On a Possible Future New Capital for India

Narmada River Near Jabalpur

Today morning the editorial section of Times of India, dated January 23, 2015, carried a frightening item entitled ‘Our Killer Air; that said

“The National Capital happens to be the world’s pollution capital. Delhi’s level of particulate matter PM 2.5, considered the most dangerous type of toxic pollutant in air, clocks in at 153 micrograms which is far beyond safe levels and much higher than Beijing’s 56 mcg. Health and economic costs extracted by air pollution are mind boggling. It is estimated to cause 25% of stroke case, 48% of heart disease and 17% of chronic OPD cases in Delhi.”

What might be the solutions to such a severe problem that compromises the very well beings of those who govern India and shake its very foundation? The medium term measures that come to mind are

1. Seek guidance from Singapore and recent successful Beijing policies that severely limit private transportation/diesel while encouraging public ones
2. Take steps to decongest Delhi  perhaps beginning with industry while limiting further development. It defies logic why industry and the national capital as well as resettlement of refugees (irreversible now) is all done at the same place

A careful study would indicate that entire institutions can be moved out of Delhi and the cost for relocation paid by the property left behind. Just as one example relocating Delhi IIT that is an entirely residential institution would not cause any problem but rather help improve the lives of those who live within while freeing 500 acres of land and lots of particulate pollution. Another area that needs to be completely moved out is industrial areas like Okhla, Najafgarh and several more. It is hard to imagine what logic dictates that industrial areas are better housed inside a Capital city rather than a nearby industrial town - Noida, Faridabad or Gurgaon or elsewhere, when the very air in the city has become difficult to breathe for the law makers and defence commander and Apex Court judges of the country as a whole. When the new and inspiring new Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi visited North east India after a few months of stay in Delhi, at the end of a hectic schedule he was asked if he was tired. His reply was that all his tiredness had disappeared after breathing the fresh air of the North-East.

Reducing congestion would also reduce crime because not only is Delhi the pollution capital of the world it also has the dubious distinction of being the rape capital. It is no longer safe for women to venture out alone after dark and for children alone any time of the day from fear of being kidnapped, all crimes made possible by the intense crowding and hiding of criminals from all across the country in this Capital City.

The first step towards reducing congestion would be to establish a high powered commission that can study the matter in detail and ascertain what activities and institutions can be removed from Delhi. Next would have to be a plan to relocate them.

A NEW CAPITAL CITY FOR FUTURE

However while temporary measures will help a little, a long term solution may be in relocating the Capital of India entirely in future. Delhi was the historical capital of India because it was the center of historical India. It is no longer so after partition of India. The current Geographical center is more nearly a city like Jabalpur. This latter city is also at the cross roads of rail links to North, South, East and West. It is an area where the Narmada River flows by for adequate water supply while Delhi is facing a severe water crisis. It is also a much greener area.

The process of creating a new capital for any country can be a sound one only if it well planned and spread out over several years of careful planning. However the first step would be to identify an area, an area perhaps  in size of the present Delhi area that houses the organs of state as well as peripheral infrastructure such as Airport, Power Station, University and Defence Establishments and also green lungs. There must be a strict ban on industry so that the new capital too does not meet the same fate as the old one. A good area is the area south of Jabalpur Cantonment up to the Narmada River. It would have to be followed by legislation to declare the area as a national capital region, a union territory with complete restrictions for sale of property to any but the government. A master plan would then have to be prepared, detailed designs of essential building made etc. perhaps we shall have to invite a new Lutyen again to India. Certainly the best minds and talent available in the world should be involved if this project is ever planned as it might have to be some day in future.

Future Perfect:

I am reminded of a story but  forget if it was from Oxford University or Cambridge. The roof oak beam of one of the departments had begun to show cracks and it was decided to replace it. They approached the forestry department  for it. The forestry department looked up its records and found that a tree had been reserved for precisely such a purpose fifty years ago for that department knowing that a need would arise one day. This is an example of planning for the future from the minds of a leading university of the world. The importance of this example is that it may be considered by those in power that perhaps it is too soon to think of a new capital, or perhaps the existing one can be de-congested. In either case it would be an example of good future planning if the proposed site for a future capital be identified, reserved and protected as a possible future national capital territory in case needed. It would also give an opportunity to then make plans for the new site even on paper so that someday if it was decided to create a new capital, the ground would be ready just as the oak tree was at Oxford. In the interim the oak tree at oxford provided shade and beauty to visitors, and the new site would if preserved as a riverside natural reserve with just a few hotels for tourists, the entire area being designated as a Union territory. However, existing farm holdings in the area must not be overtaken by force just as they were not in most of the Delhi state, purchasing only from those willing to sell as has been explained in another article on land acquisitions in this blog.. If some are left scattered through the region they shall add a touch of natural and green lungs to the new capital especially if an ordnance is passed that in urban farm holding animal husbandry and grain farming may not be done, but only vegetable, fruit orchards or blue water farming (it will increase water table).

Another example of foresight was often recited by my father a civil engineer from the Corp of Engineers of the army . He said when Lutyen was drawing plans for New Delhi a senior engineer began rolling with laughter at the width and number of  roads leading to the commercial center and asked why were the roads so wide to Connaught place.  Lutyens reminded him that capital cities are not designed for a few decades but for hundreds of years. Much later, the engineers of independent India designed a new commercial center called Nehru place in South Delhi and forgot to note either the number of roads to it or their width. Soon after there were traffic jams to it but one can still reach Connaught Place without one. Was the IQ of Indian engineers lacking? No, more likely  just clouded by thoughts of corrupt commissions.

The following report is worth reading for effect of air pollution on human health; it is from Europe. How much worse is it in Delhi?
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/apr/02/air-pollution-may-cause-more-uk-deaths-than-previously-thought-say-scientists?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=dlvr.it

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