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Unilateralism at its Worst
By Rajesh
Pradhan
July 2, 2008 |
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A huge
piece of vacant land emerged in Patna when the
Bankipore jail near the railway station was
demolished.
The chief minister wants to develop
the land as a cross between a Buddha park and
the Akshardham temple in Delhi. Now what gives
him the right to unilaterally do such a thing?
Was a public hearing ever held to elicit views
of the common man? Given the importance of the
site, was a national level design competition
ever held, involving architects and urban
planners as opposed to politicians and IAS
bureaucrats?
What will be built instead will be based simply
on what a chief minister and a handful of
bureaucrats want--who do not understand even the
grammar and language of urban design, urbanism,
and urban fabric. World over, such issues are
dealt through public hearings and design
competitions. From a political philosophy point
of view as well, it is worth questioning the
right of a government (or a chief minister) to
unilaterally decide on matters as specific such
as this that will affect generations of
Patnawallahs. It is such an irony that an
unenlightened group wants to put a
disproportionately towering figure of the
enlightened Buddha, in an Akshardham-like
grandiose setting, just because the group feels
like doing so.
Unilateralism and feudalism in their modern
guise!
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Comments: |
I
think in place of building a park
out there ,he should have gone for
something that would have been a
symbol of Bihar's resurrection. May
be a software park or something like
that. According to me a big piece of
land is being wasted. May better
sense prevail and the government
explores other opportunities in the
context of better use of land. -
Kunal Gaurav Singh - July 3, 2008
What I believe that if you have
Bread then only you need Butter, and
so is also true in this situation.
Government should think about
unemployment (the biggest talked
about issue), and should do
something for the public. - Rani
Singh - July 24, 2008
Buddha is the symbol of the 1st
Bihari renaissance. Hence the
building of Buddha Memorial Park at
the site is justified. The statue
will remind the current and future
generations of Bihar about the
importance of Buddha in Bihar, and
make us aware of the very meaning of
Bihar which comes from the word
Vihara.
A park would be an importance step
towards making Patna a green city.
We all know the importance of Gandhi
Maidan. Similarly a park at such a
crowded site, near the railway
station would be a relief to the
people. - Manoj Kumar - July 24,
2008 |
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Discussion on this topic is now
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