thedepth of digging exceeded 1 foot, as shown in theappended photographs, prohibited under 19(1) ofAMASR Act 1958. Despite submitting photographsshowing clearly the excess digging, ASI, Hyderabadnever replied to our letter under RTI, even to this

date despite repeated reminders. Finally, the workof laying pipes amounted to new “construction’within the meaning of 20 dc of AM & ASR (Amendment Act) 2010.

Photos :

11. Qutb Shahi Garden ( QSG), alsoknown as Deccani Garden or Naya QilaGarden.

* As per the draft MOU of 2002 as also thefinal MOU of September 2009 ( article 5), “TheGOAP shall landscape the land comprising of about10 acres on the right of the present entry as per theoriginal layout plans of a Qutub Shahi gardenaccording to the records available with the HyderabadCircle of ASI and by exposing the ancient structures, ifany, under the strict supervision of and consultationwith ASI. This area shall be demarcated aesthetically

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and not utilized for the Golf Course”. The ASIrepeatedly stated to us that they do not have anymap of the area. When the approved lay out of thegolf course was finally made available to us(23.7.2010), we found that the area shown in thelay out is even less than 10 acres ( about 8 acres + )and the area shown is less than even 1/3rd of thearea shown in the maps published in well-researchedbooks by authors of eminence. Several golf holeswere already made in the area which actually belongsto the QSG. We went to the Court, and the Courtdirected the ASI to demarcate the area of the garden.The case is pending with the Court. Meanwhile,ASI has stopped all work of the golf club in the areamarked by us and it is kept out of bounds for thegolf course.

* Qutb Shahi garden is one of the few survivingPersian gardens in Asia and it must not be allowedto decay / be lost. The ASI is taking unduly longtime to demarcate it, and allowing it to decay,without sharing any developments with us. TheGarden must be speedily restored, and the oldfountains, water channels, structures recovered andrestored.

12. Fencing along the road to Hathian kiJhar within Naya Qila.

The HGA resorted to fencing along the roadto Hathian ki Jhar within Naya Qila . The action isillegal because: A) No digging, except for agriculture,is allowed in terms of section 19(1) of the AM &ASR Act 1958; and digging for planting poles isnot agriculture. B) Fencing is not “grassing” whichonly was permitted by the High Court order dt8.6.10. C) Planting of fences is embedding pre-builtstructure inside the protected areas of themonument, it is “ construction” within the meaningof art 20(2dc) of the AMASR Amendment Act 2010and is not permissible within the prohibited area ofthe Naya Qila Fort. D) it is not for ‘public purpose’,and the golf course project was never notified/gazetted as one for ‘public purpose’.

We advised the ASI, Hyderabad and DG, ASI,ND that this action constituted threat to contourvide our letter dt 3.11.2010 to S.A., ASI and to DG,ASI, dt 11.2.12. The position remains unchangedto this date.

13. ‘Scientific Clearance operations’Near about January – February, 2011, ASI

desired to have a ‘scientific clearance operations’ ofthe area near the Mustafa Khan mosque, in termsof article 9 of the MOU, which reads as :

“Keeping in view the archaeological potentialof the areas inside Naya Qila, ASI, shall as and whenit is felt necessary, and if required, carry out scientificclearance operations to expose the buried structuresbeneath”.

The site was chosen by ASI, Hyderabad (obviously to give clearance to the golf club to laythe course), and ASI, ND gave them funds for thatpurpose. ASI Hyderabad called us for a meeting.We said that the entire Naya Qila area was a virgin,unexplored area; that it was well populated,evidenced by the existence of two mosques,graveyards, and discovery of coins and artifacts whiledigging by the golf club. Therefore, the entire areashould be scientifically explored, including the areaalready used by the HGA. ASI did not respond.Notwithstanding our objection, they dug some fourpits only in the area around the Mustafa Khanmosque, measuring about 4’x 4’x3’, in closeproximity to each other, which we consideredinadequate sampling. Even then, these pits threwup some broken parts of earthen vessels which weredumped into karai type vessels and removed withoutstoring and without any panchnama. ASI laterdenied the discovery of any broken vessels. In theface of the opposition of the local public, ASI gaveup the project. We do not know whether theysubsequently did any “ scientific clearanceoperations”. We maintained that scientific clearanceoperations must be done for the whole area of NayaQila, on an adequate sampling, by prior discussionwith all stakeholders. We advised our views to theDG, ASI, New Delhi accordingly, vide our letter of15.3.2011, preceded by a detailed letter dated18.2.11 to ASI, Hyderabad.

14. During a meeting with the Secretary, YAT& C, we came to know that the lay out of the golfcourse had been finally approved by the ASI, andthat the Contour Map had also been drawn by aBangalore-based agency, and accepted. Through thekind intervention of the Secretary, YAT & C, we

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could have a look at both the documents. Thedocuments were, however, to be obtained by usofficially from the ASI, Hyderabad. It took us severalmonths to obtain under RTI a copy of each of thesedocuments, after considerable harassment from theASI, ( Please see paragraph 5 ). At last, when we gotthe documents, we found that the approved lay outof the golf course included a considerable part ofthe Qutb Shahi Garden ( QSG) ( also known asNaya Qila Garden or Deccani Garden), and severalgolf holes have been already marked in the area. Inregard to the ‘contour map’, this was admitted toreflect the position as on the date of the drawing,i.e., on 7.12.2010 ( please see para 5 earlier) i.e.,much after the area was handed over to the HGA (2002), and after they had effected considerablechange in contours as shown in my article in theForum’s Annual number 2008-09. The ASI or theYAT & C never responded to our proposal to havethe matter referred to the National Remote SensingAgency, which could capture the sub- soildisturbances after handing over to HGA, and thuslocate where, in the past, the contours had beenchanged.

15. Planting Transformers :A 100 KV transformer was planted by State

Electricity Board at the request of HGA, andapproved by ASI, Hyderabad, in replacement of theexisting 25 KV transformer. The HGA, however,got another 100 KV transformer planted by APSEB,without the approval of ASI, Hyderabad at a nearbysite. The plea given was ‘public interest’. This actionis illegal as i) There is no ‘public purpose’ involved,but it was purely for the purpose of the Hyderabadgolf course, which had not been gazetted as being“for public purpose”; ii) it exceeded ASI’s ‘sanction’;iii) the digging was not for ‘agriculture’ and exceeded1 foot, and (iv) the work amounts to ‘newconstruction’, being prefabricated structureimplanted on the ground in a prohibited area ofthe monument, prohibited by AM & ASR ActAmendment of 2010, section 20. 2(dc).

16. Changing contours near Mustafa Khanmosque and nearby graveyards in Revenue 40.

The HGA has always been eyeing on the areacontiguous to the Mustafa Khan mosque and the

graveyards in that area. Off and on, they would bedigging that area sometimes using heavy machinery,under the pretext of “laying grass”, and the ASIwould either have permitted such action, orpretended ignorance, and only on our complaint,promised action, often delaying or not taking any,and we would invariably have to take the assistanceof some other authority. Years ago, the HGA hadcreated a commotion among the local public byupturning graves in that area by using tractors. Wesuspect obtaining ‘scientific clearance’ – mentionedearlier, vide para 13 - for that area was a garb forclearing such vandalism. Such scientific clearanceshould have been done keeping in view thearchaeological potential of the areas inside NayaQila, to expose the buried structures beneath theearth, prior to the landscaping of the Golf Course,in terms of Clause 9 of the MOU, and not after thegolf course had been considerably laid down.

· In July 2010, the HGA started some diggingin the area adjacent to the Mustafa Khan Mosqueand the grave yards. Tractor motors were used toexcavate the land.

In September-October, 2011, again, the HGAcontinued such efforts. As the locals apprehendedthat such excavation was being done in areas havinggraveyards of old Survey Land no 40, some localsfiled a case in the High Court against theencroachment of the graveyards of the Muslims. TheCourt recorded a statement filed by the Counsel ofthe HGA that the HGA are not going to demolish/dig the graveyard area or land around Mustafa Khanmosque, and in the meantime Court directed theWakf Board, in consultation with the ASI,Hyderabad, to demarcate the area of the MustafaKhan mosque and the graveyards within one weekfrom the date of the order. The Wakf Boardsubmitted its report stating that the entire Surveyno 40 which included the concerned area, hadearlier old graveyards and suggested a chemicaltesting of the soil ( a well-known and most recenttest to determine the location of graveyards) todetermine the location of the graves. The ASI,Hyderabad submitted an affidavit, stating the areaof the Mustafa Khan mosque and the graveyards asper a gazette notification only, thus differing fromthe Wakf Board report. In view of differing

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perceptions of two government bodies, the Courtasked the Attorney General to visit the site, talk toconcerned parties and submit a report, which theAG did. At this point, the HGA continued to dumpmud and sand, changing the contours of the area.

On our further petition, the Court grantedORDER on 2.3.12:

“The Hyderabad Golf Association is restrainedfrom carrying out any construction or excavationactivity in the premises in question. It is also directedto forthwith remove all such machinery lying at thesite in question. We expect strict compliance withthis order. The District Collector as well as theArchaeological Survey of India will ensure that theHyderabad Golf Association removes all itsconstruction and excavation machinery within 24hours. It is not done, then the machinery will beimpounded.

The respondents may take police assistance ifnecessary for the implementation of this order.

Counter affidavit be filed within 15 days.

List on 19-3-2012.”

After an affidavit was given by the HGA, theCourt passed the following order on 27.3.12.

“The prayer in the writ petition is for adirection to restrain 6th respondent-Hyderabad GolfAssociation from carrying on any work in SurveyNo.40 of Quila Mohammed Nagar village ofGolconda Mandal around Mustafa Khan Mosqueand grave yard. .........

4. ……………………, we had requested SriD.V.Sitharam Murthy, Senior Advocate of thisCourt to visit the site and submit a report. ........

8. As far as the grave yard is concerned, weaccept the report of Sri.D.V.Sitharam Murthy,learned Senior Counsel, which is supported by theArcheological Survey of India that the five stones inSurvey No.40 do not constitute graves and the onlygraves available are in the vicinity of Mustafa KhanMosque. The learned counsel for the 6th respondentsays that the Association will not in any mannerinterfere with those graves.

9. There is, therefore, no merit in the writ

petition. However, to avoid any complication in thematter, we had required the 6th respondent ( HGA) to submit an affidavit in terms of our order dated19-03-2012. The 6th respondent has since filed anaffidavit sworn by Capt.B.L.K.Reddy, HonorarySecretary of 6th respondent in which it is stated thatit will only undertake to grass the land for the golfcourse and maintain the same in accordance withinternational practices in an area admeasuring 28acres in Survey No.40, Naya Quila, Golkonda inthe following manner:

a) The Hyderabad Golf Association shall not carryout any excavation while grassing the land inSurvey No.40, Naya Quila, Golkonda.

b) The Hyderabad Golf Association shall usemanual labour for spreading the soil andgrassing the area in Survey No.40 and thegrassing shall be done as in the case ofcultivation and in accordance with Section 19of the Ancient Monuments and ArchaeologicalSites and Remains Act, 1958.

c) The Hyderabad Golf Association shall use thepre-existing paths/roads in the area to transportmaterial like sand, irrigation pipes etc., requiredfor grassing the area in Survey No.40, NayaQuila, Golkonda.

d) The Hyderabad Golf Association shall waterand maintain the grassed area with irrigationpipes by pumping water, cut and trim grassusing small machines using generator orelectrical connection from APCPDCL to belocated away from the fort walls and carry outmaintenance of the grassed area.

e) No stones or any part of the structure of theFort will be altered or effaced in any manner.

10. In our opinion, the walls of the GolcondaFort should also not be defaced in any manner. .....

14. In the circumstances, we direct the 4threspondent-Archaeological Survey of India as wellas the 3rd respondent-Wakf Board to physicallydemarcate the land so that there is no controversyleft in the matter.

15. In view of the above undertakings whichwill bind the 6th respondent and the conclusions

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that we have arrived at, no further orders are requiredto be passed in this writ petition.

16. We would, however, expect theArcheological Survey of India and the Wakf Boardto demarcate the lands mentioned in the gazettenotifications dated 29-03-1984 within a period oftwo months from today.

17. This writ petition is accordingly disposedof along with miscellaneous petitions.”

17. April 2012. Fencing by Hyderabad GolfAssociation ( HGA ) inside Naya Qila

Around the Majnu Burge near Mustafa Khanmosque in NayaQila. And

Around the graveyards near Mustafa Khanmosque in NayaQila, in Revenue 40.

Hyderabad Golf Association is fencing theboundaries of its golf course with poles in the abovesite. This action violates the following:

- A.P. High Court Order dated 8.6.2010 whichpermits only “grassing without change ofcontours”. The act of fencing is not “grassing”.

- A.P. High Court order in WRIT PETITIONNO.29300 OF 2011 dated 27-03-2012 wasgranted on basis of an undertaking by theHGA, inter alia, not to excavate. This action isexcavation, involving digging. For A.P. HighCourt Order, please see at bottom.

- There is no evidence of any supervision by ASI,Hyd, over the work, as required under the HighCourt order of 8.6.10. We have written to ASI,Hyderabad to stop the work; with no resultsor response so far.

- AM & ASR Act 1958, under clause 19(1),which has been incorporated in the AmendedAct of 2010, prohibits any digging within theprotected areas of a Monument, except foragricultural purposes, and that, too, up to onefoot from the surface. This digging is not foragricultural purposes.

- AM&ASR Amended Act 2010 prohibits any“new construction” ( vide,20. 2(dc) ofAM&ASR Act 2010) ( which means erection

of any structure’ among other things), withinthe protected areas of a Monument. Thisaction, which amounts to implanting of pre-made structure, and hence erection of structurewithin the meaning of construction, is withinthe Monument itself. Therefore, it is ultra viresthe Amended Act.

- Clause 2 of the MOU of September 2009guarantees free public access to the tourists,general public to visit the monuments andplaces of public interest. The fencing by thegolf club will severely reduce the space forpassage of visitors, for access to the 13 burges,canons, mosque, burial sites, etc, which maylead to stampedes even on occasions of rush ofvisitors. Further, the space earmarked forvisitors should include not merely space tomove but also to place their cameras in aposition to take complete photographs of thesesites which are at a distance. It follows,therefore, that more space must be earmarkedfor visitors than now, say at least about ahundred metres between the boundary of thewalls and the golf course. This is also necessary,otherwise a golf ball struck by a golfer may evena hit a visitor.

- The fencing will distort the ambience and alterthe look of the inside of Naya Qila Fort. Thismust not be allowed so that the Naya Qilaprimarily looks like a heritage site, and not asone of the many golf courses, which seems tobe the intention of the HGA.

- It is shocking that the HGA has made threetees in one of the burges, on its front and rearsides. This is atrocious. It is not provided inthe approved lay out of the golf course. This isinvading the body of the Monument itself.

18. A reference to Heritage ConservationCommittee

As Golconda Fort, of which Naya Qila Fort isan integral part, is also notified as a heritage precinct,we made a reference to the Heritage ConservationCommittee. Extract from their reply is appended (vide HMDA’s letter no 002809/PLG/Hcc/Hmda/2012 dt 31.3.2012) :

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“What is involved in laying the Golf Course isa major developmental activity and the HeritageConservation Committee is not in favour of GolfCourse inside or adjacent to the Heritage Precinctof Golconda. In any case, the Committee is of theview that no lay out is to be sanctioned or to beallowed within the 30 mts from the boundary wallsof Golconda Fort precinct” vide, HCC 117th

meeting held on 23.2.2012.

19. Conclusion. Golf Course should moveelsewhere. A Plan needed for conservationof Naya Qila Fort and Jamalikunta.

In some circles, there is still a feeling that thegolf course helps in preserving the Naya Qila Fort,and that the violations they are alleged to havecommitted / to commit can be stopped by sittingwith them across the table. Our submission is thatthere is fundamentally a conflict between laying agolf course in the terrain of Naya Qila and preservingits heritage, e.g., connecting the two parts of thegolf course, Jamalikunta and NQ which areseparated by moat, moat wall, water in the moat,and therefore, the un-feasibility of laying a golfcourse in this area without cutting moat walls, fillingup/drying parts of moats, changing the terrain,contours, water bodies, etc. ( Please see the firstparagraph of the article) . Our past experiencefurther shows that there is no meaning in theassurances of the golf club in view of their recurrentviolations of MOU, AM & ASR Acts, evenUndertakings given to the Court and the Courtorders; and that the failure - if not the intransigence- of the ASI and YAT & C, to stop these violations.

Naya Qila is not a convenient site either fromthe traffic point of view and there are fundamental,inherent impediments to protecting its heritageswhile laying a golf course. In the interest of allconcerned, it is better for the GOAP and the HGAto shift the golf course to a spacious area away fromthe city. Instead, a project may be drawn to promotethe heritage of Naya Qila Fort and the water bodiesof Jamalikunta. Such a project would haveconsiderable revenue-earning potentials and wouldenhance the prospect of the site to be recognized asa World Heritage Site. The project for theconservation of Naya Qila could be drawn jointly

by the ASI, the Heritage Conservation Committee( as Golconda Fort of which NQ is an integral part)is also a heritage precinct ; YAT & C; Lake protectionAuthority ( for the water bodies); and also involvinglocal stakeholders/ civil society bodies, etc.

[ The views in para 19 are the personal viewsof the author of this article]

Annexure to AReferences : A.P. High Court order dt 8.6.10:

“ the grassing of the area of course under thesupervision of the authorities to ensure that thecontours are not changed”.

AMASR Act 1958. Section 19.(1) No person, including the owner or

occupier of a protected area, shall construct anybuilding within the protected area or carry on anymining, quarrying, excavating, blasting or anyoperation of a like nature in such area, or utilisesuch area or any part thereof in any other mannerwithout the permission of the Central Government:

Provided that nothing in this sub-section shallbe deemed to prohibit the use of any such area orpart thereof for purposes of cultivation if suchcultivation does not involve the digging of not morethan one foot of soil from the surface.

(2) The Central Government may, by order,direct that any building constructed by any personwithin a protected area in contravention of theprovisions of sub-section (1) shall be removed withina specified period and, if the person refuses or failsto comply with the order, the Collector may causethe building to be removed and the person shall beliable to pay the cost of such removal.

AMASR ( Amendment) Act 2010:Gazette of India extraordinary Part II

20 (dc) “Construction” means any erection ofa structure or a building, including any addition orextension thereto either vertically or horizontally,…………but does not include any reconstruction,repair, and renovation of an existing …….. orconstruction of facilities ……….. for the public.

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Part One While the future of the state of Andhra Pradesh

still hangs in the balance, one finds hardly any debate on the question of what kind of Telanganawe want. The civil society of Hyderabad andAndhra Pradesh has thus far been focusing only onthe positive or negative points of the past forty-fiveyears of the state’s history. There is little or no debateon the kind of Telangana state that is wanted by itssupporters. Another question is “What kind of aHyderabad City do we want” ?

On this second issue, a related question iswhether a Government appointed to exercise powerfor a limited period, until a political decision is takenon the question of the formation of a new state,justified in taking steps which adversely affect thesurvival of the city’s built and natural heritage ?

During the period of the Nizams, many citizenswere strongly opposed to aspects of the Nizam’s rule,but were still proud of the city’s historic character.A frequent visitor to Hyderabad today is theMumbai-based filmmaker Shyam Benegal, whostudied in Nizam College during the period afterpolice action, and made his name in the late fiftieswith films like Ankur and Nishant, both of whichwere highly critical of the Jagirdari system, whichdominated the Telangana region. His recent filmWell Done, Abba, focuses attention on corruptionin government agencies in the Hyderabad area.

Shyam Benegal was born in Tirumalgiri inSecunderabad, but his family was originally fromthe Konkan coast; he was in fact related to anotherfamous film-maker, Guru Dutt. Benegal not onlyreceived the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, but wasawarded both the Padma Shri and the PadmaBhushan. Writing about his college days inHyderabad, in an article published in 2010, Shyam

The Future Of Hyderabad’s Heritage –Involving The Civil Society

Dr. V.K.Bawa(Published in The Hindu dated 25 July 2011)

Benegal said that “none of the familiar landmarksremain any longer except as names. But, like in mostIndian cities, many of these have changed as well.The only exceptions are Charminar and somesections of the old city. A sad but inevitablespatial void that can only be filled by an increasinglyunreliable memory.”

“Hyderabad, the way it was half a century agowhen I was growing into adulthood” he continues,“is now no more than a mind state, nostalgicallyreconstructed, part fantasy, part reality – a time-sweetened bunch of memories often recalled atrandom, in which fact, fiction, given knowledge andexperience are so fused that any claim to objectivitywould be sorely tested. This is as much an imaginedHyderabad as the one that existed. Strangely itsabsence seems a profound loss.”

On 12th December 2010, the SecretaryTourism and Culture of the Government of AndhraPradesh announced that three World Heritage Sitesin Hyderabad are being proposed to theUNESCO authorities - the Inner Golconda Fortwhich is protected by the Archaeological Survey ofIndia, the Qutb Shahi tombs, and the Charminararea in the walled city. However it is being treatedas an official programme, and the public has notbeen taken into confidence about the steps beingtaken to protect monuments and precincts, and toprevent further deterioration of the city’s heritage.

Meanwhile, Shyam Benegal’s concerns arereflected in the growing disquiet among local elitesabout the loss of heritage caused by road-wideningfor flyovers, metro rail, and other reasons. Thereare even proposals to demolish some heritagestructures of the Nizam’s period which are on thelist notified for conservation.

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Hans Winterberg, who was Director of MaxMuller Bhavan for several years in the late seventies,had exhibited a remarkable collection ofphotographs in the late 1970’s with the Germanphotographer Thomas Luedke. It was updated inthe early 1990’s.

Can the city’s administrators considerhonouring Hyderabad’s famous film-maker with amuseum of such photographs, which maintains acollection not only of his films, his television serialon Discovery of India, but also a City Museum whichseeks to reproduce the Hyderabad of the 1970’s -before so much of its traditional character haddisappeared ?

The Salar Jang Museum and the StateArchaeological Museum need to be supplementedwith specialized museums, dedicated to particularthemes and personalities who have contributed tothe city.

Part Two published on 1 August 2011

In order for Hyderabad to claim world heritagecity status, its citizens could learn a lesson from EastEuropean cities like Vienna, Prague and Bratislava,which are fast catching up with Paris and otherWestern cities as magnets of world tourism. Theytreasure not only their architecture and museums,but even the cobbled streets in the old cities, thoughthey have abandoned the traditional way of life.

In June 2010, I attended a conference onMaharashtra Society and Culture, at Bratislava, thecapital of Slovakia. The director of the conference,Dusan Deak, took us round the capital city, andtreated us to a wine-tasting session in an old tavern,with underground storage chambers, a feature ofmany towns in Eastern and Western Europe.

We walked through the capital city Bratislava,in two hours. It was clear that the citizens deeplyrespect the architectural treasures dating back to itsperiod as a subsidiary capital of the Austro-Hungarian Empire - which was based in Vienna,now a two-hour bus ride from Bratislava. Duringthe twentieth century, the city survived periods ofNazi rule and Soviet domination. East Europeans

welcome foreign investment, but they would notdream of permitting the destruction of their naturaland built heritage in the name of progress orglobalization. Dusan Deak spoke with fierce nationalpride about the architectural threats to the core city.

Unlike Eastern Europe, Hyderabad did notsuffer during the second world war, nor did it haveperiods of alien Nazi or Soviet rule. Populargovernments have managed Hyderabad sinceindependence. Today, however, one cannot walk onmany streets of the core city.

Recently MA Qaiyum, a retired DeputyDirector of Archaeology, gave two lectures to theHyderabad Historical Society at the Salar JangMuseum, pointing to the tragic loss of heritage inthe last five or six decades. Last year, Dr KondalRao edited a book The Telangana Struggle forIdentity, to which writers like Prof CH HanumanthRao, Prof Jayant Narlikar, Shyam Benegal, NarendraLuther, Radhika Rajamani, the late IsaacSequeira, and Prof G Haragopal contributed.

Notwithstanding this public concern, thedecision to pedestrianize the Charminar Precinct isfacing protests from shopkeepers, and religiousbodies which wish to take out processions in trucks.Owners of heritage houses and residents of HeritagePrecincts get no tax concession for the trouble andexpense they undergo. The provision for TransferableDevelopment Rights in the Heritage Regulationsof the HMDA are not enforced. No wonder ownersof heritage buildings try their best to have theirheritage buildings removed from the list.

At this writing the city faces another threatdue to the Elevated Metro Rail, which is expectedto impact on the appearance, and even thesecurity, of many typical public buildings from BellaVista to the Legislative Assembly and the PublicGardens, Moazam Jahi market, and across the Musiriver to Afzalganj.

The Bengaluru Metro Rail has been made togo underground in front of the Vidhan Soudha, andthe Delhi Metro Rail has done so in front of theQutb Minar. In Hyderabad, however, the concerns

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of citizens have fallen on deaf ears.

During the Nizam’s rule the initiative forconservation policies, for promoting research in thefields of cultural matters was taken by Governmentdepartments. After the formation of AndhraPradesh, some of this state initiative was continuedby enlightened civil servants like LN Gupta.Influential persons familiar with the culture of thecity like Mehdi Nawaz Jang, Akbar Ali Khan andAli Yavar Jang supported these efforts.

In 1976 a voluntary organization, theGolconda Society, started the Golconda Festivals.They continued for seven years with hardly any

government support. Even today, the few successstories in the conservation during the past few years–the restoration of the Chowmahalla and FalaknumaPalaces, and Mahalaqa Bai Chanda’s tomb - havebeen due to private initiative, and not to the stateor central Archaeology Departments or the localgovernment agencies.

Perhaps the fundamental reason for the lackof public support is that Hyderabad’s citizens werenot taken into confidence regarding the goals of theeffort and the difficulties expected. It is time thisattitude changed.

Hussain Sagar

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JRR/2012 26.4.2012

Smt. Chandana Khan IASPrincipal Secretary to Govt,Dept. of Youth Advancement,Tourism and Culture.AP Govt Secretariat; Hyderabad -500 022.

Namaskar,

Sub: Proposed Floating Restaurant in Hussein Sagar

With reference to the Press Reports regarding the proposal of a Private Company to launch the“Floating Restaurant” in Hussein Sagar., reported to be under consideration of State Tourism Department,I would like to bring the following for you kind consideration:

1) The AP High Court order dated 15-6-2001, in WP No. 23768 of 2000, precludes rising of anyfurther permanent structures including those involving commercial activities, on or near water spread orcatchment area of Hussein Sagar. However, the other aspects of the proposed activities via, constructionof an amusement park etc. not involving rising of permanent structures may be allowed with prior clearanceof AP PCB, ensuring that creation of such entertainment parks etc. would result only in sustainabledevelopment which would not create any ecological imbalance.

2) But unfortunately a number of commercial activities, namely “Eat Street” Restaurant, CommercialActivities in Rock Gardens etc. have subsequently come up encroaching on to the water body itself alongthe Necklace Road, in violation of AP High Court directive dated 15-06-2001.These activities seem to beflourishing in the name of temporary structures on a permanent basis, which are as bad as permanentstructures, going against the very spirit and objective of sustainable development, and preventing ecologicalimbalance, in and around Hussein Sagar, while APPCB appears to remain a silent spectator..

3) The commercial and recreational activities permitted in and around Hussein Sagar, namely I-MaxTheater, Dr.Car, Eat Street, Lumbini Park, NTR Garden, Exhibitions held In People’s Plaza etc. are resultingin overcrowding the areas around Hussein Sagar,causing traffic congestion, parking problems, noise pollutionand air pollution in the area, having serious adverse environmental impact in and around Hussein Sagar.The addition of another commercial activity in the name of Floating Restaurant to promote tourism isonly going to aggravate the situation which is already bad.

4) The proposed. “Floating Restaurant” is nothing but a floating structure permanently located rightin Hussein Sagar for carrying on a commercial activity in utter disregard and violation of AP High CourtOrder dated 15-06-2001 in W.P.No.26378/2000. Even assuming that the floating structure is not a selfpropelling structure( without engines ), it needs to have Diesel Generator set for providing the amenitiessuch as Air Conditioning, Water Pumping, Lighting etc., which is bound to cause pollution. Judging by

Capt.J.Rama RaoVSM, FIE, Indian Navy (Retd)

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the present performance, APPCB does not seem to have the required infrastructure to monitor and controldischarge of various wastes generated in a floating restaurant located in Hussein Sagar day in and day out.

5) The Supreme Court Bench delivering the judgment in “Lucknow Aminuddaula Park UndergroundShopping Complex Case” cautioned that “When a State holds a resource, which is available for the freeuse of the general public, a court will look with considerable skepticism upon any governmental conduct,which is calculated either to reallocate the resource to more restricted uses or to subject public uses to theself interest of private parties”

ConclusionIn the light of the position explained above it is requested that commercial/ recreational activities,

whether in temporary or floating Structures, on a permanent basis, should not be permitted in and aroundHussein Sagar, which should be left alone, by protecting & preserving from ecological degradation, asNatural, and Peaceful Recreation Center Right in the Heart of City, a rare gift given to the Citizens ofHyderabad City.

Looking forward for an early response

Thanking You

Yours Cordially

J.Rama Rao

Copy to: Member Secretary, APPCB

The Hussainsagar will continue to be the touristattraction, if only it is left alone, without any furtherdevelopmental activities around it. But the State Govt.appears to have been lured by the “Real Estate” valueof the land around and determined to go ahead withvarious projects involving private parties in the nameof promotion of tourism. And Hussainsagar seems tobe doomed forever and the tourists may find it aftersometime, like Masab Tank?

(Extracts from Capt. J. Rama Rao’s article in theForum’s Annual 2001-2002.)

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Ref: FBH/Heritage/4/2012/ 507 17.4.2012

The Special Chief Secretary, YAT & C,Government of Andhra PradeshHyderabad.

Madam,Proposal for a floating restaurant in Hussainsagar.

We came across a report in various newspapers on the proposal of the Tourism department to createa floating restaurant in the Hussainsagar Lake itself, and that the Department has signed an MOU withthe promoters and is seeking foreign assistance also.

We consider this a disastrous proposal which will further pollute the lake and disturb its naturalnessand scenic beauty. The proposal blatantly violates the recommendations of the Supreme Court –appointed Committee dated 25.4.2005, which, inter alia, opposes the setting of any project in theforeshore of, or, inside, the Hussainsagar except only for conservation of the lake. It will definitelycreate further pollution. The relevant extracts of the report are enclosed as an annexure.

Further, as per the same Committee report, the government department dealing with lakes should bethe one dealing with environment and forests and NOT urban development or tourism departments.

A Lake Conservation Authority (LCA) and not the lake conservation Committee, as per the SCcommittee report, is required to be set up for managing of lakes and for enforcing the above statedmeasures that the Hon’ble Supreme Court may deem fit to pass orders. “The LCA should includenot only government agencies, including HUDA, MCH, HMWSSB, but in equal measure of experts,NGO’s and stakeholders who do not wish to convert water bodies into real estates or commercialareas for development or tourism” (SC Committee Report 7.12). In the instant case, no reference hasbeen made to Lake Protection Authority.

Further, as the recommendations have been made by the Supreme Court – appointed Committee,any further project concerning Hussainsagar Lake must be referred for prior clearance to the SupremeCourt.

It has been reported that in this context, that an MOU has already been signed. If it is true, then it’sshocking that such an important decision concerning the modification of an important heritage lake,and a landmark of Hyderabad, such as Hussainsagar has been bulldozed with such haste and in aclandestine manner. Kindly rescind the MOU immediately to contain the damage and restore public

FORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABADregistered as a trust with Registrar, Hyderabad under document no 339 of 2003

House No 17, Street No.3, Umanagar, Begumpet, Hyderabad – 500 016Tel: (0091-40) 27636214, Fax: 27635644,

E-mail: betterhyd@yahoo.co.in Website: www.hyderabadgreens.org

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faith in responsible transparent urban governance. Kindly advise us of action taken. Meanwhile,please acknowledge receipt.

Yours faithfully,

O.M.Debara SD/- T.Ramakrishna,General Secretary ( Secretary)Forum For A Better Hyderabad SOUL

Copy forwarded for information and necessary action to:

Chairman, Heritage Conservation Committee, as Hussainsagar is an important heritage of Hyderabad,and may be considered a precinct also. We have many recognised heritages, which are not notified butprotected as heritage, e.g., Assembly Building. [ The lake and its foreshore should be notified under theForest Act and under Heritage regulations – Supreme Court-appointed Committee.]

Copy forwarded for information and necessary action to:

The Commissioner, HMDA. The Commissioner, GHMC. MD- Buddha Purnima Authority.Secretary- APPCB. INTACH- State Chapter. INTACH- Hyderabad Chapter.

Annexure showing Extracts from the report of the SC-appointed committee dated 25.4.2005.

Report on Hussainsagar Lake; Encroachments and Pollution.1.1 Background1.2 The Honourable Supreme Court constituted this Committee in its orders dated 25 April 2005. Theorders arose on a petition by Dr G Hargopal & others versus South Central Railway & others for specialleave to appeal (Civil) No(s) 5595-96/2004 from the orders of the Honourable High Court of AndhraPradesh at Hyderabad in WPMP No 31584 of 2003 and WPMP No 136 of 2004 in Writ Petition No25073 of 2003. The appellants had filed a writ petition before the Andhra Pradesh High Court challengingthe construction of a railway station on Hussain Sagar Lake of Hyderabad by the South Central Railway.In its orders of 4 February 2004, the High Court dismissed the petition of the appellants and allowed thewrit of the Railway authorities by vacating the stay granted on the construction of the Railway station.While so ordering, the High Court took note of the fact that substantial work on the railway station hadtaken place on the other side of the Necklace Road which had been recognised in the earlier orders in WP26378 of 2000 of the AP High Court on the petition of the Forum for a Better Hyderabad vs Governmentof Andhra Pradesh and others. The Court observed that maybe the petitioners are having good prima faciecase ultimately to seek imposing some restriction on further construction activities, if any, on any otherarea of the lake.

In the interim orders of the Supreme Court pending disposal of the appeal, it was directed that nofurther construction shall be carried out except with leave obtained from the Court in, on or around thelake. Also, having regard to the nature of the issues involved and particularly in view of the submission ofthe learned counsel for appellants that the orders of the High Court on the question of the extent of thelake are conflicting, the writ petition was withdrawn from the High Court for disposal by the SupremeCourt. The present Committee of three members was appointed by the Court to consider the constructionand to submit a report as to suggestions relating to the encroachments, if any, and the pollution if it exists,

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in respect of the lake. The Committee will also recommend to the Court as to what measures could betaken with regard to the Railway station which has already been constructed (orders at Annexure A).

Chapter 4.3, page 33;In view of the doctrines of Public Trust and safeguarding of Environment spelt out by the Supreme

Court and also enunciated in the Directive Principles of State Policy and Fundamental Duties of citizensof the Constitution of India, there is enough justification to draw the conclusion that water bodies andlakes cannot be encroached upon or developed in any manner by any person, institution or Governmentexcept for its strict conservation.

Chapter 7:● Lakes, even in urban areas, have values in terms of natural beauty, moisture conservation, microclimate

moderation, flood control etc. They have heritage, cultural, social and aesthetic values. ( page 76)

● In the case of encroachments covered by Court orders, the cases should be pursued to ensure the lakearea is conserved and wherever the encroachments have been regularized, the further constructionactivity should be so regulated as not to obstruct the view of the lake or add to the heat, air pollutionand accumulation of waste in the vicinity. ( page 79).

● In any case no more new developmental activities should be taken up in the lake area including theparks, etc, mentioned earlier in the name of tourism or foreign assisted project for the developmentof the lake. Such assistance, if forthcoming, should be for systematic treatment of the wastes enteringthe lake or for non-motorized sports in the water and no waterfront or shore based activity should beallowed except walking, cycling and jogging. When the lake waters are cleaned up, sports like anglingand swimming can be thought of. ( page 80)

● The Hussain Sagar Lake is highly polluted by a mixture of industrial effluents and untreated sewageentering it as pollutants. It also receives two types of solid wastes. The first is in the form of packingfor consumer articles eg, plastic and the second is at the time of immersion of Ganesh idols ( page80).

● In this report the Committee has strictly followed the directions of the Supreme Court and also theprinciples of conservation and sustainable development of our natural resources enunciated in variousjudgments of Courts of law and in the provisions of the Constitution of India in the sections onDirective principles of State Policy and Fundamental duties of all Indian citizens regarding preservationof our environment. It also had for guidance the principles of Public Trust, Precautionary Principleand Equity in relation to the common property resources of our lakes that have aesthetic andecological role to play. ( pg.76).

● In any case, the encroachments, which took place after 2000, when the Courts also directed thatthere should be no more structures, should be vacated on priority and all commercial activity in thename of entertainment or otherwise, should cease along with artificial creations in parks.

● No public plaza or public meetings or entertainment should be in the lake or in its foreshore andvicinity as that only encourages further encroachment and pollution. ( chapter 7).

● Only non-motorized transport of the sustainable, non polluting kind should be encouraged on theroads on the lake and the eatables brought there should be by the push cart vendors who should useonly biodegradable containers and not bring junk or fast food. ( 7.5).

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7. To prevent dismemberment of the water bodies through executive fiat or private encroachment,urban development laws relating to land should not apply to the lake area.

8. The lake and its foreshore should be notified under the Forest Act and under Heritage regulations.The scenic splendour of the lake should be preserved. Hoardings or garish structures in the lakevicinity should be banned. The government department dealing with lakes should be the one dealingwith environment and forests and not urban development or tourism. This authority should befunded by levies on earlier or current polluters and by the government.

● A Lake Conservation Authority (LCA) should be set up for managing of lakes and for enforcing theabove stated measures that the Hon’ble Supreme Court may deem fit to pass orders. The LCAshould include not only government agencies, including HUDA, MCH, HMWSSB, but in equalmeasure of experts, NGO’s and stakeholders who do not wish to convert water bodies into realestates or commercial areas for development or tourism. (7.12).

● This management setup should be able to take steps to conserve the lake in its entirety and dopolicing and monitoring to prevent encroachments and pollution. Its mandate should extend to anydevelopment which will not encroach on the lake or foreshore in any manner and only promotegreening by trees in the foreshore and creation of pathways in the periphery of the foreshore forwalking, jogging and cycling and also to promote water sports of the un-automated kind.

Hussain Sagar Lake, which is at the center of the city and its central business district (CBD), shouldnot be allowed to become a part of the CBD or used for allowing picnicking, entertainment and commercein the name of creation of parks ( 7.6.2).

Hussain Sagar

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The role of the lake in the city ecosystem, the need to preserve it and the benefit it brings are facts that have to besubconsciously embedded in the minds of children, advises water expert S. Vishwanath

Water literacy, knowing all about water in nature, its role, its function, how we use it, how we abuse and what needs tobe done to respect it are something best taught at a young age. This became abundantly clear when one led a bunch of 16excited school children around a restored lake in Bangalore.

Much work had been done to fence the lake, create and strengthen the bund, make islands for the birds and zone it insuch a way as to have a complete wetland area near the inlet and a water body towards the downstream part of the lake. Therecharged waters had filled up a well full of fish. The lesson to the youngsters became clear. If you work on a rechargestructure, the lake, you will have clean water in your wells throughout the year.

The well itself talks to you and communicates the need for behavioural change. It tells you about the approach ofsummer, when the water levels recede. You then as a user have to be careful how much water you draw. Well water can bedrawn without electricity; it has therefore very low embodied energy. There is a science, a skill, an art and effort in understandingwhere to dig for a well and then to line it with stones. This skill has been mastered over centuries.

The fish in the well keep it free from mosquitoes, and also indicate the quality of the well water. If you pollute the lakeor the surrounding or throw garbage there will be no clean water in the well. The need for protecting the catchment and thewell itself becomes clear.

Ours was a city of lakes. 262 in the year 1961, now down to 80 or thereabouts. The role of the lake in the cityecosystem, the need to preserve it and the benefits it brings such as the huge number of birds, water for irrigation, rechargingthe groundwater and a place for recreation for fishing, swimming and boating was something the children could easily see.

A discussion with the local fishermen with their coracles taught them about livelihoods based around lakes.Waste-Water Recycling

Then we walked to a sewage treatment plant. That each one of us, when we used water, generated sewage was clear buthow was it treated? The process of primary treatment and secondary treatment using the Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanketor UASB was something the children were seeing for the first time.

This treated water was then being released into a wetland where the flourishing plants further treated it and improvedits quality. The water then reached the lake and by the time it infiltrated through the ground and emerged in the well theearth had filtered it clean. Waste-water was now well water ready for use.Ignited Young Minds

Questions emerged thick and fast. Why were we not protecting all our lakes? Why did we not have sewage treatmentplants with all our lakes?

Why was there waste-water flowing in drains? Was it OK to wash clothes in the lake? Why were people throwing plasticin the lake? Young restless minds were ignited.

The city has been doing wonderful things such as pumping water from a distance of 100 km. to quench the people'sthirst. It has also set up a beautiful rainwater theme park just to educate and communicate water literacy.

If every citizen becomes water literate and especially if school children see wonders of nature at work as well as thepossibility of human beings cleaning up their act and protecting the environment, then there is hope for sustainable watermanagement for the city and for the country.

Save the Lakes, Save the City

S. Vishwanath

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When thousands of villagers throng a templepinning their hopes on a namesake spiritual guru’sfast and fervently pray for rain showers in the climaxof the film Guide’ , the skies above open up in theend. But unlike in the film where it was only natureto blame for the drought, in parched Hyderabadthe depleting levels of water reservoirs or theplummeting ground water levels are essentially amanmade crisis, one that even the gods cannot fix .The crisis has been building over the last few decades,more so in the last 10 years during which time thepowers that be chose to look the other way at theproverbial greener pastures, only this time the colourgreen symbolised the colour of money.

Unplanned growth and urbanisation ofHyderabad over the last many years coupled withbrazen encroachments on the catchments ofHimayathsagar and Osman sagar reservoirs arelargely responsible for the acute water crisis in thecity. And if poor rains often find themselves beingblamed as one of the primary reasons for theshrinking water levels, studies have indicated thatHyderabad has in fact received more or lessconsistent rainfall since 1961 (see box), fluctuatingbetween highs and lows but maintaining an averagerainfall figure.

But the inflows into the reservoirs havedropped drastically. Take the case of Osman sagar,where water inflows have dropped from 330 millioncubic metre in 1961 to a really dry 60 million cubicmetre in 2009. The drop is similar even in the caseof Himayathsagar where the inflows have droppedfrom around 450 million cubic metres in 1961 tojust about 60-70 million cubic metre in 2009.

“Only 5 per cent of the total rainfall reachesHimayathsagar. In the case of Osman sagar it is 10per cent,” says B Venkateswara Rao, professor of

Blame It On The Rains?

Roli Srivastava(published in the Times of India, Hyderabad on May 16 2012)

water resources and coordinator, Centre for EarthAtmosphere and Weather ModificationTechnologies with JNTU. He says that the inflowsinto Osman sagar used to be as good as 20-25 percent in the past, which has dropped drastically now.Himayathsagar has traditionally reported poorinflows, always less than 20 per cent but the currentinflow statistic of 5 per cent is still a disturbing low.In fact, in his study on ground water, VenkateswaraRao notes that although there has been no rise intemperature and a normal rainfall during the studyperiod of 1961-2009 , there has been a continuousdrop in the runoff from the catchments(of thereservoirs).

Ground water experts attribute the large scaledrop in inflows largely to agricultural activity in thecatchment areas of the reservoir which they say hasincreased from 7,000 hectares to 12,000 hectares,given the massive expansion that the city haswitnessed in the last few years. Speaking for the waterproblem in the state, T Hanumanth Rao, formerchief engineer of Andhra Pradesh’s irrigationdepartment says excessive ground water is beingpumped for irrigation across the state. “During1988-89 , 11.33 hectares was irrigated by pumpingground water and by 2009-10 , this had increasedto 22.84 lakh hectares,” he says.

Ground water department officials, however,note that while the total rainfall over the last manyyears may not have changed, but its pattern has.

“Rainfall now is in short spells as against beingdistributed over a period of time which leads toscarcity,” says K Venugopal, joint director, groundwater department. He says that the crisis has beenbuilding up since the Fifties and that the governmentis making efforts including rationing water suppliesto villages etc to contain the problem.

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But it’s possibly a case of too little too late.Apart from the catchment areas of importantreservoirs, the ground water levels in the city toohave been eaten into over the years, particularly afterthe Hi-Tech boom in Hyderabad. “The city has aninherent water problem in any case and the groundwater resources are not enough to cater to theincreasing population,” says activist M Mandal. Hepoints out that the city now has many multi-storeyedbuildings, each standing on multiple-feet deepfoundations (see box).

Activists note that much of the drinking watercrisis in Hyderabad could have been contained ifthe large-scale commercial activities dangerouslyclose to the reservoirs were stopped in time or notallowed to take off in the first place. “Moreover,residential buildings are turning commercial. Thereare unauthorised structures and irregular buildings,”points out Mandal.

A writ petition made to the high court in 2007on the violation of GO 111 (that prohibits anyactivity within a 10 km radius of the full tank levelof Osman sagar and Himayath sagar reservoirs )notes that the international airport operations andits total paved surface are in the catchment area ofHimayathsagar. The petition further lists othercommercial activities including Golconda hotel onthe banks of Osman sagar, 200 farm houses in thecatchment area of lakes and allotment of 245 acresof land for residential plots given to judges, MPs,MLAs, IAS officers and media persons (vide GO522) in Vatti Nagulapally, which is in the Osmansagar catchment area. Also, the alignment of theOuter Ring Road is within 500 metres of the

Himayathsagar bank, according to the petition.“Unplanned growth (of Hyderabad) is a major causefor the depleting reservoir levels,” says the petitionerand activist S Jeevanand Reddy.

Reddy says that the population growth inHyderabad has been abnormal and the city’sexpansion unplanned after 1980. That thegovernment showed little respect for the city’s waterbodies was in evidence since the Sixties itself whenindustrial effluents started finding their way intoimportant water bodies such as Musi and HussainSagar.

It is interesting how the history of water inHyderabad is older than that of the city itself.Hussain Sagar was created in 1562 and Hyderabadcame up 30 years later in 1591. And a crucial nuggetof Hyderabad’s history is the devastating Musi fl oodin 1908, following which the Nizams sought theadvise of Sir M Visvesvaraya who suggested that tworeservoirs, one on the Musi and another on Esi(Musi’s tributary ) be constructed.

While initially it was considered as protectionagainst fl oods but later it was realised that they couldalso address the city’s drinking water problem. Andthis is how Osman sagar and Himayathsagar cameup. A century later, the river Musi is reduced to astream, the reservoir inflows reduced to a trickle andVisvevaraya’s water plan for the city lost somewhere.So would praying to the rain gods help?

(With inputs from B V Shiva Shankar)

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The consistent degradation of natural waterbodies is at the root of Hyderabads acute watercrisis.With buildings sitting on paths of what wereonce natural water channels and the authoritiesrather disinterested in recharging lakes,is the city ofHyderabad doomed to be lake-less in the near future.SUDIPTA SENGUPTA | TNN Spread over asprawling stretch of almost a kilometer, the pristineTaj Banjara lake was once the pride of Hyderabad.With multiple water streams running along the KBRNational Park, flowing in to the lake, the waterbody was seen bursting at its seams through the year.The expansive spread of the lake, however, startedto shrink once development activity hit the areaabout two decades ago. As Banjara Hills turned intoa prime realty destination, the water body wasfurther choked by greedy builders who encroachedon every side of the lake to erect plush residentialcomplexes. The result, the Taj Banjara lake has nowbeen reduced to a pond and better known for itsstench that arises from the truck loads of garbagethat locals dump into it everyday.The fate ofHyderabad’s other lakes have been much the same.While the city could be officially sitting on a massivewater wealth of 3,086 lakes (as per irrigationdepartment records) spread across HMDA limits,but just about 300 are still in existence. Worse, only100 odd, among these, have an impressive waterlevel.This gradual yet consistent degradation ofnatural water bodies is at the root of Hyderabad’sdreadful water crisis, say experts. For years, lakes havebeen ruthlessly buried under tomes of concrete tomake way for unplanned urbanisation that hassapped the earth of all its resources leaving the cityparched and an inch closer to a severe drought. Ifground water in Hyderabad, thanks to healthy lakes,was once available at less than 30 feet below thesoil, the depth has now dropped to an astounding

MISSING: 2,700 LAKES

1,200 feet or more. And this, despite the city beinggifted with a well-planned design to conserve waterby the Nizam’s engineers. Developing a systemaround Hyderabad’s lakes, the engineers had ensuredthat every drop of water from these natural pitsflowed into the rivers, thus adding to the city’s watercontent, on both the surface and underground. Acase in point is the chain of lakes in Serilingampally.As per the design, once the rains filled the Ragulakunta here, the excess water, through a naturalchannel, was carried to another nearby lake, theMeedi kunta. Once that was full, the water ran intothe Kaidamma kunta and from there to the PatelCheruvu. It later overflowed into the GangaramPedda Cheruvu. The water, after filling the Lingamkunta and Beeram Guda Cheruvu, ultimately flowedinto the Naaka Vagu (which is a canal) thatcontributes towards the city’s water supplies. Butunfortunately, this chain has been broken now withconstruction activity springing up on the channelsconnecting each of these lakes. The water flow,therefore, has almost become extinct duringmonsoon, rues P Ramakrishna, city convener of SaveOur Urban Lakes (SOUL), pointing out how theMusi and Hussain Sagar too are networked with asimilar group of lakes. In these cases too, many ofthe connecting water bodies have been filled now.It is disheartening to see that a system, which couldhave kept Hyderabad’s water supplies brimming, hasbeen killed instead, Ramakrishna adds. That hisconcern is not without reason is evident from thechunk of lakes, right from Banjara Hills toKukatpally to Masab Tank and even Chandanagar,that now exist only on the map of the city. In realitythey are hot real estate destinations with no trace ofwater around. If some have faced death,others haveshrinked by over half their original size and havehigh-rises standing on their FTLs (full-tank level)

Sudipta Sen Gupta(The Times of India, Hyderabad, Tuesday, May 22, 2012)

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now. Not surprising then that only a meager 169lakes in the city today have a waterspread of over 10hectares.Squarely blaming government authoritiesfor this widespread massacre, environmentalists saythat the civic bodies should divert their attentiontowards recharging of lakes as against spending lakhson setting up rain water harvesting pits. While theyadmit to the merits of such man-made trenches,experts maintain that their effectiveness is muchlesser than that of water-filled lakes. In the year 2000,the state government, under the district collector,had set up a committee to study the impact of rainwater harvesting and figure out just how much ithelped in recharging ground water. The results werenot very impressive, says S Jeevanand Reddy, anenvironmentalist and member of the committee.Explaining the loopholes, Reddy says how rain waterharvesting pits are faced with a silting problem postmonsoon and requires to be set up afresh every year.Lakes, on the other hand, are natural percolationpits and that allow for continued recharging ofground water.That lakes cannot be substituted withartificial water harvesting measures is a fact upheldeven by the New Delhi-based Centre for Scienceand Environment (CSE) that has worked extensivelyin this field. In fact, a national study conducted bythe organization in January this year reiterates howdisappearing water bodies is the primary reason forthe acute water shortage faced by residents acrossthe country. And Hyderabad is no different, statesNitya Jacob, program director (water) at CSE,quoting from the study titled Excreta Matters thatclearly indicates how the city, even while drawingexcessive ground water, has done little to rechargeit. Its lakes and water bodies, which would have beenthe natural recharge areas, are stressed, beingencroached upon for land or simply covered up withsewage. As a result, water levels are plummeting,the study states. Jacob also highlights how the lossof water bodies has turned the city more vulnerableto floods every monsoon (from the chapter onHyderabad in the study), has forced it to lose its

sponges __ land in which to hold the rain __ andthereby, recharge its ground water. The city will needa rain water harvesting pit in every nook and cornerto make up for the total amount of water that isadded to the earth by natural water bodies, Jacobadds when quizzed on the effectiveness of artificialpits to bridge this demand-supply gap.Even theNational Environmental Engineering ResearchInstitutes (NEERI) in its ‘EnvironmentalManagement Plan for Osmansagar andHimayathsagar lakes survey drawn up in March thisyear stresses on the need to protect the city’s lakesand reiterates the importance of these water bodies.In its chapter on ‘Suggested Measures for theimprovement of Hyderabad’s water quality, thereport not only recommends stringent steps forcontrolling pollution of lakes but also proposesregular desilting and weed control within the city’snatural water pits. There is a repeated mention forthe need of Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs)around lakes to ensure that the water is treated beforebeing discharged into these water bodies. This, thereport states, would help address water quality issuesto a great extent.Interestingly, the official custodiansof Hyderabad’s lakes are fully aware of such concernsbut claim there is little they can do about it. Whilethey confess that the blocking of channels betweenlakes and dumping of sewage into them have speltdoom for the city, they seem strapped for a solutionto address the matter. We can only direct theconcerned departments to keep tabs on such illegalactivities. If the blockages are not cleared by themunicipal body to ensure better inflow, how canwe recharge the lakes, asks Sunil Kumar Gupta,Convener of the Lake Protection Committee andmember (environment ) of HMDA.This blamegame only ascertains that the two-year-old body setup with the sole intention of safeguardingHyderabad’s natural water assets has failed miserablyin achieving its target.

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No Estoppel: Claiming Right to the City via the Commons

The right to the city, an idea mooted by Frenchradical philosophers in 1968, has become a popularslogan among right to housing activists and inclusivegrowth policymakers.ln Indian cities unprecedentedand unregulated growth, incremental land usechange, privatisation and chaotic civic infrastructureprovisioning are fracturing resources created overcenturies and reducing the right to the city to mereright to housing and property, thus short-changingthe concept’s transformative potential. Urban actorsneed to draw inspiration from the way socialmovements world over including in India havedeployed the notion of the commons as a defenceagainst corporate exploitation of biodiversity.Envisioning the right to the city as the fundamentalhuman right, a demand for a just and sustainablesocial order where collective resources are respectedand regenerated to support life, entails a democraticapproach to the creation of knowledge about ourcities. Such knowledge creation is necessarily acollaborative effort involving citizens who aredifferentially located in relation to thecommons-policymakers, neighbourhood residents,workers and academic researchers.

The author is grateful to the participants of theUrban Commons Workshop 2010 organiscd by theNational Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru forhelping in clarifying some of the ideas in this paper;and to Nithya Raman for valuable feedback.

Anant Maringanti (amaringanti@gmail.com) isan independent scholar based in Hyderabad.

estoppel, n. Law. An impediment or bar to aright of action arising from a man’s own act, or wherehe is forbidden by law to speak against his own deed.Oxford English Dictionary.

bar or impediment preventing a party fromasserting a fact or a claim inconsistent with a position

that party previously took, either by conduct orwords, especially where a representation has beenrelied or acted upon by others.

1 IntroductionThe right to the city, a transformative idea with

a socialist agenda, first mooted by Frenchphilosopher Henri Lefebvre in the centenary yearof the publication of Capital, has become part ofdiverse activist mobilisations and transnationalpolicy networks across the world in the last twodecades. The uptake of the idea by inclusive growth-oriented policymaking has been remarkably rapidand widespread. Framed by inclusive growthpolicies, the idea of the right to the city is oftencircumscribed to the right to inhabit/reside; andconcretised through housing and mortgageregulation (Brenner et al 2009). This article aims tocontribute to efforts to recover the conceptual ambitand political purchase of the right to the city as asocialist ideal and concretise it in the specific contextof degradation and privatisation of commons inIndian cities.

The article draws on the experience of activismaround protecting waterbodies in Hyderabad tobuild an expanded conception of “urban commons”.It suggests that the realisation of the right to thecity as a political ideal will require a reorientationof research and activism. In order to appreciatc theintended scope of the right to the city, it must beseen in the political context in which it was originallyproposed. Writing at a time of widespread unrest inEurope, Lefebvre intended the right to the city notmerely as a reform, but as “a cry and a demand”;“the right to occupy and protest”; “a working sloganand ideal”. For Lefebvre, the city was a metaphorfor all ‘of society. It was the spatial expression ofculture in which the inhabitants were progressively

Anant Maringanti

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disenfranchised by capital. The right to the city thenis a universal statement of collective aspirations. Inits broadest sense, it is a right that cannot be barteredaway or given up voluntarily. Its proper place is notin the laws enabling housing finance as it is oftenmade out by advocates and critics, but alongsidethe most fundamental human rights. In DavidHarJey’s words:

The right to the city is ... far more than a rightof individual access to the resources that the cityembodies: it is a right to change ourselves bychanging the city more after our heart’s desire. It is,moreover, a collective rather than an individual rightsince changing the city inevitably depends upon theexercise of a collective power over the processes ofurbanisation.

The freedom to make and remake ourselvesand our cities is ... one of the most precious yetmost neglected of our human rights (Harvey 2003:940).

To grasp the import of such a conception ofthe right to the city in the Indian context, we needonly to consider the 1985 ruling of the SupremeCourt in the Olga Tellis case. The case, as twogenerations of housing rights activists in India know,involved the rights of the pavement-dwellers againsteviction by the Bombay Municipal Corporation.The petitioner argued that pavement-dwellers livedon pavements in order to be close to the places wherethey could make a living. By evicting them, theBombay Municipal Corporation was violating theirright to livelihood and by extension, it was aviolation of Article 21 of the Constitution - the rightto life and liberty. In its order, the Supreme CourtofIndia up-held the pavement-dwellers’ invocationof the fundamental right and ruled against theapplication of estoppel. The operational part of thejudgment has been justifiably criticised by many forits ambiguity in defending the rights of residence ofthe pavement-dwellers. But, on the matter of thepavement-dwellers seeking refuge in thefundamental right to life and liberty, the judgmentwas unequivocal. The Court observed as follows:“No individual can barter away the freedoms

conferred upon him by the Constitution. Aconcession made by him in a proceeding, whetherunder a mistake of law or otherwise, that he doesnot possess or will not enforce any particularfundamental right, cannot create an estoppel againsthim in that or any subsequent proceeding.” In short,the fact is that pavement-dwellers may be violatingthe municipal law by occupying the pavement. Butthey are entitled to invoke the fundamental rightsto challenge the unjustness of the municipal laws.

The distinction between the right to the cityas a fundamental human right and as an entitlementarising from a contractual agreement from the lawsof the land is of utmost importance particularly intimes of widespread crisis and dispossession such asnow. Towards developing an expansive vision of theright to the city as a fundamental human right inthe context of Indian urbanisation, this article willproceed in four sections hereon. The second sectionbriefly describes two framings of the right to thecity that have come to gain purchase in Indian citiesand identifies how neither of them is able toarticulate a key issue in India’s urban crisis - thecommons. The third section first describes theprocesses by which a large number of water bodiesin Hyderabad have virtually disappeared in a shortspan of time and outlines the questions of justicethat arise from this crisis. Then, it makes the casefor articulating the right to the city as the right tothe commons rather than merely the right to accessindividual services and rights. The fourth sectionteases out the challenges encountered inmaterialising such an expanded conception of theright to the city. The fifth concluding sectionsuggests that the first step towards overcoming thechallenges would be the production of new criticalknowledges based on principles of collaboration -inshort a commoning of knowledge itself.

2 Concretising the Right to the CityTo properly contextualise the right to the city

is to contextualise it in the numerous competingand converging visions of the city (Mayer 2009).For the purposes of this paper, I will consider twosuch visions which have found resonance in India.

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The first is the vision of inclusive urban developmentpromoted by UN various agencies with the explicitagenda of promoting the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. The inclusive growth vision of the city is, inessence, a top-down process which aims at governancereforms that tame resistance to the deepening ofmarkets. It is operationalised through a complexsystem of transnational policy networks that Peck andTickell (2002) evocatively liken to a system ofinterconnected command centres. As has now becomethe norm even internally in India, the inclusive growthpolicy is promoted through best practice regimes,creates and circulates model legislations, andsometimes adopts “promise-of-funding-contingent-upon-compliance” to overcome resistanceat lower scales of state institutions to yield way.

The second vision of the right to the citycoheres around a body of research and advocacy thathas come to be known as “insurgent citizenship”.Briefly, insurgent citizenship is the idea that peoplein urban fringes of large metropolises in countrieslike India, even as they are disenfranchised by theformal law and structurally excluded, rebel againstthe unjust system which puts land and housingbeyond their reach, through tactical actions that relyon incremental change (Holston 1998). Denied therights of substantive citizenship, people assembletheir entitlements through informal modes,tactically drawing on resources available in the localand lower level bureaucracies. Sometimes they dothis by stealth and at other times by taking recourseto transparent exchanges and eventually throughnetworking and exchanging the counter knowledgesthey produce of urban life (Appadurai 2002;Benjamin 2008; McFarlane 2004). Such populationsestablish their claims to the city, in particular, theright to residence and to urban services throughcycles of encroachment gradually estab-lishing theirclaims and gaining a certain degree of legality. Inthis sense, insurgent urbanism is a bottom-up visionof the right to the city focusing on subaltern agency.

Ironically, in recent years, the top-down andbottom-up visions of the right to the city - insurgentcitizenship and inclusive growth have begun to

converge around the production of new low-endhousing markets (e g, Rajiv Awas Yojana). Suchprogrammes recognise the rights of squatters andhelp them gradually become property owners. Aprime example of this would be the develop-mentof new slum reconstruction programmes throughtripartite agreements between builders, financeagencies and slum-dwellers associations oftenfacilitated by NGOs. Such programmes have metwith limited success and engendered criticismparticularly on the grounds that housing ascommodity and as property rights is by definitionexclusivist as it rules out models of self-help andincremental development and multiple claims toproperty which are better suited for the India’s urbanpoor. Indeed, based as they are on selectingbeneficiaries through the criteria of “credit -worthiness”, and “length of residence”, many of thenew housing programmes cannot but exclude a largepart of the ever-increasing numbers of peoplemoving into the cities in India.

How can we make sense of the role of theIndian state in Indian cities where inclusive growthmeets with insurgent urbanism one drawing onformal mechanisms and the other relying oninformal networks? Roy (2009) suggests that oneof the main conceptual problems here lies in thebinary construction of the category of informality.She suggests that rather than seeing the informal asthe domain of the poor and formal as the domain ofthe elite, we need to understand how informalityoperates through the entire spectrum of urban lifeincluding governance. She suggests that India’splanning regime is itself “an informalised entity, onethat is a state of deregulation, unmapping, andexceptionalism” (Roy 2009: 86). This informal idiomof urbanisation, she notes, makes possible newfrontiers of development. For example, consider thegrowth in the number of special development zonesin Indian cities. Such zones are created by exemptingareas for rapid growth and infra-structural investmentsfrom the masterplan in force. (Hyderabad city ledthe way by creating the Buddha Purnima ProjectAuthority, Cyberabad Development Authority and

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Hyderabad Airport Development Authority. Each ofthese was once a parcel of urban territory subject tothe planning vision of the Hyderabad UrbanDevelopment Authority.)

Once exempted from the masterplan in force,the special development zones are brought underthe discretionary powers of the executive with noframework to regulate them. Each of these specialdevelopment zones may become thriving hubs ofcommercial growth because decision-making at thehighest level is quick and favourable to newinvestments. However, simultaneously, Roy argues,such systematic informality also renders impossiblegovernance, justice and development in anyterritorial sense, precisely because such exceptionsare systemic and extensive. In short, Roy argues thatIndian cities cannot be planned for in the“conventional sense of planning as forecasting andmanaging growth”. Rather, urban planning in Indiaoperates as “a special mode of managing resources,particularly land where the owner-ship, use, andpurpose cannot be fixed and mapped according toany prescribed set of regulations or the law”. Asalready noted, this impossibility of governance canbe seen from one perspective as a sign of vitalityand dynamism. Indeed scholars and popular writersalike have celebrated this characteristic of Indiancities. Bollywood productions reflect it time andagain. But the cumulative effect of such dynamismis the lack of any coherent social action that canadhere to a collective ethic regarding resources thatare shared by everyone or even resolve itself intoany clear lines of conflict between social classes.While all of this is well documented, theconsequences of this for cities as collective resourcepools - commons - have received scant attention inurban studies. In the following section, I outlinethe case of water bodies in Hyderabad towards afirst attempt to think through how such collectiveresources can be conceptualised.

3. Commons without Community:Waterbodies in Hyderabad

In order to demonstrate the complexity of the

problem of shared resources in Indian cities beforeattempting to conceptualise the commons, let usfirst consider the trajectory of urbanisation throughtwo neighbourhoods in Hyderabad city.

Case 1: Ambir LakeAmbir cheruvu lake is adjacent to Pragati

Nagar, an affluent neighbourhood in the north-western urban fringe of Hyderabad, about 2kilometre (km) from National Highway 9. Until1990, the area was part of a village in the catchmentof Ambir lake. In the year 1990, some workers ofAllwyn, a public sector factory, many of whom wereunion members, pooled their retrenchment/goldenhandshake money and purchased agricultural landfrom the village. As a sign of their affiliation to theleftist trade union they named their new housingcolony Pragati Nagar (City of Progress). Since then,the area has grown into a bustling township, wellconnected to the nearby Kukatpally municipalitythrough a road dividing the lake into two halves.When Kukatpally municipality merged into theGreater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation in 2008,the residents of Pragati Nagar chose to retain theirstatus as a village. (Ostensibly to maintain theircollective autonomy but also possibly to avoidhaving to pay higher property taxes.) The area isnot connected to the city’s sewage and drainagenetworks. Nor is it served by the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation’s garbage removal services.In the early years of the colony, Pragati Nagarresidents invested in a sewerage treatment plant. Butover time it has become dysfunctional and there isno collective will to get it working. Further, as thereare no garbage removal services, the municipal solidwaste from the colony is burnt on the edges of thelake. Pragati Nagar is not the only neighbourhoodin the catchment of Ambir cheruvu. There are anumber of neighbourhoods in the area which aredirectly in the catchment of the lake and obstructinginflows and suffering floods.

Case 2: ErrakuntaErrakunta lake is a smaller waterbody, in the

north-east of the city 3 km from the Osmania

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University. The nalas connecting it to lakes upstreamand downstream were broken about 20 years ago asconstruction activity began to grow in the area. By1999, local land sharks broke the surplus weirdraining the lake bed except for a small body ofwater which was used by washermen. As the lakebegan to gradually shrink, the land became availablefor purchase by low income housing cooperativesocieties (comprising mainly scheduled casteemployees of Osmania University) who started theirconstruction work. As the lake area began to visiblychange, one of the older residents of the area, beganmobilising the washermen to physically resist theencroachment in the lake bed and moved the court.Using his engineering knowledge, he accessedsatellite imagery of the lake and moved the courtthrough a public interest petition. The litigationtook nearly 10 years to wind its way all the way upto the Supreme Court. Two of the main respondentsin the public interest litigation were housing societiesformed by scheduled caste government employeeswho had invested their life’s savings to own a home.As matters stand, even though the Supreme Courtordered that the housing constructed on theencroached lake bed be removed after due processby the revenue officials, the orders remainunimplemented at the local level even three yearsafter the judgment.

The washermen’s association meanwhile hascome to an understanding with the housingsocieties. As per their informal understanding, oncethe government begins the process, the washermenwill limit their claim to a small plot of land wherethey hope to install two borewells so that they cancarry on their work. The housing societies cancontinue to exist. Even as these understandings arebeing reached, the remaining lake bed is currentlyprimarily being used by the Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation as a local dumping groundwhere the garbage collected by private sanitationworkers is heaped up before being transferred to themunicipal garbage transportation facilities.

Urban Waterbodies as CommonsAmbir and Errakunta lakes described above are

only two of the hundreds of waterbodies inHyderabad which can be called urban commons ina profoundly geohistorical richness. The geomorphicbackbone of these waterbodies was formed out of abasaltic flood 65 milion years ago. The chaoticdrainage patterns of the Deccan plateau created bythis event set the context for the gradual emergenceof a network of man-made waterbodies in the 12thcentury. Between the 16th and 19th century, a verylarge number of water bodies got added to thisnetwork to serve the needs of settled agriculture aswell as human habitations. Within the jurisdictionof the Hyderabad Metropolitan DevelopmentAuthority of 7,100 square kilometres, it is estimatedthat there are over 3,000 large and small water bodiesmost of which are interconnected to each other. Eventhough the Nizam state undertook modernengineering interventions in the form of irrigationdams, flood balancing reservoirs on a priority basisin the early 20th century, it left institutionalarrangements intact for governing the smallertraditional structures - earthen dams, stone masonry,etc, and simple stone weirs.

Multiple and complementary use patterns,customary entitlements, oversight by village levelstewardship institutions and funds from thegovernment continued, as agricultural productionwhich sustained the state’s economy was criticallydependent on these waterbodies. The gradualdecline of these systems began with the rise of themodern and modernising techno-bureaucracies ofthe post-independence Indian state. The newregime’s imagination, beholden to the largeirrigation dams (e g, Nagarjuna Sagar) on the anvil,had little room for the networks of small waterbodiesand gradually, the village level social relationshipsand structures of authority began to break down.To complicate matters further, as the Nizam state’sofficial languages were Urdu and Persian, languagesthat the new bureaucracy was not trained in, theaccumulated knowledge of governance gradually fellinto disuse and became inaccessible. According toestimates by former officials of the irrigationdepartment, between 1950 and 1990, nearly 7 lakhacres of land lost irrigation due to the drying up of

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the networks of waterbodies in the Telangana region.

In the 1970s, as Hyderabad city began to growa number of new physical and social processes set ingradually leading to fragmentation and erosion ofthis system of waterbodies. In particular, recklessdisposal of industrial effluents, sewerage andmunicipal waste into waterbodies, encroachment byreal estate interests and marginalisation of establishedcustomary land use and stewardship practices in thelast three decades have led to the virtualdisappearance of many of the waterbodies with theresult that out of the nearly 500 waterbodies thatlay within the core city area, the Hyderabad UrbanDevelopment Authority could identify only 169which could potentially be restored in 2001. Sincethen, questions of who should be managing theselakes and how the efforts should be funded havebeen appearing regularly in newspapers even asagencies (revenue department, municipalcorporation, water and sewerage board and theplanning and development authority) keep passingthe buck and engaging in the blame game. And sincethen many of these 169 have fallen into furtherdisrepair (Ramachandraiah and Prasad 2004).

Environmental activists in Hyderabad identifya number of processes which have led to thedisappearance of waterbodies in Hyderabad. Primeamong them is changed use patterns andincremental establishment of claims to residence -primarily through modes that can be called insurgentcitizenship tactics. The process is multifarious andusually involves two stages: occupation andlegitimation. For example, occupation could startin the command area where cultivation is abandonedand farmers are willing to sell it. Or it can start inthe shoulders of the water-body where land iscategorised as poramboke, leaving room for inflowsand general maintenance. It could start in the nalaswhich feed the waterbody with flood overflows fromupstream lakes or carry water downstream to otherlakes. Once the inflow and outflow are damaged,the lake bed is isolated from the net-work ofwaterbodies and dries up. Sometimes, local landsharks can deliberately lower the surplus weir so that

the water level in the waterbody goes down and dryland emerges at the farther edge of the lake.Sometimes there are rocky outgrowths or islands inthe waterbody where birds nest and perchundisturbed. There are small shrines or trees whichbecome accessible in some seasons. These elevatedpieces of earth in the waterbody are isolated througha small pathway or bund connecting the edge ofthe lake to the rock on both sides and thus firstcreating a sort of lagoon separate from the mainwaterbody which can then be dried out and filledup.

Once occupancy is established, legitimisingownership involves working through thebureaucracies of land management. Given thecomplex history of land parcels and the continuanceof older claims into the present, it is always possibleto construct multiple claims to the land using variouskinds of documents (some of which may even beentirely forged). For example, during the secondworld war the Hyderabad state gave special annualleases to farmers to augment agricultural productionthrough cultivation in lake beds and in thecatchment areas. In many cases, washermen, cattlerearers had rights to a section of the riverfront forwashing clothes and growing fodder respectively.Documents relating to such provisional entitlementswhich are no longer practised have an ambiguousstatus in land management and are open tointerpretation at the lower levels of bureaucracy.Over the last three decades, literally millions of suchdocuments have circulated through landadministration bureaucracies and litigation and haveplayed a crucial role in contestation and compromiseto stablise ownership claims.’

As these processes of gradual/incrementaloccupation and legitimation course their waythrough the complex terrain described above,residential areas get established, real estate values goup even as infrastructure and services sewage, watersupply, drainage and garbage clearance take time tobe extended. It is under such circumstances thatmany residential areas improvise and find cheapestways to procure services and create infrastructure -

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often by disposing of waste water into the waterbodyand burning solid waste on the edges of thewater-body as happens in the case of Pragati Nagarand Errakunta. Instances of the municipalcorporation itself using the dried up water body asa transit dumping ground from where largermunicipal vehicles pick up the waste are numerous.

At the current juncture, from an insurgentcitizenship perspective, such processes are claims tothe right to the city. From the inclusive growthperspective, these are claims which need to bebrought into the ambit of formal marketmechanisms and finance arrangements. But whatof the long-term consequences of this urbanisation?The process described above can often take manyyears and may be ongoing even after the entire lakedisappears. The new occupants of the lakes, whonow comprise the entire spectrum of real estate -gated communities, affluent middle classneighbourhoods, corporate houses and squatters -continue to suffer the consequences ofcontamination due to municipal solid wastedumping and untreated sewerage discharge; flashfloods inundating houses; mosquito breeding;groundwater depletion and contamination. Both therich and the poor suffer many of these consequences,as lake beds are increasingly occupied by not justsquatters but by affluent housing societies. Algalblooms, organic and inorganic wastes kill fish. Aswater is unclean and fish catch becomes rare, birdsstop visiting. And finally, as each of these waterbodiesis a node in a network, changes in the structure ofone waterbody can have consequences for the restof the system both upstream and downstream farbeyond the city itself affecting particularly marginalfarmers.

limits of Present Activist StrategiesAgainst this backdrop, middle class activist

networks (Forum for Better Hyderabad, Forum forSustainable Hyderabad, Hyderabad Greens, SaveOur Urban Lakes, to name a few) in the city in thepast two decades have largely relied on litigationand lobbying with government agencies to protect

water bodies against what they perceive as the mainproblems: “encroachments and pollution”. Suchgroups are often moved by a nostalgia forremembered social geographies of Hyderabad, or byan aesthetic that is often tinged by spirituality andresentment against the rapid changes or by a desirefor a more orderly life. Angry and resentful writingsagainst encroachments on Husain Sagar, the largestwaterbody in the centre of the city, often cite thefollowing passage attributed to Husain, theprotagonist thug in the novel confessions of a thugwritten by Col Philip Meadows Taylor in 1839(Taylor 1988).

... and as we passed it a strong breeze had arisen,and the surface was curled into a thousand waves,whose white crests as they broke sparkled likediamonds, and threw their spray into our faces asthey dashed against the stone work of theembankment. We stood a long time gazing uponthe beautiful prospect, so new to us all, andwondering whether the sea, of which we had heardso much, could be anything like what was beforeus.

Images of the shrinking of such a magnificentwaterbody, once the site of religious coexistence ason its banks, the Shia Muslims mourned the deathof Husain in the Karbala Maidan, and the Hinduscelebrated the Vijayadashami festival with smallgroups of committed activists. As the activistsdiscover time and again, however, the disappearanceof waterbodies is not exclusively due to insurgenturbanism, or due to private corporate greed. TheGovernment of Andhra Pradesh is centrallyimplicated in some of the most extensiveencroachments into lakes, most conspicuously inthe case of Husain Sagar, the pride of Hyderabadcity, by omissions such as not marking full tank levels(FTL), and by commissions such as reclaiming landfor constructing memorial parks for departedpolitical leaders. Yet, the strategy adopted by activistgroups for a very long time has been to look for aneffective policing agency which can ensureboundaries, an agency that simply has not come intobeing. Urban waterbodies like those in Hyderabad

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transcend property boundaries, extend in time andare implicated in the quality of air and health andadequate access to safe water for everyone. In shortthe commons actually do not figure in currentdebates on the right to the city simply because thecurrent conceptions of the right to the city in bothtop-down and bottom-up versions have no roomfor a sense of community.

4 Right to the City via Urban CommonsThe case for re-envisioning the right to the city

via the commons is compelling. Lefebvre’s vision ofthe right to the city is in a sense about a collectiveideal, about shared resources and practices. Yet, theurban space that Lefebvre and much of the criticalurban theory that follows Lefebvre’s lead theoriseon is the capitalist urban space of north Americaand western Europe. In much of the world outsideof these heartlands of capitalism, however, strugglesagainst neo-liberal capitalism have been waged notin the cities but in the forests where corporateaggression takes the form of mining and intellectualproperty rights in biotechnology (Harvey 2004:548). In these places it is not the right to the citybut the right to the commons that has been invokedmost effectively by indigenous communities.

In cities like those of India, an engagementbetween the right to the city and the right ofcommons - the right to oppose enclosure of sharedresources in cities can open up several newpossibilities for creating better cities. Materialisingthe right to the city as the right to the commons ishowever not an easy task. The informal mode ofgovernance and planning described by Roy (2009)is in its concreteness, a battlefield in which the actorsdeploy social power through caste, gender and otherprivileges and occasionally employ brute physicalaggression to resolve competing claims for shareduse and appropriation of commons. Onceappropriated (occupied in the case of land),ownership of these resources can be furtherlegitimised through formal law . And as a matter offact, the erosion of commons in cities is an indicationof the consolidation of that power which is not

merely capitalist but is marked by caste formationsas well. What is the just and efficacious politicalpraxis that produces commons in defence againstunethical and exclusionary exploitation thatfacilitates an unjust order of accumulation and socialoppression? What kind of praxis can facilitateappropriation that is sensitive to a new ethic of thecommons and fosters the right to the city, with anIndian sensibility? Such a question assumes urgencyat this juncture when rapid exclusionary urbangrowth threatens to create conditions that areunfavourable for everyone and it is increasinglybecoming evident that there is no return to theNehruvian socialist order with its characteristicbinaries of public and private. What follows is afurther exploration of the challenge of urbancommons.

Debates on the commons have been, for thelast 40 years, influenced by the Garrett Hardin’sfamous essay, “The Tragedy of the Commons”,coincidentally first published in the same year inwhich Lefebvre proposed the right to the city(Hardin 1993). Hardin’s thesis, under the longMalthusian shadow claims that a resource which isnot owned by anyone is likely to be over-exploitedand destroyed as each of the users acts in a rationaland self-serving manner. Such actors cannot see anypoint in limiting their use because, there is noguarantee that others will simultaneously limit theiruse contributing to a general sustenance of the pool.Hardin’s tragedy of the commons formulation hasbeen refuted both conceptually and empirically bymany scholars. For example, Roberts and Emel(1992) have demonstrated that the degradation ofthe resources can be explained better through unevendevelopment theory. Bromley (1991) has shown thatit is necessary to distinguish between commons,property and common property regimes. Dietz etal (2003) have shown that institutions of collectiveaction matter to the way commons are governed.

Nevertheless, Hardin’s proposition has had adurable influence on the liberal governance. Theliberal strategy to obviate Hardin’s “tragedy of thecommons” is to vest property rights for all resources

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in some agency. Notwithstanding their adversarialpositions, advocates of privatisation and of the publicsector both appear to converge on this strategy.

Our discussion of waterbodies in Hyderabadshows that the degradation of water bodies is notdependent on whether formal ownership rests withthe state or with private individuals. It has also shownthat neither inclusive growth nor insurgent urbanismapproaches to the right to the city can address thequestion of the commons. Any attempt to build anew frame-work then would have to recognise thatcommons are not natural objects existing a priori.The waterbodies of Hyderabad are produced overmillennia by people who came together throughshared meanings and practices of use andappropriation. Such practices which we may call“practices of commoning” draw on diverse sources,from the spiritual (shrines on the lake boundary)through the banal (cattle grazing and casual fishing,to the highly politically/religiously charged (religiousprocessions for immersion of idols during festivals).Waterbodies bear the imprint of the exclusions andinclusions of past social relations - norms andhierarchies of use and appropriation. Exercising theright to the city as a right to the commons, therefore,involves a critical urban praxis that assembles actorswho can construct new communities based onprinciples of collaboration and sharing that are atonce aware of the inherited inequities and how theold inequities are incorporated into newdispensations of unequal power. In what follows, Isuggest that collaborative knowledge productioncould be a tentative starting point for such anexercise.

5. Commoning Knowledge, Claiming theRight to the City One of the key insights thatemerges from the experience of the lake protectiongroups in Hyderabad has to do with the governanceof information and knowledge. Control over andownership of information and data and the powerto authenticate and adjudicate the legitimacy of theinformation is crucial to the reproduction of theinformal idiom which makes construction of anymeaningful community impossible. Each lake is the

meeting point of a number of interest groups withcompeting interests, and yet none of these groupsis compelled to engage with each other. Eachoperates through stealth, plays for time andmanipu-lates information. Knowledge is guardedand traded in. Nothing illustrates this as sharply asthe case of knowledge of FTL markings for lakes inHyderabad. Among activists in Hyderabad, the FTLdata of the lakes till date continues to be a source ofmystification as the government agencies responsiblefor lakes and lands surrounding them have neitherreleased any data nor undertaken any exercise to fixthe FTL of each of the lakes or explain to the publicwhat it means. Yet, such data is known to be availablein some government agency or the other, only to berevealed when it is tactically necessary to reveal it.This is not surprising because the FTL is key todetermining the waterspread in the lake and thusmarks the boundaries of the lake. Once revealed, itfixes the boundaries of the lake. However, this isnot merely a question of factually ascertainableinformation from the government. It is also a matterof negotiation as there are multiple ways to arrive atthe FTL and each of them is fraught with conflictsover boundaries and entitlements.

Given this scenario, waterbodies (and moregenerally all of urban space) are sites where multiplecommunities each with its own tacit knowledge andaccumulated lived experience are at work. The firststep, therefore, is to develop systems of collaborationwhere such complex repositories of information andknowledge can be brought together intoconversation on a collaborative basis rather than oncompetitive basis. In other words, at least one pointof departure towards the exercise of the right to thecity as right to the commons is the creation ofappropriate knowledges and development ofpractices and norms for sharing and reworking thoseknowledges. Research on the commons particularlyin the context of their invocation as defence againstcorporate aggression has shown the importance ofunderstanding and sustaining knowledge systemscentred around the commons (Hess and Ostrom2007; Escobar 1998).

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Urban commons, however, are places andresources where knowledge is deeply riven withpower struggles is privatised in the form of data andexpert knowledge or is in the custodianship ofunaccountable government agencies.Geographically, the challenge of sharing andcollaborating is not easy, because of multiple layersof jurisdictions which do not coincide andstake-holder groups who are not necessarily livingin close proximity. Given this complexity,information and insights are not amenable toresearch practices that are oriented towards a fewexperts working in isolation from the community.Rather, it is precisely through generation ofknowledge that new communities must beconstituted and the communities so constituted

must generate information that is oriented towardsa new ethic of commons. It is only through suchcritical knowledge that the right to the city can beclaimed genuinely as a right to the commons, “as aprecious human right”, against which there can beno estoppel. Such new vistas of research would havebeen inconceivable barely a decade ago. Yet withthe availability of new communication technologies,online mapping services and social mediaapplication, a new window of opportunity may justbe opening up. Whether practitioners, researchers,activists, technologists and policy makers are readyto seize it, is a question for practice rather than fortheory. (Published in Economic & Political Weekly,Dated 10-12-2011)

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Summary:- This is an analysis to show that thepresent systems of elections, political representationand the party machines have not been contributingto further democratization of our polity norstrengthening of the civil society in general and,more so, in the case of urban self-governance inmunicipalities and corporations. This is ademonstration to appeal to the civil society toinvolve itself more directly, in the new context, toreflect and to act for more democratic changes inour governance.

1. A Review of the Phenomenon of thePolitical Parties:

There are conceptual, pragmatic andprospective problems in allowing a free play ofpolitical parties in local bodies, particularly in theurban areas.

In the course of the 19th and even in the 20th

century, political parties have been justifying theirexistence in Europe mainly for two reasons: In thestruggle against the monarch, an evident option wasto replace him by some other popular or acharismatic leader or leaders and the parties werethe machines that produced and projected them.However, these leaders continued to exhibit all thelimitations, weaknesses and perversions of a kingon assuming Power. This had become evident fromthe French Revolution itself, during the course ofwhich, several leaders turned dictators and gotguillotined by more ambitious dictators andideologists. The most clever person among them gothimself declared as emperor for life. The English,except at the time of Cromwell, never trusted onesingle individual to represent all of them. Theyalways looked for several representatives, therebyavoiding altogether the risk of usurpation of Powerby one powerful man. The British political parties

Are the Political Parties Relevant in Urban Governance?

Dr. Rao V.B.J. Chelikani

have helped in forging pluri-representativemechanisms. Secondly, the parties, in principle,instead of a ready-made leader, provided ready-madesolutions or ideologies to guide the representativesor the leaders who were their loyal members. Thishas been certainly better than one-man’s vision ormission. The people, during those times, thoughpolitically conscious, were mostly pastoral, poor,illiterate, ignorant, hierarchical, credulous andlooking habitually upwards for somebody to bettertheir lives.

No doubt, we have integrally transplanted inIndia the same system in the Fifties as Parliamentaryform of government. These structures have, withoutany shadow of doubt, have worked, initially, verywell to deepen the democratic process in ourcountry, since the Nineteenth century politicalconditions of England were very similar to India inthe second part of the 20th century.

It is not without significance that the politicalparties are not mentioned, at all, in the body of theConstitution. A small reference was added later inthe annexes. However, an Act, Representation ofPeoples Act was envisaged as early as 1950, with thedetails of the mode of representation by the people.In India, just like in any formal democracy theabsolute power is only transferred from a single kingto a few representatives chosen by territories andnumbers. But, in the case of India, we observe thathas led to a regime of several king-like representativesruling at the same time. They strangely resembleand remind the trivial and incessant quarrels offeudal lords of the medieval period. This confirmsthe impression that, as far as politics is concerned,we have not progressed very much in bringing thespirit of democracy into our institutions. And it iswith political democracy that we intended to usherin further democracy in social, economic and

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cultural spheres. It is this situation that makes uscall our democracy, a formal democracy with nosigns of further democratization, let alone extendingthem into other areas of human activity.

The fundamental problem we face with thepolitical parties is that they are wholly infatuatedwith capturing Power and holding on to the same,as long as possible, for the benefit of the fewer andfewer individuals, who emerge as new kings,dynasties or clans to the detriment of all others. Asa general phenomenon, the political parties limitthemselves to the function of how to gain Powerand to retain it. They never participate in thedevelopment. The nature of their power-hugermakes them incapable of working for any socialprogress; on the other hand, they have revived caste-demons in our society. Out of ten parties, the onein Power is easily made ineffective by the other ninewho could not capture Power. It is a game ofnumbers. Any changes, they would like bring in tothe society, they would do it only through Power.Their philosophy is: Its me or none! In practice, wefind that though a certain vision of governance isinscribed in their party ideology and, to some extent,in their manifestoes, they were never translated intoaction. They lack both conviction and efficiency.The Rightist parties try to regulate the existing socio-economic situations and the left parties try tointroduce the party apparatchiks to influence theadministration. In both the cases, they have beenonly helping to satisfy the Power-ego of the personin-charge. The impatience in acquiring Power,turned some countries, for example in Africa, intosingle-party regimes and party-dictatorships. In thelatter cases, the Power game takes place inside theparty, instead of among the parties outside. Someparties had the vanguard approach i.e. a particularsection of the society, such as, the proletariat woulddirect or dictate the party from within.

In addition to the above, their functioning inIndia showed that many of them are undemocraticin their internal functioning and structures due tointensive Power struggle; issues were never discussedexcept personal quarrels, never heard of change of

decisions after discussions; no genuine membershipin the non-left parties; sources of funding forfunctioning of the apparatus as well as of election-expenses are obscure; personality cult, dynastic cultand caste-wise strategies. In a democracy, citizensshould always have the possibility to elect, directlyor indirectly and in a free and fair manner. Bent oncapturing Power at any cost, the parties are alwaystrying to manipulate elections and the civil societyhas to keep a watch on them, though not alwaysvery efficiently.

2. The Principle of Political Representation:a).Traditionally, representation by the criteria

of population and territory has a historical referenceto our small kingdoms which exercised theirsovereignty over a given population in a giventerritory. It is a primitive, no doubt, a minimal, wayof picking up representatives. When human securitywas constantly at threat, political representation wasnecessary to ensure, above all, safety and security.But, to-day that is only a small part of the governanceimperatives. Now, we do not have any enemy tofight within the international frontiers and we wantto avoid inter-state disputes. In any case, we haveour national defence forces to take charge of ourterritorial integrity. We do not wan our reps. toresemble the old mansabdars, subedars, jagirdars,jamindars that have a monopoly over a certainnumber of people in a given area.

Meanwhile, several perversions have crept intoour body, politique. New problems and conflictsare created by the current criteria. Sanctity of andloyalties to territorial constituencies has beenencouraging the continuance of parochial feelingsand conflictive regionalism for political and electoralreasons. The representation by numbers is,automatically, creating new categories of scaredminorities, every time when some “exclusive”category of voters, formed on the basis of caste ororigin or religion or region win an election asmajority. Human relations are polluted by Power-equations.

Urban societies cannot be governed byrepresentatives elected from arbitrarily-chosen pieces

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of territories or from arithmetic numbers in lakhs,without involving the productive forces. Now, wewant internal democracy, especially, at local level,in the micro-communities, like the resident welfareassociations by way of collective participation ofactive citizens belonging to all the social, economicand cultural spheres. We have to transcend the‘political society’ towards a civil society with‘inclusive’ economic growth.

b). Who can represent whom in the 21st

century? When we are striving for empowermentof the individual and democratization of all socialactivities, can anybody be wholly represented byanybody else? Can we rely on any other humanbeing who can represent all our physical, mental,spiritual resources and their transformation for abetter life for all? In our practical life experiences,we realise that nobody is good enough to assumesuch a charge. An oft-repeated justification by thesereps. that they are representing the poor and thesuffering is a mockery. It is an insult to other citizens.

Barring that generation which has brought usindependence, the members of the succeedingparliaments and the state assemblies have amplyproved that the representation as envisaged in theRep. of Peoples Act of 1951 has not proved to be asuccess. Representation in terms of territories andpopulation has never been equal. When wecelebrated, recently, the sixty years of our Parliament,we realized that we have nothing to be proud of,except that it survived without collapsing. Theirlegislative output has been small and poor. Theyhad neither the time nor the aptitude to do better.There is much to talk about what they have failedto adopt rather than what is adopted.

Rajya Sabha also is a body of representativesof representatives. It is more of the same since themembers of Rajya Sabha are elected by the methodof indirect election by the elected reps. of theLegislative assemblies of states, following the systemof Proportional Representation. We are likely tocontinue with the same ritual as we have not starteddiscussing about better democratic alternatives.

c). These political representatives, contrary to

the spirit of democracy, are always claiming to besuperior to other citizens, again in the name of thesame people. They are claiming and enjoying, moreand more, prerogatives, privileges, protocols,concessions, gifts and funds without calling itremuneration. In the name of the Protocol, theyare even reducing the fundamental freedoms of thecitizens to freely move or invite or visit any officeror another rep. locally. People, right now in India,have no doubt that many of them are not onlycorrupt but also that they corrupt the bureaucracyand the private sector. The media survives byfocusing on these scandals and the blame-game,thereby building distrust, cynicism, frustrationamong the citizens. Further, these reps. claimwrongly that their collective body, Parliament issupreme, whereas, it is, in fact, our constitution thatis supreme.

d). Modern life, constantly, challenges ourbody and mind with new knowledge, newtechnologies, new tools, new skills seeking excellenceand work-satisfaction in all our pursuits. Whichcorporator or councilor or mayor or chairpersonwould be having the qualities necessary to representsuch citizens? We need somebody to work withothers with a remuneration for one’s time, energiesand knowledge or expertise. We need teammanagers, not political leaders.

e). In India, the politicians’ motivations arelocal but their ambitions are national. They are rarelyin local politics for local issues. When political partiesand their nominees intervene at local level andparticipate in the local elections, it is often to hit,hurt and weaken each other in order to change thepolitical equations at the national level. Thanks tothe distinction already made by Sir Edmund Burke,the English thinker, regarding the difference betweenDelegation and Representation, the urban residentto-day does not want anybody else to represent himin all aspects with Power and to behave like a master.On the other hand, we want the resident-citizensto get themselves involved by direct participation.

f ). Why this challenge to-day? It is because theurban citizens are, by force of the situation, if not

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by their merit, are mostly, literate, educated,experienced, active, productive, income-generating,disciplined, achievement-oriented, socially-inter-dependent, and sharing many common aspirationswith their neighbours and fellow-residents. Someof them can spare time and energies for commongood in which they have a direct stake. So, they donot crave for Power; they do not sacrifice themselvesfor any body else. They view this as collective effortand team-performance.

Direct democracy has always been our idealbut it remained a distant ideal in those days whenparticipation of all citizens was next to impossible.Now, we are in a stage of human development thatthe representation need not be, anymore,monopolistic, custodial or guardian type. Now, ifrepresentation is unavoidable, we need active andproductive citizens in other areas than from politics.We have to help people to express their potential insocial, economic and cultural fields.

3. System of Election Can be Flexible:Simply the right to express one’s views and

preferences does not make democracy; the citizenhas to have a dialogue and reconciliation with thatof others’ views and preferences. Any election, unlikea plebiscite or referendum, must fulfill this missionand after each exercise, the citizens must come outmore trained and matured in this democraticprocess. In view of attaining the above objective,the systems should be modified, as frequently asnecessary, with no sanctity attached to any onesystem, since it is not a ritual.

The “first-past-the –post” (FPTP) system is asgood and as democratic as any other system. In anycase, all views and all preferences cannot possiblybe represented by any single system. In the propor-tional system, it is true that more variety of viewsare reflected. But, simply reflecting diversity is notgovernance. What is essential is, at the time of ev-ery election, dialogue and ultimate convergence ofviews has to take place on the part of the voters andthe elected. But, unfortunately, in the FPTP onlyone view or preference as expressed instinctively is

accepted as winner and this view is not reconciledwith those of other contenders. In the proportional,many divergent views or preferences are allowed tobe represented but, not reconciled. As a young de-mocracy, we have opted for a simple system whereas other stable, small and mature democracies aregoing for the latter.

Where there is ideological clarity among theparties or the parties are power-hungry in cut-throatcompetition, the first system would reduce politi-cal instability. Each one has his own turn since thepeople are often alternating the winner. The secondsystem would lead to coalition governments, often,as all the divergent reps. or ministers would like toenjoy Power at the same time, without any patienceto wait for further acceptability by more number ofpeople. Parties would think that it is better to bedivided than united to have access to Power. Thatattitude would lead to forming some more regionalor caste parties.

However, we have another system which wouldreconcile the above two systems and can furtherpromote dialogue and convergence which aremissing from the above two. This is called the 2-Rounds system, as practiced in France. In the firstround, all the candidates express all the opinionsand the percentage of votes polled by them wouldindicate the worth of the candidates and their viewsor options. When only 2 candidates who receivedthe highest percentage of votes polled are allowedto contest, in the final round, the voters have topolarize their votes in favour of one of the two majorviews or preferences available before them. Similarly,the 2 candidates also in the second round, try toabsorb as many minor views as possible in order tobe a winning majority view. As we see, the merit ofthis system is, at each election and in each round,there is a dialogue and convergence efforts on thepart of the voters as well as the candidates.

4. Diarchy:An authentic presentation of all human

problems or aspirations can be done only by directparticipation of the citizens. Issues or concerns can

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be represented, not citizens. Reflection and actioncan be delegated, step by step, to some trained orexpert citizens, in the spirit of team work. Giventhe degree of involvement or participation, peoplemight be remunerated for their times and energies.Some of them can be called elected representativesand others, officials, whether appointed by the cityor the state or central government. Most of suchpeople can be local residents, paid or not. This islocal autonomy and democratic decentralization ofpowers and functions.

There is, now, unnecessary duplication of jobsat the local level. There is somebody to decidepolitically and another other person to executetechnically, thereby creating two worlds ofdichotomy and confusion, in addition to wastefulexpenditure. The executives whom we callAdministration, are made irresponsible. There is noreason that they should not participate in thereflection and evaluation of decisions, being tax-paying citizens, themselves. For example, thirty orforty main employees can be elected to sign acontract of service to the municipality for a fixedterm and remuneration in order to achieve fixedtargets. Many company managers can offer ‘tenders’with targets.

At the macro-level, a single body, cumulatingthe functions of the State Election Commission aswell as the State Public Service Commission, calledLocal Services Commission might be able toorganize the elections and selections and ensureworking conditions.

5. The New context:There is a great impact of information and

communication technologies on human relationsand in governance, where geographical and socialboundaries and barriers are becoming irrelevant. Inthe past, governance by Parliament with rep. systemwas envisaged in a world, when the notion of directcommunication did not exist. Some people werechosen by lottery or by elections, now and then, orat least once in five or seven years, to express peoples’voice or will. This has been, no doubt, a democraticimprovement over the previous system where some

persons or families were chosen by the grace of godor by brutal force. In both cases, we were dependentupon the innate qualities of leaders and theirpersonal good will, intelligence or experience. Peoplehad no means to voluntarily communicate or tocommute. The leaders acted, more or less, like‘trustees’ to do good to the people. Now, in the 21st

century, we have gone through a silent revolutionin communications and in mobility. Now, new andefficient democratic practices are possible.Representation has to be redefined.

Newspapers, TVs, video-telephones, voice-mails, internet, SMS cover all citizens, endowingeveryone with information and knowledge.Everybody has access to communication, includingthe poorest of the poor, the minorities and theindigenous and tribal people. Literacy, language andtechnologies of communications are also becomingless and less a barrier. There is a growing citizenjournalism and alternative means ofcommunications apart from those that are providedby the Establishments. In other words, the Rep.system cannot stand-alone, anymore.

6. Under these circumstances, how can weenvisage the governance structures in the selfgoverning institutions in the urban areas, such asmunicipalities and corporations?

After the 74th Amendment to ourConstitution, in a three-tier federalism, local bodiesshould become local governments and should haveregular elections. Sine then, we had local electionsin 1995, 2001 and in 2006 and all of them havebeen contested on party-lines by regional andnational parties. Apart from these elections, veryoften, the local bodies remain without electedrepresentatives, ostensibly, for technical reasons. Thereal reason, most often, is that the ruling party doesnot decide to hold them, if it is not sure that thelocal political winds are not favourable to it. Evenafter elections, the consequent politicization ofotherwise very consensual issues need not bedescribed here. Parties accommodate theirapparatchiks in these places. Councillors and thecorporators change camps and the no-confidence

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motions are tabled only as a political game,consuming much of their time. Raising of internalrevenue by taxation is considered as political sui-cide and the whole attention is only on spendingwhatever is available.

There have been some attempts, now and then,here and there, in the past, on the issue of the non-intervention of the political parties in the localelections. In Andhra Pradesh, at present, at theprimary unit i.e. at the level of the gram panchayat,the elections are without the ostensible presence ofthe party intervention. In the urban context, at thelevel of the Ward Committees and Area Sabhas alsothere is no possibility for the parties to intervenedirectly. But, beyond the above indicated levels, theparty presence is very visible.

Though it is very lately introduced and verybadly implemented, the G.O. Ms.57 (Sec.4) of 15th

Feb.2010 of GOAP, in compliance with the 74th

Amendment to the Constitution is a path-breakingmeasure in urban self-governance. In addition andin parallel to the traditional and formal system ofrepresentation by a corporator elected for 5 yearsterm for a population of fifty thousand to one lakhin a ward, the voluntarily formed associationsoperating in the ward are asked to nominatemembers to the ward-level committee and are givenan opportunity to participate in the area sabhas forevery five thousand population.

Any modern urban area is networked throughresident welfare associations (RWAs) which areformed by either the residents of an apartment-building or the colonies or housing societies in agiven area. The former are vertical and the latter arehorizontal. Along with them, there are locallyregistered associations of Rate Payers or Tax Payers,basti/slum level federations, Self Help Groups andassociations of women, youth, senior citizens orprofessions. Further, there are branches of NGOsor professional associations registered elsewhere, likethe Rotarians, Lions, Rajakas, barbers, lawyers,doctors, auto-rikshaws, trade-Unions, chambers ofCommerce, etc. In fact, these committees’ life neednot be co-terminus with that of the corporators.They can be permanent committees with one-thirdof them changing every year by rotation.

7. What are the solutions?i) There should be legislation to prevent the

political parties from participating in the urbanlocal body elections. However, in the presentcontext, it would be a miracle to expect thepoliticians in power or those waiting to capturepower, to pass such a piece of legislationforbidding their own participation till thedistrict level institutions;

ii) Before the political consensus is built to suchan extent, the civil society activists shouldwidely campaign to highlight these stumblingblocs against peoples’ direct participation andalternative modes of representation. The civilsociety may have to make efforts to discouragethem from participation, promising a biggerrole for them in the state and national elections.Or even allow them to rule the roost in therural areas, from where they cannot beuprooted, in the short term, in any way;

iii) In some places and in some situations ofconsensus, the civil society activists candiscourage the parties from setting up their owncandidates;

iv) if necessary, in the elections, the civil societymight give their approbation and support tothe independent candidates in the sameelections;

v) Outside the elections, forming parallel bodiesor committees of those who should be thealternative candidates in order to work asparallel administration or government, so asto put pressure on the official establishment;This is also another demonstration that, unlikethe political parties, other representative-participants would not wait for Power toparticipate; and

vi) In order to achieve this paradigm shift, the civilsociety should directly participate in the polityof the municipality through the Areas Sabhasand the Ward Committees, however imperfectthey are.

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True Democracy does not mean just votingonce in Five Years. True democracy requires theactive participation of all citizens in planning thedevelopment programs and activities for their areas.True democracy must also enable all citizens tocollectively participate in selection of beneficiariesof the welfare programs of the government likeallocation of White Ration Cards, Gas Connections,House Pattas, Pensions and Scholarships etc and notleave it to the discretion of a few individuals.

Can we have True Democracy in Hyderabad?

With the order for the formation of the AreaSabhas and Ward Committees issued by theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh in February 2010,every voter of an area is now empowered toparticipate in deciding about the developmentprograms for his / her area and selection ofbeneficiaries for all the government programs alongwith the elected leaders. It may seem unbelievablebut now the common voters of any area can exerciseall these powers by just coming together andparticipating in the Area Sabha Meetings of theirlocalities.

In accordance with the orders of theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh, Greater HyderabadMunicipal Corporation (GHMC), has formed AreaSabhas for every locality covering a population of5000 in October 2010 and had constituted WardCommittees for all the 150 Wards in June 2010.Each Ward has from 6 to 10 Area Sabhas dependingon the population. The Area Sabhas are required tomeet once in three months and the WardCommittees should meet once in two months.

Every Voter is a Member of an Area Sabha

There is no election, selection or nomination

Area Sabhas: Power to the People to Participate inGovernance and Become Masters

Mazher Hussain(Executive Director - COVA)

to enable a citizen to participate in an Area Sabhameeting. Every voter of an area automaticallybecomes a member of his/her Area Sabha. Anyregistered voter of an area is entitled to participatein the Area Sabha meeting and at least 50 membersof the area must be present to conduct the AreaSabha meeting.

Responsibility to Organise and ConductMeetings of Area Sabhas

GHMC has assigned one officer from amongstthe Project Officers and Community Organisers asAssistant Secretaries to each of the Area Sabhas andan Assistant Engineer or the Deputy Engineer asthe Ward Secretary with the responsibility toorganise the meetings of the Area Sabhas regularlyand to communicate the decisions and minutes ofthe meetings to the Ward Committees for furtheraction.

In order to convene and preside over the AreaSabha Meetings, GHMC nominates an Area SabhaRepresentative for each of the Area Sabhas fromamongst the NGOs, SHGs and other civil societyorganisations of the Area. During the Area Sabhameetings, though the Area Sabha Representativechairs the meeting, he /she is equal to any othermember (the voter of the Area), in terms ofparticipation in the discussions and in proposingsuggestions. The Area Sabha Representative becomesa Member of the Ward Committee andcommunicates the concerns and decisions of his /her Area in the Meetings of the Ward Committeefor consideration and necessary action.

Functions of Area Sabha:-

At its meetings, the Area Sabha can identifythe deficiencies in water supply, sanitation, street

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lighting and other civic amenities and suggestremedial measures to the Ward Committee; TheArea Sabha has to generate proposals and determinethe priority of development programmes to beimplemented in the area and forward the same tothe Ward Committee; The Area Sabha, comprisingof all the registered voters of the area has to alsoidentify the most eligible persons for beneficiaryoriented schemes like gas connections, old agepensions, housing for the poor etc. as per guidelinesof the Government and prepare a list of beneficiariesin order of priority and forward the same to theWard Committee.

Ward Committees and their Powers

The Ward Committee comprises of all thenominated Area Sabha Representatives in a Wardalong with 10 registered voters of the Ward who aredesignated as Ward Committee Members. Fiftypercent of the members to be nominated to theWard Committees should be women. Further, evenif one is not a member of a Ward Committee, anyregistered voter of the Area can attend the WardCommittee meetings as an Observer. The WardCommittees have to deliberate on the Minutes andsuggestions of all the Area Sabhas in their jurisdictionand take that as the base for the preparation of thedevelopment plans for the Ward.

The Corporation has to allocate twenty percentof the amount earmarked in the annual budget formaintenance works of urban services namely,sanitation, drainage, water supply, roads, streetlighting, parks and markets etc. to all WardCommittees who can spend these funds at theirdiscretion. Thus the Ward Committees and AreaSabhas enable common citizens to participate inmaking plans, initiate development programs andalso monitor the execution of all works in their areasto ensure quality and transparency.

As per this new system, The Corporator of theWard has to work in consultation and collaborationwith the voters of the area through the Area Sabhasand Ward Committee for planning and execution

of works for the development of the Ward andselection of beneficiaries for all the governmentschemes and programs and cannot and should notdecide about any of these things on his / her own..

Attendance of Ward Level officers in Meetings

The Designated Ward Secretary, Bill collectorof taxation section; Community organizer or projectofficer of UCD section; Section officer of townplanning section; A.E of engineering section; A.Eof street light section; sanitary jawan / sanitarysupervisor of sanitary section; Supervisor ofentomology section; Supervisor of horticulturesection.; and Ward level officer deputed fromHMWW & SB and central DISCOM etc all haveto attend the Ward Committee Meetings. They haveto take note of all the complaints, suggestions andrecommendations discussed in the Area Sabha andWard Committee meetings and submit ActionTaken Reports within 7 days.

Failure to Conduct Meetings of Area Sabhas andWard Committees

A majority of people (including the highlyeducated and socially active) seem to be totallyunaware of the concept, constitution, functioningand powers of Area Sabhas and Ward Committees.As a result, there is no pressure on the officials toorganise meetings of the Ward Committees and AreaSabhas despite Memos and Circulars by TheCommissioner of GHMC for conducting themeetings regularly and publicizing the date, timeand venues of these meetings through newspapersand mobile audio publicity. This is depriving thecommon citizens their rights and opportunity totake part in planning for the development of theirareas.

The challenge is simple and clear. If democracyhas to go beyond the ritual of casting of a vote oncein five years and is to really reach the grass roots andenable common people to participate in theprocesses of governance continuously and effectively,then it must be ensured that Area Sabha and WardCommittee meetings are conducted regularly as per

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stipulations and that mechanisms are put in placeto communicate information about the meetingsto all citizens to ensure maximum participation andgovernance from the grassroots.

Allocation of One Crore for every Ward ofGHMC: Opportunity for Citizens to BecomeRulers

GHMC has announced the allocation ofRupees One Crore for each one of the 150 Wardsfor development during the financial year 2012-13and this amount has to be spent on the basis ofsuggestions and recommendations received from theArea Sabhas and Ward Committees. If this amountis allowed to be spent without proper meetings ofthe Area Sabhas and Ward Committees then therewould be a danger of inappropriate works beingundertaken and also of corruption andmisappropriation of funds. Even if the electedrepresentatives and officials do not convene themeetings as per stipulations, the people of any Areacan compel and ensure that these meetings take placeif the nominated Area Sabha Representative or 50or more voters of the Area give a representation to

the concerned Ward Secretary demanding theconduct of the Meetings of the Area Sabhas.

Despite this, if the meetings of Area Sabhasand Ward Committees are still not convened, thenthe people have an option of representing andensuring that no funds are released till the proposalscome from the concerned Area Sabhas and WardCommittees. Such squeeze on the release of fundswould compel the elected representatives andofficials to convene Area Sabha Meetings as required.Once proper resolutions are passed in the Area SabhaMeetings specifying the development works to beundertaken, this could ensure implementation ofprojects as per the needs and requirements of thepeople, facilitate public monitoring, eliminatecorruption and truly enable people to becomemasters of development initiatives and governancein their localities.

The Writer is Executive Director of COVA, aNational Network of voluntary organisations workingon the issues of Peace and harmony.

By Earth:

I cry I cry……………..Thinking of my past!!!!!The chipping birds who sung so well for me,

are no longer in my safer hands;The trees which added glory to me,

are being destroyed in human hands.

There is no longer pure water flowing from my streams ,wherever I see, I see only the polluted stream,

I feel I ‘m stinking, stinking day by day,Because of the human who cares only about himself!!!!!!

By Nityanandam & Abhignaof Oxford Grammar School, Himayatnagar

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India is known for many things absolutelyunique to this nation. Jobs which need to be donewith diligence and to perfection are often left tototal neglect till the last minute and then like magic,a shoddy job is done overnight as though with thehelp of a genie, just to cover up for that moment.

Let me take up our city of Hyderabad. A VIPis to visit the city. Suddenly we are surrounded byactivity like never before. There is hustle and bustleall around.Everything around us which is static fromwalls, gates, even some buildings, road medians,poles, tree trunks and even motionless humans ifany, could get a coat of spotless white paint of aninferior quality which later gets washed off with thefirst shower! All potholes and ditches of various sizesand shapes on the regular roads and the flyovers arerepaired by some kind of a patchwork which is takenup in broad daylight when the traffic is at its peak,putting both drivers and pedestrians to a lot ofinconvenience. This patchwork does not last beyonda couple of weeks. This continues at regular intervalsevery time some dignitary decides to come visiting.The interior roads are a neglected lot and no onecares for them. Afterall is the VIP going to be takenthere?

Traffic rules are in place but in Hyderabad theyare not meant to be followed. People blatantly drivein the wrong direction to avoid travelling the extramile to take a U-turn putting their own lives andthat of others in danger. They go about this with asmug look! A number of foot over bridges are inplace but owing to the difficulties in climbing somany steps, people dangerously rush out and try tocross over dividers at their own peril. Two wheelerdrivers look for low dividers and cross over them,vehicle and all, creating a dangerous situation forboth drivers and pedestrians. Zebra crossings are notproperly painted and therefore invisible most of the

It happens only in India

Sanghamitra Malik

times. However, even when they are clearly seen,they are ignored and people drive through themshowing no courtesy to allow pedestrians to passsafely. Yet another bane, are the drivers overtakingfrom the left without the slightest hesitation andeven glaring at you if you show the slightest sign ofprotest!

Electric poles are often seen bent either owingto overloading of high voltage wires and cables orhaving been hit by a vehicle. The poles continue toremain in that precarious position till one day theyactually fall to the ground! Sometimes, sometemporary repair is carried out for lack of funds.Replacement with new poles is difficult to come byunless a VVIP is to come visiting when use of bandaid cannot continue! As I write this, I am told thatGHMC has warned cable operators and also internetservice providers to immediately remove overheadhanging cables which are posing a threat to road-users. This has been proposed only because there isa Conference of the Parties to the Convention onBiological Diversity coming up, sometime in themonth of October, this year. To begin with, it hasbeen proposed to take up this work only along fouridentified roads. So, VIPs and delegates have to comevisiting to see any kind of visible improvement inthe city. I told you so.

Another ugly sight on every road of ours is themanner in which the street light wires are put across.Dangerous high voltage wires are seen hangingloosely. Telephone lines which are still not fullyunderground, could be found tangled with electricwires. And then of course the television and internetcables are jumbled up and hang precariously fromevery pole in sight.

Yet another eyesore are the countless bannersput up by colleges and coaching centres, about the

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types of courses and coaching facilities being offeredby them. In areas where these institutions aresituated, one would find hundreds and thousandsof banners tied to electric poles with plastic stringscovering the poles and the banners are so many thatone does not get to see the sky! Looking down onthe ground one gets to see leaflets and handbillsspread over the entire road which are distributed bythese educational institutions which are never readby any student and carelessly thrown on the roadsto litter the entire area. There is no one either fromthe authorities or the common public who showany inclination to stop this uncouth practice. I knowwith what difficulty we keep our street clean wherea well known college is situated!

Electric transformers occupy many a footpath,sometimes with cement barricades and sometimesnone. They too are an ugly sight, oily and full ofdust settled on them. Our citizens with no civic sensefind the enclosures to be ideal places to dump theirtrash or even relieve themselves!

Then we have the municipal garbage vatsplaced on road sides, sometimes on the main roadsor by-lanes with the waste overflowing on to theroad. The scavengers spread the garbage byrummaging through the waste and animals furtheradd to our woes.

But let a VIP come visiting and overnight thevats are emptied out, the whole place around sweptclean and sufficient amount of gammexane spreadall round. Why is it that this cleanliness is notobserved on a regular basis?

Another ungainly sight on several main roadsas well as inner lanes and by-lanes are the piles ofdebris lying for long periods of time. Peopleresponsible for throwing the debris do not get themremoved at the shortest period as they are expectedto do causing encroachment of roads and lanes andinconvenience to vehicle users as well as pedestrians.

Independent houses have made way for highrise apartment buildings in every part of the city. Astreet which can probably accommodate just oneapartment building is found to have half a dozen or

more causing severe over-burdening on the basicinfrastructure . This results in clogged drains andsewage overflowing on to the streets, the entire areastinking and an unhealthy atmosphere. Thisproblem is being solved temporarily over and overagain but no permanent solution is being taken withrelaying of bigger and more number of pipes, owingto the lackadaisical and half hearted attitude of thecivic authorities . The authorities are making themistake of permitting so many apartments to comeup where there is place for one or two, withouttaking necessary steps to improve the basicinfrastructure.

Both, the authorities as well as the membersof the public are aware of what corrections andmodifications should be taken up in order to havethings in perfect order everyday and not on specialdays only. Yet, proposals are made to be announcedin the daily newspapers next morning, but no propersteps are implemented.

I have been bringing these issues to the noticeof the concerned authorities every year in some formor the other but am yet to see any visible results.

We, citizens of Hyderabad, regularly write tothe newspaper columns and also make complaintsto the relevant columns in the Municipal websitewhich is for ever in a state of hibernation, bringingto the notice of the authorities as best as we can,but with no worthwhile results!

There is not a day when we do not find letterswritten by the members of the public about thevarious unhealthy conditions prevailing in theresidential areas owing to various short comings onthe part of the civic authorities in maintaining thevarious aspects of comfortable living conditions forthe citizens but do they take cognizance to the factthat they are not looking beyond the one and onlydrive, to collect taxes, collect payments and provideminimum/ unsatisfactory services. Those, for whomthe letters are meant, do not ever read them! Even ifthey do, they just ignore them. Who cares for thepublic?

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At last, the police have implemented the muchneeded free left rule at fifty seven traffic junctionsin the twin cities with the orange coloured trafficcones and signage boards to guide people to stay totheir side and allow free passage to those turningleft. Those violating would be issued challans for anamount of four hundred rupees. Those violatingwould even be sent to the Traffic Training Institutesfor counseling. We’ll wait to see how strictly thisrule is implemented and how diligently ourHyderabadis follow the rule and pay penalty whenviolating. Let us also see how many days or monthsthese orange cones are seen on the road. It will notbe long before they will be found damaged or evenpilfered!

Remember the helmet rule which wasimplemented very strictly and two wheeler riderswithout helmets were taken away for an hour ortwo to counsel them through the screening of adocumentary on the importance of wearing helmets.But what happened? People ride two wheelers

without helmets or with helmets strapped to thebike or held by the pillion rider or placed on thepetrol tank. Accidents take place everyday causingserious injuries and death and the victim’s friendsand relatives blame the roads!!! After all precautionand prevention is not known to most Indians.

I would also like to state that along with theslip shod ways of the authorities, the citizens of ourtwin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad are alsolargely to blame for their lack of civic sense. Litteringroads, spitting and spitting paan, throwing trash byrolling down the glass of car windows and urinatingis a common practice in this place. The childrenalso do what the parents do. If corrected, they willtell us to mind our business because ‘yahaan aisachalta hai’!

Life goes on. We seem to have given in to theseways of things and continue to accept that ithappens only in INDIA!!!

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The amenities provided to the citizens by the Government in the form of Water supply, Electricity, Telephone,Garbage disposal, Security etc. are at times unavailable, as complaint redressal management is not effective due tomany reasons and efforts of individuals to get them rectified take a long time.

Hence many problems like: garbage not being collected regularly, debris not removed, parks not being maintained,unauthorized constructions, obstruction of footpath/roads, commercial use of properties earmarked for residentialpurposes, are faced by the citizens in urban areas. An individual finds it difficult in today’s hectic lifestyle to be able tofollow up on his complaints. This is where welfare associations can be a boon to the society.

As the name implies, such associations can collectively work to ensure that the basic requirements of theirmembers are met by liaison with various depts. i.e. Police, Water Works, Municipality, Electricity, Telephones andother Service providers for Cable TV, Healthcare etc.

A Query from a registered Welfare Association in most cases results in a reply from any department to whom thequery is raised. This can be difficult for an individual. Also an Association can follow-up on matters regularly andeffectively bring matters to a conclusion. It is like all the five fingers being together and thus providing strength to theindividual.

The committee members of RWA, generally a dedicated lot with rich experience and impeccable track record,are contributing to the amelioration of the colony problems. This experience is gained over a period of time. Thesemembers meet regularly and deliberate issues which are for the good of the people. The periodical meetings result ina positive outcome. The RWA apart from getting the satisfaction of doing well can also get the appreciation of thesegovernmental bodies they interact with, for it reduces the latter’s work. A case of appreciation is the recent competitionorganized by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation where they awarded cash prizes to outstanding workdone by some of the RWAs.

One such RWA is Umanagar Residential Welfare Association (URWA), Begumpet which is a very vibrant, activeand progressive association. Their work has been recognized and acknowledged by GHMC and it is described as oneof the best colonies and RWA in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

URWA could organize proper infrastructure for sports i.e., Cricket nets, Badminton court, mini golf, Yogaclasses, laughing club, tea club etc. This RWA also created special activities i.e., summer coaching camps, regularladies meet, lectures on health, finance, spirituality etc.

For the security of the residents, police meet, security gates, night patrolling, rapport with local police stationhelped the residents. Special flood lights were arranged so that movement of unwanted people could be monitored atnight.

Centrex facility for free internal communication, periodical house magazine, telephone directory of the residents,issue of circulars, and moreover meeting members every month, helped the RWA get a better understanding.

Media coverage highlighting the various activities of RWA on a regular basis, has played a vital role in imagebuilding of the RWA.

A sense of confidence has been created in the members that even though problems may arise from time to time,URWA is at hand to help solve these problems. The Municipal and other functionaries are willing to support URWAhaving seen its work and the pro-active stance for a solution.

Our city needs such RWAs to build the national character in view of the present turmoil and challenges we arefacing.

The Need For A Welfare Association

Capt. Manohar Sharma

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Six groups of Scouts, all members of the Society to Save Rocks, went on extensive explorative toursto find rock sites in the new areas of Greater Hyderabad which are to be listed as Heritage Precincts. TheHyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) had asked all citizens to contribute, suggestor object to HMDA’s proposals for development of the areas now included in the Greater Hyderabadurban agglomeration, for which the Master Plan 2031 is being prepared. All areas outside the Outer RingRoad upto the boundaries of the HMDA were to be covered which are as far-flung as Sangareddy in thewest, Toopran in the north, Bhongir in the east and Shahbad in the south.

The Society to Save Rocks took up the challenge of scouting and documenting rock formations androck areas in this huge area, about 5000 sqkm in size. Although discouraged by the sight of widespreadstone cutting, quarrying and crushing of the granite hills all over the outskirts of Hyderabad, we stillfound many representatives of the Deccan’s geological history, the famous balancing sculptures of Nature.Driving for hundreds of kilometers, lugging along maps, cameras, laptops and binoculars, vast landscapeswere scanned by our members for outstanding formations to be listed for their stunning aesthetics, touristpotential, recreation value and local and environmental importance.

For sure, this could not have been an exhaustive exercise. Access to inner areas is difficult and oftenimpossible by any other transport but cycles and bullock carts. Or tractors. It would take many moremonths to comb through every bit of landscape in Greater Hyderabad. Meanwhile, finders of any goodformations may contact us.

By the end of the deadline for submission (end March), we came up with details about the followingsites and handed them over to the HMDA:

Site MandalI. Rangareddy District

A. Venkateshwaragutta Medchal/ShamirpetB. Lalgudi Malakpet: Narsagutta ShamirpetC. Gandipet: Musi River Valley Moinabad/RajendranagarD. Peerlagutta Hayathnagar/IbrahimpatnamE. Ramaswamy Gutta KandukurF. White Cliff ShamshabadG. Mallanagutta ShahbadH. Pocharagutta Rajendranagar, poss. Moinabad

II. Medak DistrictA. Yeradnur / Edithanur SangareddyB. Sikandlapur TupranC. Muppireddipalli TupranD. Minajipet RF TupranE. Gurumuralagutta Wargal

New Rock Sites in Greater Hyderabad forProposed Master Plan 2031

Ms. Frauke Quader(Secretary of the Society to Save Rocks)

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F. Ganapur TupranG. Jilugutta TupranH. Padmanabha Swamy MuluguI. Karkapatla Biotech Park Mulugu

III. Nalgonda DistrictA. Karkhamagutta BibinagarB. Kondamadugu BibinagarC. Bhongir Fort BhongirD. Naragutta BhongirE. Kottagutta Bibinagar 22, 22aF. Bodugutta, Bojjagattu Choutupal 23, 23aG. Deshmukh Pochampally 24, 24aH. Rangapuram Gutta Bommalaramaram 25, 25a

Total Sites: 25 Nos.

Bodugutta The Scout

Pocharam Gutta on Gandipet Road Large - Scale quarring near Ismailkhanpet

(2 more photos in page 87)

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It was forty six years back when I had first come to Hyderabad,I was amazed to see the terrain whenever I went out with my Mom and Dad.This was a small place compared to the four metro cities that I had seen,There were these enormous rocks all around and the city was quite clean and green.We often went out on long drives and admired the amazing rock formations,I would sketch and paint some of them to fulfill my artistic passions.The most awe-inspiring were the huge rocks balancing on small ones,It looked as though at any point of time they would just roll down.I had never ever before seen something so spectacular,What amazed me was when I was told that they were as old as 2500 million years!But, over the years, these rocks of heritage value began to be targeted,They were being seen as great potential for wealth and randomly blasted.The Society to Save Rocks took it upon themselves and got some of them listed,It is surely an uphill task but not impossible to save more when they are assistedIn this great endeavour,They have taken upon themselves to preserve these unique formations,Let us all get together and try our best to save more of these ‘HARDWARES’ of our nation!!

Rocks – Natural Hardwares

Sanghamitra Malik

Gurumuralgutta near Toopran Near Ismailkhanpet (Sangareddy)

(Photos contd. from pre-page)

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Forum for a Better Hyderabad has celebratedWORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY coinciding its11th FORMATION DAY on 5th June, 2011 atAdministrative Staff College of India, Somajiguda.Sri. M. Jagadeeswar, IAS, Managing Director,HMWS&SB was the Guest of Honour and hasreleased the Annual Number of FBH, which depicts11 years of activism of FBH. Smt.Karuna Gopal ,President, Foundation for Futuristic Cities,Hyderabad area was the Guest Speaker.

The Programme began with welcome song byOxford Grammar School students on Environmentto make the participants realize the responsibilitiesof every human being to safe environment.

In his Welcome address, Sri M. Vedakumar,President, FBH explained the activities of FBH oftenjointly with likeminded Civil Society Groups tofocus attention of Government Departments suchas HMDA, GHMC, HMWS&SB, PCB, etc. Theproblems related to heritage, pollution, greenery,water bodies and so on are being pursued with thedepartments. He wanted the departments to betransparent, to take FBH into confidence, and toextend co-operation to find solution to variousproblems, instead of adopting other methods suchas approaching courts. Sri. O.M.Debara, GeneralSecretary presented the report of FBH for the year

Report on the 11th Anniversary celebrations of the Forum for aBetter Hyderabad and World Environment Day- 5th June 2011.

2010-11 by elaborating on specific programs takenup by FBH on various issues.

Sri. M. Jagadeeswar interacted with theparticipants including different NGOs working onvarious issues and gave extensive clarifications relatedto problems of drainage and water supply. Heemphasized that to tackle such problems,involvement of NGOs and local people wereessential. Example: illegal pumping of drinkingwater which leads to low pressure in other areas.He disclosed majors steps which are being taken tosolve drainage problems.

Smt. Karuna Gopal praised FBH for itsmultiple roles since its inception. She suggested thatthe Forum initiate and enhance partnershipsbetween private sector and Govt. agencies, whichwill help to find solutions to many problems relatedto better environment and better livelihood. Sheemphasized that utmost importance should be givento the health of city which has three ingredients viz.,i) Vision ii) Stake holders engagement to executeGovt. programmes iii) Government must adoptinnovations for rapid development.

The programme came to an end with thedistribution of curry leaf plants to the dignitariesand senior members of associated NGOs.

With Best Compliments from:

MINERVMINERVMINERVMINERVMINERVA COFFEE SHOPA COFFEE SHOPA COFFEE SHOPA COFFEE SHOPA COFFEE SHOPAmrutha Mall, Somajiguda, Hyderabad-82

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Release of Annual Number: L to R ;Smt. Kulsum Reddy, Sri. M. Jagadeeswar, IAS,

Sri.M. Veda Kumar, Smt. Karuna Gopal, Sri. O.M.Debara

Smt. Karuna Gopal addressing the audience

Sri.M. Jagadeeswar, IAS., addressing the audience A section of audience

Mr.Vijayaraghavan offering curry leaf plant to Mr. Abdulla Ansari

School students who performed in the inaugural function Students of Oxford Grammar School performing the inaugural song

Mr.Afzal of PUCAAR during Question & Answers session

Glimpses from Forum’s 11th Anniversary (5.6.2011)

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Glimpses from Forum’s 10th Anniversary (5.6.2010)

Release of Annual Number of the Forum: From left to right:Sri.M.Vedakumar, Major Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM,Sri.R.K.Sinha,

Dr.S.K.Rao,,Ms.Amita Desai and Sri.O.M.Debara

Major Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM, is addressing the audience:From left to right: Sri.M.Vedakumar, Dr.S.K.Rao,

Ms.Amita Desai and Sri.O.M.Debara

Dr.S.K.Rao is addressing the audience:From left to right: Sri.M.Vedakumar, Major Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM,

Ms.Amita Desai and Sri.O.M.Debara

Ms.Amita Desai is addressing the audience: From left to right:Sri.M.Vedakumar, Major Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM,

Dr.S.K.Rao and Sri.O.M.Debara

Handing over curry leaf plant toMajor Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan

ssing the audience: From left to right: Mrs.Sanghamitra Malik, MajorGen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM, Dr.S.K.Rao,

Ms.Amita Desai and Sri.O.M.Debara

Audience at the function Audience at the function

Sri.M.Vedakumar is addressing the audience: From left to right:Mrs.Sanghamitra Malik, Major Gen. Dr.B.Nagarajan,IISM, Dr.S.K.Rao,

Ms.Amita Desai and Sri.O.M.Debara

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Glimpses from Forum’s 9th Anniversary (5.6.2009)

Release of Annual Number of the Forum: From Left to right: Mr.O.M.Debara, Mrs.SheelaPrasad, Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy, Mr.J.M.Lyngdoh, Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao,

Mr.M.Vedakumar, Mr.R.K.Sinha, and Mrs.Sanghamitra Malik

Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy is addressing the audienceFrom Left to right: Mr.O.M.Debara, Mrs.Sheela Prasad, Mr.J.M.Lyngdoh,

Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao, Mr.M.Vedakumar

Mrs.Sheela Prasad is addressing the audienceFrom Left to right: Mr.O.M.Debara, Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy, Mr.J.M.Lyngdoh

Mrs.C.S.Ramalakshmi is addressing the audienceFrom Left to right: Mr.O.M.Debara, Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy, Mr.J.M.Lyngdoh,

Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao, Mr.M.Vedakumar

Mr.Lyngdoh is addressing the audienceFrom Left to right: Mrs.Sheela Prasad, Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy,

Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao, Mrs.C.S.Ramalakshmi and Mr.M.Vedakumar

Chief Guests on the dias: From Left to right: Mr.O.M.Debara, Mrs.SheelaPrasad, Mr.K.S.Jawahar Reddy, Mr.J.M.Lyngdoh, Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao,

Mrs.C.S.Ramalakshmi and Mr.M.Vedakumar

Distribution of curry leaf plant by Sri.R.K.Sinha, Member,FBH to Commissioner, HMDA

Mr.K.Madhusudhan Rao is addressing the audience From Left to right:Mrs.Sheela Prasad, Mr.Lyngdoh, Mr.M.Vedakumar and Mr.O.M.Debara

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The following cases were filed on behalf of theForum for A Better Hyderabad and also by members ofthe Forum in individual capacity disposed and pendingas on 30-4-2012.

I. W.P.NO.6725/2009The above writ petition was filed by Forum For A

Better Hyderabad, challenging the action of the StateGovernment in diverting an extent of Ac.4067 forest land situated in Kancha Imarath village, MaheshwaramMandal, Ranga Reddy District and further an extent ofAc.2400-36 guntas situated in Mamidipally village,Saroornagar Mandal Ranga Reddy District to non-forest purposes without obtaining the prior permission of theCentral Government under the provisions of Forest(Conservation) Act 1980 as arbitrary and illegal. Courtordered notice to the Government and forest departmentand the same is pending for adjudication.

II. W.P.No.4702/2009The above writ petition was filed challenging the

action of the government in allotting 43 acres of land toPublic Health Foundation of India near Rajendranagar@ Rs.1 Lakh per acre as against market value of Rs.1.5crore per acre recommended by District Collector, RangaReddy District. The Hon’ble Court initially granted statusquo order in the matter and the cases dispose off byimposing condition that the allotted land cannot be usedfor any other purpose and giving a right to the Stategovernment to take over the land in case of violation ofthe condition of allotment.

III. W.P. No.3258/2008The above writ petition was filed by

Mr.O.M.Debara, challenging the action of the GHMCdemanding an amount of Rs.46,000/- for providingsanction plan of Big Bazar at Ameerpet, Hyderabad underRTI Act. The writ petition was admitted and Hon’ble

Court directed the GHMC to provide the copies of theplans by collecting Xerox charges. The writ petition is pending for adjudication.

IV. C.C.476/2008The above Contempt case was filed by

Mr.O.M.Debara, against Principal Secretary, Revenue inallotting 275 acres of land at Ranga Reddy District to theHousing Societies of MLAs, MPs, Hon’ble High Court Judges, All India Service Officers and Journalists contraryto the judgment of the Hon’ble High Court inW.P.NO.13730 of 2006. Notice was ordered to theRevenue Secretary and the same is pending.

V. W.P. No.18483/2008The writ petition was filed challenging the

notification of the MOEF which denies the right of thecitizens to participate in public hearings when the METRO Rail Project is taken up. Former SecretaryRamachandriah and present Secretary OM Debara filedthis writ petition. Even before the case was taken up forhearing, the alignment was changed to avoid HussainSagar, water body. There was an order that all the furtheractions are subject to further orders in the main case. Thecase is pending.

VI. WP No 18896 / 2007When the State Government sought to amend the

GO 111 Forum filed this case. Stay of final notificationwas granted. The case is pending.

VII. WP NO 8578 of 2008The Building Penalization Scheme was challenged.

The Forum filed this case along with Praja Spandana ofVishakhapatnam . We took specific stand againstregularization of commercial structures and high risebuildings.

Status Of Cases Filed In The High Court And PendingAs on 30-4-2012

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The bench which finally delivered the judgment took into consideration the issues raised by the Forum.The safety certification for high raise buildings and firesafety measures for buildings used by the public were madecompulsory.

VIII. WP No 24623 of 2009In the name of Golf course the Golconda Fort is

being ravaged. Forum along with PUCAAR filed this case.Interim order was passed restraining the officers fromtaking up any construction activity and any other workswhich will change original contours. The HGA wantedthe stay to be vacated for which the court refused. Thegrassing of the area was permitted without changing thecontours. The final MOU between the ASI and the stategovernment is also challenged by way of miscellaneouspetition. The main case is awaiting final adjudication.

IX. W.P No.28733 of 2009 The above Writ Petition was filed seeking a direction

to the GHMC to transfer an amount of Rs.3,703 Lakhsto the City Grandhalaya Samstha. The said amount wascollected by the GHMC towards library cess during theyears 2006 to 2009 and illegally with held the said amountwithout transferring to City GrandhalayaSamstha contrary to the provisions of A.P Libraries Act.The GHMC filed counter and sort for time fortransferring the amount. The GHMC came forward totransfer the entire amount to City Grandhaiya Samsthawith in three months. The Hon’ble Court disposed offthe case recording the undertaking of the GHMC.

X. W.P No.22765 of 2009The above writ petition is filed challenging allotment

of Ac.1.20 guntas open space in financial district layoutat Madhapur by APIIC for the construction ofmultistoried building. The case is admitted and interimorder of status quo is granted. The case is pending fordisposal.

XI. W.P No.29207 of 2009The above writ petition is filed challenging allotment

of Ac.20.00 guntas land to Mr.Subash Ghai companyopposite to Taramati Baradari at Golkonda without callingfor applications or tenders. The above case was admittedand interim order of suspension of allotment of land was

granted. The case is pending for disposal. In the case ofsimilar allotment to the same person, the allotment wascanceled by the Bombay High Court and the same wasavailed by the upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court ofIndia.

XII. WP No 11918 of 09:Monty’s Bar is old structure at Secunderabad. This

old heritage building was sought to be de-notified by thegovernment from list of Heritage Buildings. The newbuilders got a report that there is no architectural value!The demolition is stayed and the final arguments will haveto take place.

XIII. WPNo 8167 of 10:Fateh Darwaza is part of Golconda Fort to be

protected by ASI. Aurangzeb passed through this gate afterhis victory. A new building was built within 10 yards ofthe Fateh Darwaza. Further constructing activity and usagefor commercial activity are stayed. Notices have beenissued to the authorities. The officers have been issuingnotices but have not acted to demolish or stop the usage.The final hearing is awaited.

XIV. WP No 25212 of 10:Moula Ali Rock formations notified as heritage

precincts. The police have constructed a wireless toweradjacent to the Darga on the rock. No permission wasobtained. We fear that further construction of watchman’sroom etc will continue on the rock. The case is admittedand after counter affidavits are filed by the officersarguments will be heard.

XV WP No. 14488 of 2010filed challenging the action of the state government

in de notifying the Victoria Maternity Hospital buildings,near High Court and giving it way for expanding the high court. The writ petition was dismissed declaringthat the government has taken care to see that the newbuilding will be in tune with the surrounding structures.The SLP filed in Supreme Court was dismissed.

XVI. WP No. 1636 of 2010The above writ petition filed in public interest

challenging the action of the Government in alienatingGovernment land to an extent of Ac.55.00 in Sy, No. 31,

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Neknampura village, Rajendranagar Mandal, Hyderabaddistrict vid G.O.Ms. No.509, Revenue (ASN.V)Department, dated 14.06.2010 & an extent of Ac.100.00in Sy, No.923 to 926/p, 935, 946, 952 and 957 to 961/psituated at Jawaharnagar village Shamirpet Mandal, R.R.District vid G.O.Ms. No.509, Revenue (ASN.V)Department, dated 14.06.2010, in favour of The A.P.Secretariat Employees Mutual Aided Co-operativeHousing Society Ltd., as arbitrary, illegal, offending Article14 of the Constitution of India, and contrary to the orderspassed by this Hon’ble Court in W.P.No.13730/2006,dated 8.10.2007 and W.P.No.7956, 7997/2008 dated5.1.2010 etc. The Hon’ble Court admitted the case andgranted status quo orders. The writ petition is pendingfor disposal.

XVII. WP No. 12074 of 2011The above writ petition is filed being aggrieved by

the in action of the Hon’ble Speaker in disposing theappeal under RTI Act. After the High Court soughtinformation from the Hon’ble Speaker the reasons fornot deciding the appeal, the appeal was decided and thecase is closed.

XVIII. PIL No. 70 of 2012was filed by Mr. Debara with regard to the

investigations into liquors syndicates by the ACB. In thewrit petition directions were sought for monitoring theinvestigation into liquors syndicates by the Hon’ble HighCourt. Besides the above prayer, directions were soughtto make ACB an independent agency without anyinterference by the government on the lines of CBI.Further directions were sought to review the cases withregard to permission for prosecution rejected by the StateGovernment in nearly 500 cases. The Hon’ble High Courtissued notices to the government and ACB and furtherissued a series of directions to the State government andACB with regard to the ongoing investigations into liquorssyndicates. On the directions of the Hon’ble High Court,to status reports were submitted to the High Court withregard to the liquors syndicates and the Hon’ble HighCourt directed not to transfer any officer investigatingthe liquors syndicates cases without permission of theHon’ble court.

A.P. State Information Commission:An appeal before the State Information Commission

was filed by Mr. O.M.Debara for providing copies of theImmovable Property Returns of All India Services Officersie. IPS, IAS, AFS. The full bench of the State InformationCommission by an order allowed the appeal and directedthe Government to provide the Immovable PropertyReturns of all the All India Services Officers. This is amajor victory achieved after three years of legal battle.

Appeal filed in the Supreme Court of IndiaAgainst the proposed YSR memorial on 22 acres of

water body in the Hussain Sagar Lake: The Forum gotitself impleaded in the case filed by individuals on HussainSagar encroachment. The Supreme Court has referred thematter to the monitoring committee to study and submita report. In the mean time no further construction isallowed. The monitoring committee has submitted itsreport to The Supreme Court.

Right to Walk Foundation:Right to Walk Foundation have filed petitions before

different authorities. This has forced GHMC and theTraffic Police to take action against Encroachments ofFootpaths and relaying them.

W.P 16294/11 :Jasveen Jairath filed the case to protect Bagh-e-Naya

Quila in Golconda Fort. The bench said “ demarcate thegardens and recorded undertaking that no work will betaken up.”

W.P.29300/11Afzul and others filed a case to demarcate the Wakf

property in Naya Quila. The W.P. is disposed off directlyto the Wakf Board to demarcate the property.

Besides the above cases, several applications werefiled under the Right to Information Act 2005 beforevarious authorities and information on violation ofbuilding laws, sale and allotment of lands and lease oflands, etc., were obtained. In some cases appeals arepending before State Information Commission.

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FORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABADRegistered as a PublicTrust with Registrar, Hyderabad under document no 339 of 2003

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World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) is celebratedevery year on 5th June to raise global awareness ofthe need to take positive environmental action. It isrun by the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP).[1]

It was the day that United Nations Conferenceon the Human Environment began. The UnitedNations Conference on the Human Environmentwas from 5–16 June 1972. It was established by theUnited Nations General Assembly in 1972.[2] Thefirst World Environment Day was on 1973. WorldEnvironment Day is hosted every year by a differentcity with a different theme and is commemoratedwith an international exposition in the week of 5June. World Environment Day is in spring in theNorthern Hemisphere and fall in the SouthernHemisphere.

"Stockholm was without doubt the landmarkevent in the growth of internationalenvironmentalism", writes John McCormick in thebook Reclaiming Paradise. "It was the first occasionon which the political, social and economicproblems of the global environment were discussedat an intergovernmental forum with a view toactually taking corrective action."

Human Environment : The “Environment”includes Water, Air & Land and the inter-relationship which exists among & between themand Human Beings & other living creatures, plants,micro-organism & property. The “EnvironmentalPollutant” means any solid, liquid, or gaseoussubstance present in such concentration as may be,or tend to be, injurious to environment. The“Environmental Pollution” means the presence inthe environment of any environmental pollutant.

Capt. J. Rama Rao.

World Environment Day is similar to EarthDay.

Theme 2012Green Economy: Does it include you? The UN

Environment Programme defines the GreenEconomy as one that results in improved humanwell-being and social equity, while significantlyreducing environmental risks and ecologicalscarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economycan be thought of as one which is low carbon,resource efficient and socially inclusive.

Practically speaking, a Green Economy is onewhose growth in income and employment is drivenby public and private investments that reduce carbonemissions and pollution, enhance energy andresource efficiency, and prevent the loss ofbiodiversity and ecosystem services. Theseinvestments need to be catalyzed and supported bytargeted public expenditure, policy reforms andregulation changes.

But what does all this mean for you? If theGreen Economy is about social equity andinclusiveness then technically it is all about you! Thequestion therefore asks you to find out more aboutthe Green Economy and assess whether, in yourcountry, you are being included in it.

Theme 2011Forests-Nature At Your Service-cover one third

of the earth’s land mass, performing vital functionsand services around the world which make ourplanet alive with possibilities. In fact, 1.6 billionpeople depend on forests for their livelihoods. Theyplay a key role in our battle against climate change,releasing oxygen into the atmosphere while storing

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carbon dioxide. Thousands of activities wereorganized worldwide, with beach clean-ups,concerts, exhibits, film festivals, community eventsand much more.This year's global host,India – acountry of wide biodiversity.[3]

Theme 2010'Many Species. One Planet. One Future', was

the theme of 2010. . It celebrated the incrediblediversity of life on Earth as part of the 2010International Year of Biodiversity. This year's globalhost, Rwanda – a country of exceptional biodiversitythat has made huge strides on environmentalprotection – leaded the celebrations with three daysof keynote events.

Thousands of activities were organizedworldwide, with beach clean-ups, concerts, exhibits,film festivals, community events and much more.[4]

Each continent (except Antarctica) had a"regional host city", the U.N. chose Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania as the host for all North Americaactivities. [2]

Theme 2009

World Environment Day logo for 2009. YourPlanet Needs You – UNite to Combat ClimateChange.

The theme for WED 2009 was 'Your PlanetNeeds You – UNite to Combat Climate Change'.It reflected the urgency for nations to agree on anew deal at the crucial climate convention meetingin Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, andthe links with overcoming poverty and improvedmanagement of forests.

WED 2009's host was Mexico which reflectedthe growing role of the Latin American country inthe fight against climate change, including itsgrowing participation in the carbon markets.

Mexico is also a leading partner in UNEP'sBillion Tree Campaign. The country, with thesupport of its President and people, has spearheadedthe pledging and planting of some 25 per cent ofthe trees under the campaign. Accounting foraround 1.5 per cent of global greenhouse gasemissions, the country is demonstrating itscommitment to climate change on several fronts.

Mexican President Felipe Calderón stated thatthe WED celebration will "further underlineMexico's determination to manage natural resourcesand deal with the most demanding challenge of the21st century – climate change."

Pittsburgh, was selected as the North Americanhost city by the United Nations EnvironmentProgramme (UNEP) to join World EnvironmentDay-2010.The theme of this year was "ManySpecies: One Planet, One Future." Highlightingtheme "Biodiversity- Ecosystem Management andthe Green Economy".

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Respected dignitaries on the dais , Ladies & Gentlemen.

It gives me great pleasure to present to you a report of the Forum’s activities during the year 2011 –2012.

I am mentioning a few highlights of the activities and the broad directions.

HERITAGE CONSERVATION:1. Golf Course in Golconda Fort

In the name of Golf course the Golconda Fort is being ravaged. Forum along with PUCAAR filed acase against the laying of a golf course in Naya Qila. Interim order was passed restraining the officers fromtaking up any construction activity and any other works which will change original contours. The HGAwanted the stay to be vacated for which the court refused. The grassing of the area was permitted withoutchanging the contours. The final MOU between the ASI and the state government is also challenged byway of miscellaneous petition. The main case is awaiting final adjudication.

A case has been filed by Dr. Jasveen Jairath to protect Bagh-e-Naya Quila in Golconda Fort. Thebench said “demarcate the gardens and recorded undertaking that no work will be taken up.”

W.P.29300/11Another case was filed by Afzul and others to demarcate the Wakf property in Naya Quila. The W.P.

is disposed of directing the Wakf Board to demarcate the property. An update on the golf course in NayaQila appears in our Annual.

2. Moula Ali Kaman:A notified heritage structure was damaged a few years back due to a transport vehicle ramming into

it. When the authorities were contemplating to demolish the structure some locals and the members ofthe Forum protested. The idea of demolishing was given up. Under a Court order, the State Archaeologi-cal Deptt. took up the restoration work, which has now been completed.

3. G-Block of the Secretariat: When the state government attempted to start dismantling the G Block situated in the Secretariat,

the Forum obtained a stay from the High Court as this building had a lot of history and heritage features.On a reference made by the High Court, the Heritage Conservation Committee examined the buildingand recommended its notification as a heritage building. Instead of doing so, the GAD of the state gov-ernment petitioned the High Court to permit demolition. The Forum and other NGOs have beenrepeatedly requesting the state government to restore the building. The High Court dismissed the StateGovt.’s petition seeking the Court’s approval for demolition, as misconceived. The Forum has been as-sured by the GAD that there are now no plans to demolish the building. The Forum has once againrepresented to the state govt. to restore the building and to HMDA and Heritage Conservation Commit-tee to notify it as a heritage building.

FORUM FOR A BETTER HYDERABADGeneral Secretary’s Report for 2011 – 12

Omim Manekshaw Debara

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Other court cases filed by the Forum are reported under ‘Status of cases’ in our Annual number. Iwould like to mention at this point our gratitude to our legal advisors Mr. Srinivas Murthy & Mr. GMohan Rao for unremittingly rendering their services.

WATER BODIES:1. Proposed Dr YSR Memorial Park near IMAX

The Forum opposed the project because the proposed site comprises areas which are/ were inHussain Sagar Lake bed. Forum impleaded itself as a party in the Supreme Court case filed by Prof. G.Haragopal, in which orders were passed that no further construction activities will be carried out in andaround the Hussain Sagar Lake without the prior permission of the Supreme Court. HMDA hadapplied before the Supreme Court seeking permission for erection of a memorial. The permission wasnot granted and a committee was constituted to look into the matter and submit its report. The Forumalong with SOUL, PUCAAR and Prof. Haragopal submitted its views to the Committee appointed bythe Supreme Court. The Committee’s report has been submitted to the Court.

2. Proposed Floating Restaurant on the Hussain Sagar Lake:Based on articles published in local news paper that YAT & C Department intends having a

Floating Restaurant on the Hussain Sagar Lake and that an MOU has been signed, the Forum hasstrongly objected to the proposal, since the project will lead to increased pollution and congestion onthe embankments of Hussain Sagar.

3. Water bodies are disappearing or being encroached upon in large numbers, despite government’spronounced policy of protecting them. A new body has been formed in the recent years, Save OurUrban Lakes ( SOUL), of which Forum is an active member.

RESIDENTS’ WELFARE ASSOCIATIONS :Dr. Rao VBJ Chelikani, President of the United Federation of Residents Welfare Associations has

taken a lead in organizing a federation of all residents’ associations in the GHMC area. The Forum hasdesignated its member, Capt. Manohar Sharma to assist him on behalf of the Forum.

Tree Protection Committee – Under WALTA Act: The members of the Forum are on the above committee. Once a month the committee meets and

after going through all pending applications with the concerned parties & after inspection of site sug-gests alternate alignment / transplanting or felling of trees where unavoidable only after compensatoryplanting of 3 to 5 saplings, in advance. It is heartening to note that now this Rule is being implementedby all Govt. Bodies.

TRAFFIC & TRANSPORTATION :The Forum along with likeminded people had several meetings to discuss problems on Traffic/

Transportation. Debates are being organized in which senior Government officials of different depart-ments gave a presentation. The Forum is perturbed as a number of Heritage buildings will be destroyedor adversely affected.

RIGHT TO WALK FOUNDATION ACTIVITIES:The R2W foundation has been able to gain a fair amount of media coverage. A number of people

are writing and complaining about the issue both in the English and also the vernacular media; but a lot

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more needs to be done and achieved fast so that the less fortunate have a “Safer City”. After efforts failedfor certain Govt, Dept. to take action on problems faced by pedestrians, the R2W foundation has takenup the matter with the AP State Human Rights Commission & The Loke Ayukta.

The Forum have received approval u/s 80G (5) (vi) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 from the Directorof Income Tax (Exemptions), Hyderabad. Copy of the relative letter has been reproduced in this Annual.

WEBSITE :The Forum’s website www.hyderabadgreens.org contains information about the Forum’s activities

and other topics of interest. The website is updated periodically. You can now find & connect with us onfacebook as well, under the name ‘Forum For A Better Hyderabad’. Interested persons can post articles &information on our facebook page or email us on betterhyd@yahoo.co.in

Before I end , I would request those present who are not members of the Forum to join us and giveus a helping hand to move forward and take up other major issues for the betterment of our State.

I take this opportunity of thanking the TV & Print Media who have always come forward to publishour views and activities.

Jai Hind

Environment is at tipping point, warns UN reportRIO DE JANEIRO: The earth’s environmental systems “are being pushed towards their biophysi-

cal limits” beyond which loom sudden, irreversible and potentially catastrophic changes, the UnitedNations Environment Program warned on Wednesday.

In a 525-page report on the health of the planet, the agency paints a grim picture: The melting ofthe polar ice caps, desertification in Africa, deforestation of tropical jungles , spiralling use of chemicalsand the emptying out of the world’s seas are just some of myriad environmental catastrophes posing athreat to life as we know it.

“As human pressures on the earth ... accelerate, several critical global, regional and local thresholdsare close or have been exceeded,” the report says. “Once these have been passed, abrupt and possiblyirreversible changes to the life-support functions of the planet are likely to occur, with significant ad-verse implications for human well-being .”

Such adverse implications include rising sea levels, increased frequency and severity of floods anddroughts, and the collapse of fisheries, said the report, which compiles the work of the past three yearsby a team of 300 researchers.

The bad news doesn’t end there. The report says about 20% of vertebrate species are under threatof extinction, coral reefs have declined by 38% since 1980, greenhouse gas emissions could double overthe next 50 years, and 90% of water and fish samples from aquatic environments are contaminated bypesticides.

It adds that of the 90 most crucial environmental goals, little or no progress has been made overthe past five years on nearly a third of them, including global warming.

“This is an indictment,” UNEP executive director Achim Steiner said at a news conference in RioDe Janeiro. “We live in an age of irresponsibility that is also testified and documented in this report.

(Source : Times of India, June 8, 2012)