New Capital for Chattisgarh:Letter to Architect A.P. Kanvinde
Prakash M. Apte Mumbai
13th Sept.2002
Dear Shri Kanvinde,
The contents of your letter of 2nd (received on 11th ) did not surprise me. I had feared all along that your international reputation as an Architect and a man of integrity could be greatly harmed by your involvement as a Jury member in this competition, which, from its very beginning, did not follow an honest procedure. Had it been a fair process, we (myself and C.Benninger) would certainly have been short listed.
All the same, my great regard for you and faith in your sagely character has only been further strengthened by your letter. There may be other great Architects but there just cannot be another like you with the courage of his conviction to hold the integrity of his profession above pecuniary gains. Believe me sir, there never was one like you nor will there be another. Earlier also, in my letter to the journal of IIA I had paid tributes to you not merely as an Architect but more as a great human being.
When I was vociferously protesting against the building of 55 flyovers in Mambai at an estimated cost of Rs. 4000 cores, to facilitate only the cars, which according to MMRDA account for only 4.8% of the daily trips (67% by local trains and 23% by buses), a wise man had to enlighten me that I was blind to the minimum Rs 1400 crores (35% of the expenditure) that would ultimately line the pockets of the bureaucrats and the politicians!
The building of the new capital is currently estimated to cost Rs. 5000 crores. Does a poor state like Chattisgarh need to build a new capital city? Even if so, do we need to design it as a totally new city in the age old mould of new capitals of the world? What is essential is an administrative center with facilities for WORK, why shift the WORKFORCE with families, supporting population and create BRAND NEW PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE that would cost Rs. 5000 crores? Only to satisfy the ego of a city planner? Why not follow a multi nucleated approach , develop existing smaller settlements around the WORK CENTRE to a minimum standard and spend more on a RAPID TRANSIT BUS NETWORK connecting these settlements to the WORK CENTRE for journey to work? This approach may require hardly 10% of the estimated cost of 5000 crores and achieve the same purpose. But, as I said in my letter to the Indian Express, how will then the Consultants and the Bureaucrats get their kickbacks?
A very small nation-Bhutan-probably just as big in size as Chattisgarh, with great pride in its culture and aware of the perils that Urbanization and urbanism has brought in its wake in India and other developing countries, accepted our suggestion not to expand its capital Thimphu and make it just another capital city. Instead the wise King and his Ministers accepted our ideas of developing "Urban villages" around Thimphu and let people live in their traditional way, habitat and culture, only journeying to Thimphu for work or business by a rapid transit bus route, thus reducing by 75% the costs that would be incurred for laying a mammoth infrastructure of services to expand Thimphu.
Chattisgarh has a very ancient history. When the kingdom was divided between two princes, there were a total of 36 forts (Chattis Gadh) in the kingdom. The two capitals were Ratanpur and Raipur. Ratanpur is located just north of Bilaspur east of Kota on the railway line. In the belief that I, with my background of having planned Gandhinagar, the new capital of Gujarat and Benninger with his experience of having planned 4 towns in Shrilanka and our joint work on Thimphu in Bhutan would be a sure choice, at least for short listing for planning Chattisgarh new capital, I had made a very detailed study and research for the location of the new capital.
This site just west of an ancient lake north of Bilaspur is ideally suited for the new administrative center for Chattisgarh. The work force can stay in the smaller settlements of Sakri, Bilaspur,Kota etc. around this proposed site for the work center and all the infrastructural requirements for them could be provided at a marginal cost and funds available from the central Govt. schemes for development of small and medium towns without any burden on the state finances whatsoever! This would only require a competition for design of a Capitol comprising of the Legislative assembly building and offices for the different ministries and may be some residences for essential staff and hostel for legislators and guest houses for the ministers. But such ‘low cost' solutions do not "suite" our decision makers of today!
You have made a courageous gesture by walking out of the jury and refusing the very large amount being offered as an honorarium(?). Have you ever had an experience of such a large amount offered as an honorarium to an Indian Jury in an Indian competition? Do you think there was more to it than what appeared on the face of it? I had mentioned about one of the Jury members in my first letter. Do you know that the second "god fearing" one works in Bangalore as a Consultant?
Before these Jury members and the promoters have an opportunity to spread false reports, DON'T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD WRITE TO THE PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS AND THE PRESIDENTS OF THE IIA AND ITPI AND NARRATE YOUR EXPERIENCE? You owe it to your conscience and your profession to let the world know the facts. In your position, one could even write an open letter to the Chief Minister of the State and publish it in the leading English dailies.
You are an internationally acclaimed and revered Architect with an impeachable record and reputation, having lived a full and professionally glorious life. You cannot be cowed down and made to stoop to the level of a Ribeiro or Gurumukhi. In anyr action you may take purely in the interest of ensuring ethics and morality in the profession and the country, all honest professionals will support it and be ever grateful to you.
With regards and Sashtang Namaskar to a Rushi among Architects,
Sincerely ,
P.M.Apte