[Assam] Guwahati

[Chan Mahanta]

Well said. All of it is true.

But the question remains: Are these things hitherto unknown requirements or parameters or conditions?

Not so.

So where does the problem lie?

I would submit it is in the dysfunctional nature of governance, local, state and national.

I know, I will be challenged for lumping national here with state and local governance. 
That is because the entire system of dysfunctional Indian governance is conceived
and perpetuated by the Center and there is no escape from it, unless and until,
one or more states break away from this broken system and re-construct their own.







On Jan 20, 2011, at 1:41 AM, Amitabh Kakoty wrote:

> A major share of Guwahati's chaos is due to:
> 
> 1. Ill-conceived development regulations / byelaws; specifically the norms
> for mimimum road width and regulations related to sub-division of plots are
> poorly conceived. There is no hierarchical road system in the city - you
> have few arterials (e.g. GS, Zoo Rds), then you have 3/4 mt wide lanes in
> most areas extended for several kilometres without a higher-order road
> (Everyone knows it but plz check Google Maps to understand how severe the
> problem is). These lanes do not facilitate sufficient width for installing
> basic urban infrastructure. Land in new areas in the city are now being
> sub-divided with such lanes - Xoruxojai, Uttor Guwahati, Jalukbari, .... /
> For reference: Minimum Road width in Bahrain - 12.5mtrs for newly developed
> areas - or else you are not going to get a planning permission / development
> permission approved.
> 
> People should have understood that with better infrastructure / larger
> roads, in an attractive city such as Guwahati (regionally attractive, higher
> in demand) land and property values would have been higher at the same time
> ascertaining a better quality of life.
> 
> 2. Poorly designed drainage system (not comprehensive, not intelligent)
> disrespecting natural gradiants and existing water bodies. ------- Otherwise
> Guwahati could have been a unique city with lakes (a lake/bil, almost in
> every corner), wide canals (connecting these lakes - facilitating fishing,
> transportation, storm water balance and off course tourism) and existing
> rivulets, green hills (with large extended parks) and the scenic
> Brahmaputra....!!
> 
> 3. If we can not afford to build world class urban roads now, if we can not
> afford other infrastructures, but with better management, by just protecting
> suitable Right of Ways for roads, proper widths for canals and areas under
> natural water bodies under an efficient plan, we could have saved this
> two-thousand years old city. You dont need large resources for adopting
> better planning and urban management procedures for a city.
> 
> 4. Higher density or intensive activities (say a transport node - station, a
> capital complex, or a market) in a city can not be made responsible for all
> these chaos; the underlying urban planning and management procedures are to
> be blamed - or else as everyone agrees, chaos will only spread out to other
> peaceful areas with these activities. We should try learning from city's
> abroad how they are efficiently managing high-density developments - e.g.
> Hong Kong, Singapore.....
> 
> 5. At the same time Malaysian cities and towns provide great examples - how
> they are ensuring world class (KL) to 'good' infrastructure in their urban
> areas of various sizes and classes with efficient management - every small
> town specifically in the peninsular Malaysia has basic minimum 'good'
> infrastructure (check road widths - say in Alor Setar in google earth)
> and clean urban environment - interestingly at the same time cost of living
> is lower (check real estate prices) while income and quality of life is
> higher (plz visit or browse)!!
> 
> Regards
> Amitabh
> Bahrain
> 
> On Wed, Jan 19, 2011 at 7:14 AM, Alpana B. Sarangapani <
> absarangapani at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> I agree there, C'da. At least some businesses would have been opened and
>> some economic activities would have been there which might have generated
>> some employment, along with shifting of the chaos.
>> 
>> On our way to Titabar, on this visit, we saw there is no development at all
>> on a long way before and after we reached Chandrapur.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> From: cmahanta at gmail.com
>>> Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2011 21:46:03 -0600
>>> To: assam at assamnet.org
>>> Subject: Re: [Assam] Guwahati
>>> 
>>> *** The chaos would have been created elsewhere A, namely Chandrapur :-).
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On Jan 18, 2011, at 9:43 PM, Alpana B. Sarangapani wrote:
>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> I found out this time that some in Assam feel that if the capital was
>> shifted to Chandrapur as originally it was planned, Guwahati would not have
>> faced this chaotic situation. Would it have been better?
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
>>>> 
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