Time for lasting solutions for the uncivil disobedience of our untidy cities
fire at a shisha bar and restaurant in Bengaluru prompted the chef to jump off the building. This was captured in a horrific video; the chef remains in a coma. The building had not been inspected by the fire and emergency services department because it has no mandate to inspect buildings under 21 metres.
These are the responsibility of the local municipal authorities, who are stretched because at every turn in our cities, jugaad is used to game the system and ignore sensible safety regulations. The tragedy threw a spotlight on the confusing web of government agencies involved in the planning and running of India’s cities. Aromar Revi, who heads the Indian Institute of Human Settlements (IIHS) in Bengaluru, describes the management structures of our cities as “deeply siloed".
“Someone fixes the road, and five other agencies seem to compete to dig it up." The past week has seen a concentrated distillation of bad news in India’s major metros. A recent series by The Indian Express highlighted the plummeting air quality of Mumbai, driven by multiplying gigantic construction projects across the city. The Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court on 31 October issued notices to the state and Union governments as well as the city’s civic body seeking explanations.
In an only-in-India irony, the court’s action was on World Cities Day, which is themed around ‘financing a sustainable urban future for all’. Then it was the turn of the Supreme Court to issue directives about the worse than worst air quality in New Delhi. On Tuesday, unusually heavy rains in Bengaluru prompted headlines of “Nightmare for residents, small businesses in several areas of city" and “BBMP (the city’s civic management body) to appoint engineers for every ward
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