After all, towns and cities in states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand have directly elected mayors with fixed terms, but few would argue that they are better administered.
The graduation is meant to bolster the legacy and legitimacy of Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, even as the real-world preparedness lagged behind the glossy narrative.
Indonesia delegation led by Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited BrahMos facility & met with top officials & undertook a detailed briefing on the missile system.
It is a brilliant, reasonably priced, and mostly homemade aircraft with a stellar safety record; only two crashes in 24 years since its first flight. But its crash is a moment of introspection.
In the greatest cities of the world – the ones with rich heritage – urban planning implies conservation and regeneration. Both go hand in hand. In 1970s, Mumbai – my birthplace – was the envy of the Middle-East. Saw a Sheikh for the first time in Mumbai. They were regulars then. Bandar, Juhu, Khar were full of beautiful bungalows, many of which are today uncouth, tall structures. Were they NOT worth saving with tight regulation? Marine Drive’s art deco architecture stood out. Is this extraordinary landscape NOT worthy of the heritage tag? But while other great cities kept transforming themselves (The dilapidated East End in London, post 2012 Olympics; Berlin, post unification etc.), Mumbai kept degenerating. Imagine when the biggest slum in a city becomes its star attraction!! That’s the day, politicians should stop dreaming of smart cities and think of regeneration.
Biggest slum in the world becomes its star tourist attraction.
The next phase of urbanisation needs to start. India still has too large a proportion of its population living in rural areas. Given our per capita and high cost of urban land – except when it is encroached upon, when it is zero – chaotic urbanisation, led by slums is inevitable. Smart cities, as promised, lie at least fifty, possibly a hundred, years in the future. 2. Urban India needs a lot more money and public investment. Too much of Bombay’s resources – where Delhi scores over us – pay to keep the rest of the state afloat. That is impeding the emergence of world class cities. 3. There are problems with unauthorised construction, sometimes of poor quality. However, the building crashes like the one at Dongri have a different cause. These are old ceased buildings, most constructed before 1940, which are being kept propped up – sometimes literally – beyond their useful life, courtesy the antiquated rent control act.
In the greatest cities of the world – the ones with rich heritage – urban planning implies conservation and regeneration. Both go hand in hand. In 1970s, Mumbai – my birthplace – was the envy of the Middle-East. Saw a Sheikh for the first time in Mumbai. They were regulars then. Bandar, Juhu, Khar were full of beautiful bungalows, many of which are today uncouth, tall structures. Were they NOT worth saving with tight regulation? Marine Drive’s art deco architecture stood out. Is this extraordinary landscape NOT worthy of the heritage tag? But while other great cities kept transforming themselves (The dilapidated East End in London, post 2012 Olympics; Berlin, post unification etc.), Mumbai kept degenerating. Imagine when the biggest slum in a city becomes its star attraction!! That’s the day, politicians should stop dreaming of smart cities and think of regeneration.
Biggest slum in the world becomes its star tourist attraction.
The next phase of urbanisation needs to start. India still has too large a proportion of its population living in rural areas. Given our per capita and high cost of urban land – except when it is encroached upon, when it is zero – chaotic urbanisation, led by slums is inevitable. Smart cities, as promised, lie at least fifty, possibly a hundred, years in the future. 2. Urban India needs a lot more money and public investment. Too much of Bombay’s resources – where Delhi scores over us – pay to keep the rest of the state afloat. That is impeding the emergence of world class cities. 3. There are problems with unauthorised construction, sometimes of poor quality. However, the building crashes like the one at Dongri have a different cause. These are old ceased buildings, most constructed before 1940, which are being kept propped up – sometimes literally – beyond their useful life, courtesy the antiquated rent control act.