The city is going through a plethora of improvements. Here a pedestrian plaza appears. There a pothole free road is announced. A park under a flyover comes up somewhere else. Added to this is the spate of announcements. Flyovers and the name change of streets are the most visible among them. All this suggests that the electoral code of conduct will kick in soon. If you want anything done by the authorities, now is your opportunity. You may at worst get an assurance of action. At best you may find action taken. The problem is that all these activities, these massive and miniscule civic projects, are carried out mainly with optics and visibility in mind. There are no long-term and sustainable solutions in sight for the city’s perennial problems.
Optics and the Unresolved Drainage Problem
Take for instance the issue of erratic drains and rising road levels. We are yet to find a lasting solution to these twin menaces. They have left countless residential localities subject to flooding. The city is crying out for an area-by-area study of this issue. It also needs a lasting solution that demands political will and a massive financial outlay. Once this is done, there need be no further piecemeal fixes. But that may not be an ideal answer, given the way politics works in our country.
Traffic Solutions and the Optics of Widened Roads and Flyovers
We next come to the traffic problem. Our city administration has only one answer. Widen roads, sacrifice sidewalks and build flyovers. All this panders mainly to the transit and therefore vehicle population. What happens to local residents? Why should they accept a less-than-ideal quality of life just to allow cars and two-wheelers to reach their destination faster? Are the people in these areas of lesser importance?
With the CMRL rapidly forging ahead, much work is also being done with other forms of public transport. The city authorities therefore need to focus on getting commuters to use public transport more often. That would free up road space. Simply widening roads and constructing flyovers is hardly a sustainable solution.
High-Rise Expansion and the Troubling Optics of Urban Planning
Let us now consider the rampant permits being given to construct high-rise buildings just about anywhere. Time and again the Government itself is the culprit. It has announced mega building projects in core congested areas that are already crying out for open space. Kuralagam is a classic example. The construction of Central Plaza, on which work has already begun, is another.
We then hear of Island Grounds being eyed. What do we have left after that? Add to this the repeated failures of the authorities to rein in rogue builders who construct on almost any space, including lakes. Does it require judicial intervention each time? If so, why not adopt a policy that all real estate projects require High Court clearance?
Public Discipline, Beautification, and the Optics of Governance
If we take up traffic discipline next, how do we impose it on the everyday road user when politicians and government servants are the biggest violators? Does our police have the wherewithal to fine these rogue vehicles that move around with the arrogance of being above the law? Lastly, there is city beautification. It is almost always cosmetic and never structural. To what purpose is a war on posters when the party in power is the greatest violator? To what end are pedestrian plazas if the neighbourhood must bear the brunt of haphazard car parking? What conclusion do we reach on garbage handling if segregation at source cannot be implemented and refuse continues to be collected only to be dumped elsewhere?
And finally, how does rainwater harvesting help if most of the larger projects do not implement it? A party that is elected needs to ponder the long term if it wishes to continue in power for the long run.
This article appeared in Madras Musings-https://madrasmusings.com/vol-35-no-22/with-an-eye-on-optics/
My book, Chennai, A Biography can be ordered-https://sriramv.com/2021/12/27/how-to-buy-autographed-copies-of-chennai-a-biography-from-outstation/20.ece
