Dear Government, build better please!

We know what’s happening within the country, everybody’s watching…

And damn! It is depressing.

Nation Building is hard stuff, and we understand if the current setup isn’t capable of doing much. But, can’t the Government at least try? Democracy happens beyond closed doors, yesmanship and nod-politics. And all these feel too damn clichéd! We can see the similarities! We can see the story that is being played out, we can see history repeating. And history rerepeats in totality, the ending never changes!

However, in all such events, there happen to be many such incidents that lead to permanent loss of memories, place, and people. Small things roll out in a larger scheme of things, and collateral damage becomes inevitable. And in the current scheme of the body in power in which they seemingly want to radicalize the country to fit the bill into their skewed perception of a nation, they too have rolled out many such bold attempts in (what seems to be very near to)  their final game.

Yes, we understand that the emperor now lusts for a fort. The fact that we get to enjoy so many forts around the world has been because rulers have, time and again, used forts and built-forms to display power, position, honor, and valor. Well, the current setup only has the power element, but desires come to everybody!

Fine then. Build. But, Build Better!!!

The country has thousands of good resources, using which, the Government will very well be able to build something that will be very useful for generations to come! But in the process, pushing the existing Central Vista and the surrounding precinct towards its certain death is deplorable as an act.

And what’s with this hurry? Take time, talk to experts, and take the right path? Why would one want to get things of this magnitude designed and built in such a short time? It’s not done this way, believe me. The best forts took time to be made, and they were never built on the graves of another one, which despite being used by a previous mechanism in their saga of dominance on us, was beautiful! With time, all of them became democratic spaces!

The thought of making a new setup is appreciable, yes. We are different in numbers now, and we will be growing. Better and bigger facilities are necessary. That should be the thought process. It’s exactly the way projects are being dreamt & executed nowadays, only with the immense dead-load of personal aspirations. Also, the focus should be on intelligent execution.

Why otherwise is it that, what is being done is enraging a major section of the population? At least, the part that still has a spine and thinks? Why has the current set of reforms always been alarming for, and given widespread trauma and heartburn to the population? Look at Demonetisation. What a mess it was! We are sliding back below where we used to be a few years back. Yes, we do see, and most of the time, see through the proxy wars waged to cover things up.

Giving more recent examples will be depressing. The population has been through a lot, lately, so, let it be. I’m very inclined to dive into further details, but far too much has been already said about almost everything that has been done.

I’d, however, say a thing about something that directly bit me. Because my profession was played with. We understand the dream, and we see a necessity. But it could have been done in a better, much better way! One might argue by saying that there is always a better way, but the way taken was actually on the worse side of the spectrum of choices. Really, one deserves way more from the Government of the second largest population of the world.

The way these dreams are getting executed, it’s becoming a nightmare for the people!

Listen to your people…Please! Far too many have been wanting to tell you important things, and by now there happens to be a very long list of intelligent & fruitful suggestions ignored! Thrill is good, but a major undertaking like rebuilding the central secretariat just on the basis of personal capacity and a warped vision of position is an incompetent move, just like so many others.

The people have continued to live on! They have suffered! They have bled, but they continued. Dynasties have come and gone, and only the glorious ones have been remembered well. The current setup has already lost more than glory, but it can still try at least?

Save aspirations of certain sets of people, official procedures, and (almost complete) drawings kept inside locked safes, nothing has been done yet! There still is time! This is a good opportunity for which the regime will be remembered! The disaster in the making can be undone, and the dream can be fulfilled in a much better way! The people who elected the government will be helping with better ideas- ideas that will stand the test of time and taste!

On a lighter note! : Given the frequency of travels of our current leadership, an eminent architect had a practical solution!

A more realistic solution is to convert Delhi’s T1 Terminal into the PMO office and residence to facilitate quick flights abroad! Surrounding hotels could serve the entire cabinet! There would be no baggage of colonial architecture in the area and the Metro station serving it can always be renamed…
Nothing wrong with this proposal though!

Or, you can consult experts. Pick out better ways and get the ball rolling in the right direction!

Please, build better! Too much messed up stuff around, and it’s really getting irritating. Also, it’s time-consuming to school the ignorant government on such primary stuff like executing visions! This job doesn’t pay!

It is a humble request!

Read the official petition to the Ministry of Home & Urban Affairs, India and Central Public Works Department, G.o.I here.

Download the Complete Declaration of lokpath India

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