Christopher Charles Benninger, founder-chairman of Pune-based CCBA Designs and one who worked closely with A.P.-Capital Region Development Authority in the process of selection of architects for Amaravati, said urban planning in India went for a toss owing to the unbridled growth, and the problems were compounded by people’s reticence, particularly of the educated middle class.
“Municipal corporations are giving plan approvals and no-objection certificates with the least concern for open spaces and basic amenities. The result is cities are turning into huge urban agglomerations, where breaking rules has become the norm,” he observed.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu on the sidelines of a workshop on urban planning here on Friday, Mr. Benninger said the local bodies have been regularising illegal constructions on payment of stipulated fee because the violations earned money both for the municipal corporations/municipalities and the corrupt elements. This has become a sort of vicious cycle, and the consequences for future generations would be very serious. He insisted that people should fight against the encroachment of open spaces and follow the rules that govern an entire range of constructions.
“Public bodies are not respecting the citizens, who do not question when something goes wrong, that is a crisis which cannot be taken lightly,” he observed.
Mr. Benninger said citizens need not become extremists, but complain and stage protests lest the living conditions should deteriorate. Liveability is about providing the basic civic amenities, he stated and suggested that the automobile sector should grow not at the expense of the environment and the convenience of pedestrians, who can’t even find footpaths as every inch of public space got occupied by roads, flyovers and so on. Mass transport should be the order of the day.
Amaravati
Mr. Benninger expressed confidence that Amaravati would shape up into a nice city over the next decade under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. “The Chief Minister has a vision, the government started functioning (in Amaravati), roads are being laid and other infrastructure created. I do not fault the choice of Amaravati as the location for the capital city. Remember, Rome was not built in a day, the dream will be realised”, he stated.