Concrete Graves for equated monthly installments

The Concrete Graves

FOR

EQUATED

MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS

Satyakam Garg

A CONEXON MEDIA & DESIGN GROUP BOOK

The cities of third world have witnessed in recent times unprecedented growth, most of which has been vertical both physically and costwise. While the people flock to cities in search of employement opportunities and a better life style, in reality they get a life style full of tensions, unhygenic conditions and no space for self. Even efforts by authorities in some of the cities cannot keep pace with the increasing demand for space and infrastructure. The developers and builders make money out of this short supply situation by selling dreams and banks have helped by providing the loans. After this starts a overall degradation of life style of a typical middle class family.

The author, Satyakam Garg is a well established architect for designing infrastructure projects for urban world.

Hehas studied the situation and this book is an attempt to highlight the problems associated with the congestion of cities.

While many others have written books and advised solutions, the author thinks that action by authorities are slow and often political in nature. The author stresses on educating the reader to change his mindset about the urban life and understand the real priorities for a better life.

The author is currently based in Dubai and works on Dubai Metro Project.

The Concrete Graves

FOR

EQUATED

MONTHLY INSTALLMENTS

Satyakam Garg (c) Copyright reserved 2008

A CONEXON MEDIA & DESIGN GROUP BOOK

Today's Cityscape

B

angalore, a city that developed faster than one could bat an eyelid, is once again in the news and for the second year in a row, this IT city has earned the dubious distinction of being the suicide capital of India. Statistics available with the World Health Organisation and the Bangalore Police show that the capital of Karnataka is way ahead of the rest of the cities in India in terms of high suicide rate. The Bangalore city police say that till June 2008, 1,070 cases of suicide had been reported in Bangalore alone.

It seems as though it is just a matter of time before Bangalore catches up with last year's statistics where 2430 cases were reported.

A report by the World Health Organisation states that 17 out every 1 lakh persons commit suicide in Bangalore. The figure has sure shot up when compared to the year 2007 where the number of persons committing suicide was 10 per every 1 lakh persons. In New Delhi, the suicide rate is at 10 per lakh while in Mumbai and Chennai, it is 12 and 11 per lakh respectively.

Scenario 1

Looking at the cases closely one could come to the conclusion that a majority of the cases in Bangalore have been due to non-mental disorders such as stress, financial constraints, and personal relationships. This according to Dr Savitha Rao, a counsellor is a disturbing fact. When one compares the statistics of 2005 where 1480 persons had committed suicide in Bangalore, it is clear that a majority of these cases were due to mental disorders and financial constraints. Over the years the pattern sure has changed. Stress and a fastpaced lifestyle, which people are unable to cope up with, are becoming major factors for suicide in Bangalore, says Savitha. She adds that with competition increasing every day there is a lot of stress on people to perform better. Many are unable to cope with this pressure and this in turn has a bearing on their personal lives too as a result of which they take the extreme step.

Vikram Singh, an employee at an IT firm in Bangalore told us that by the time they reach their offices, they are stressed out thanks to the traffic in the city. Once at work, the competition is so high that there is not a moment to breathe.

Another cause for concern is the sudden change in lifestyle as a result of which more and more people are getting into financial problems.

Natraj B T, a senior advocate in Bangalore, says: "Over the years the number of cases pertaining to financial institutions has risen drastically. Banks are to be blamed to a large extent for providing loans so easily. The customers fall trap and take huge loans and when they are unable to pay they end up taking the drastic step." He says that in the past three months, he has witnessed at least 40 cases where people have committed suicide as they were unable to clear personal loans that range between Rs 2 to Rs 5 lakh.

The suicide pattern in Bangalore is sure changing. In the year 2008, most persons who committed suicide were in the age group of 26 to 35. In the previous years, the persons committing suicide were either in the age group of 15 to 19 or in their late 40s. This, according to Savitha, is another indication to show that the more and more people from the working class are committing suicide in Bangalore.

Moreover, the half-yearly statistics for Bangalore also show that the number of men committing suicide is more compared to the women. Out of the 1070 suicides in 2008, 600 were men while the rest women. Doctors and experts point out that the key reason for Bangalore topping the charts in terms of suicide is due to immense stress. Travel within the city is a major factor and steps ought to be taken to sort out this problem. Long working hours, especially in BPO's and IT based companies should be reduced immediately and more family time ought to be given.

There is too much happening in the city and the rise in suicide rate by almost 40 percent since the year 2000 only goes on to show that people are unable to cope with the stress.

THE DREAM

REALITY

A

Another resident remarks "Illegal use of Panchayat land in South City-I, adjoining Unitech House has been a matter of concern for residents for quite sometime now.

Once an empty patch of land, it is now being used for commercial activities inside the residential area. Worse, a liquor outlet has come up in the area, leaving residents apprehensive of their security. This patch of land falling in Khasra No 29/ Killa No 13 and 8, comes under central avenue of the area leading to the markets and connect other parts of South City-I. According to the residents, a couple of years back the land was used for growing vegetables by the nearby Shilokhara villagers. Presently it has been encroached by scrap dealers, building material dealers, taxi stand and lately a liquor vend. Activities in the area have been inviting outsiders in the colony. Women and children of the neighbourhood also feel insecure while passing through the stretch for outsiders boozing by the roadside.

Often outsiders can be spotted drinking by the roadside here. They also pass lewd remarks to women crossing through the area after dark. We wonder how the Excise Department can allow a liquor vend inside a residential area! There have also been reports of brawl between outsiders who use the liquor vend and nearby eating joints. Considering gravity of the issue, the South City RWA has made a number of correspondences to the Deputy Commissioner, Gurgaon and Sector 40 Police Station, but with no welcome results."

Scenario 2

Gurgoan resident tells his story. "I happen to have booked a 3 BHK flat in the Cosmos Executive Apartments in Palam Vihar. On my recent visit to the site, I find that the quality of construction is so poor that I do not think the building would survive even one year in good condition. The floors and walls show visible cracks (very visible on the balconies), exposed plumbing (that too of very poor quality), substandard electrical wiring .... the list is endless. Almost all of the people I spoke to who have purchased a flat there are ready to sell. Many agents I approached also refused to enlist my property for sale on their list citing quality and builder's integrity concerns. I had booked this flat hoping to get rid of the woes faced in living in a rented accommodation and have invested by hard earned money into this. My listings on various property websites had initially invoked calls from interested parties but the offer price was around half the actual price.

Now such calls have also stopped. This has left me wondering if I got taken by a ride. I know that nothing much can be changed to the work that has been done already to the property. I am pretty sure that living there will be horrible within an year's time. The poor quality of construction has also been confirmed by an architect friend of mine who works for a reputed construction company. I have been visiting the site quite often this month. Calls to the developer regarding this were never answered. Visit to their office in Delhi wasn't fruitful either. I was turned away by the receptionist after giving the number of some VP and the number is always switched off."

Scenario 3

I

t is supposed to be a worldclass city in the making, minus the amenities.

Behind the facade of high-rises and condominiums hide very basic issues like blocked sewer lines and missing storm water drains. What the 1,000-odd residents of Belvedere Park experienced on one Thursday could have had happened in any multi-storeyed apartment complexes in DLF, Sushant Lok or South City In fact, there were several complaints of water entering the basement in housing colonies developed by private developers.

Most residential sectors in new Gurgaon do not have storm water drains and trunk sewer lines. While some developers have provided storm water drains in their colonies, they serve little purpose in absence of connecting peripheral drains.

"The authorities might be constructing peripheral drains on paper but nothing is happening on ground. Even a little rain results in waterlogging," said Col. Rattan Singh (retired), chairman, Joint Action Forum of Residents' Association.

The developers bought gram panchayat land and constructed buildings. "Some drains were filled by the developers and some have been encroached upon by villagers. Rainwater will automatically flow back or stagnate in absence of drains," said R.S. Rathee, president, Qutub Enclave Residents Welfare Association.

'I wish I could sell off this house and move'

A

resident from Indirapuram near Delhi tells her story. She along with her husband took home loans and purchased their dream house. To pay the loans back both of them are working overtime and Sunday is the only day they get to meet together as their work shifts do not match. This has put a lot of burden on her as she is deprived of the sleep due to taking care of small daughter in day time.

Scenario 4

When they shifted to Indirapuram some three years ago, the colony was not much developed. Within last three years all kinds of building activity has gripped Indirapuram and it is a crowded place without any peace now. Their bank loan interest rate has increased whereas the value of the flat has fallen down. And commuting to Gurgaon from Indirapuram for work adds to her daily agony. "Sometime I feel that we should have remained in a smaller town, atleast we had the peace of mind. The flat already has cracks and I am not sure whether it will become useless before our EMIs get finished." She is worried.

Situations like above are now increasing day by day. Many people who have bought apartments and paying high EMIs for the same have to live in problematic conditions of overcrowded cities. The sense of ownership of an apartment is a false notion in the mind of city resident. But the today's world of cities works on apartments.

One must understand that owning an apartment in a crowded city is like buying a bus ticket for a ride. It is not permanent. You have to change your travel plans many a times in journey of life. And as humans we need life not the concrete debris.

The City Conditions T

he four scenarios presented before are just the tip of iceberg. Problems in the cities of third world and specially India have grown out of control. The common man is victim of his own greed and by adopting to a urban living against nature is fast moving on a suicidal path. The man in his race to get into the cities has forgotten his natural needs as a human being.

Multistoried developments by the builders is similar to a gang rape, in context of the city the victim being the land itself. A lust for the real estate has lead to widespread civic problems combined with social evils. Often people come to cities in search of jobs and better incomes, however most of them end up living a lower standard of living. While many of you who reside in apartments may think that it is the slum dwellers who are responsible for plight of cities, the reality is that the people in high rise apartments are more responsible for the filth in a city than the slum dweller. The slum dweller happens to just live where the filth flows. There is too much burden being put on the limited land available in the city by uncontrolled building activity that resources and infrastructure are not enough to support it.

This situation is responsible for a very low level of living by human standards even for the apartment dwellers.

Most people do not realise this as the mindset has been conditioned against the natural tendencies. The fact is that they are living a much inferior life in the cities under stressful conditions and slowly making themselves & their families vulnerable to unhealthy conditions. And often this situation is made faster by EMIs (Equated Monthly Installments) to repay their bank loans.

The photograph above from Mumbai is a fine example of what lies in future for the buildings mushrooming today.

These apartments were constructed a long time ago to meet the residential space requirements. Within a span of just 32 years these apartments have taken shape of a planned slum. Sewers overflow and water supply is erratic. The monsoon rains convert this into a living hell and unsocial activities bloom here.

The same fate awaits today's constructions. One can understand what will happen when the occupant loads increase many times in comparison to relatively lower height buildings in above picture. There will be more chaos and lesser services. Civic sense is already depleting in our cities, which are becoming filthier day by day. What happened to the buildings above in 32 years is now happening within 8 years.

Look around your colony and imagine its condition just four years ago. Is it greener, cleaner or other way round? In reality all cities of India are going through constant degradation. Loads & loads of people are heading towards cities everyday to make them more & more conjusted. Some people move from slums to flats and then from flats to bigger apartments in name of personal development. With each move people make, the city has to grow vertically because of the limited area of the city. The high rise buildings in response to this movement is just a small relief but not a solution.

On the contrary the practice of going higher & higher is pushing the density to dangerous levels.

Already in Delhi, the air quality is very much degraded with pollution. With every breath you take, you inhale particles of sulphur, human excreta, open sewer gases, burned tyres etc. Take a morning flight from Delhi airport and you can clearly see from above a big round of smog. Over the years all kind of pollution has affected our cities badly. Current attitude of city residents and authorities is making the situation worst. People fight on streets for parking space and there have been reported incidents of persons being shot for road rages. Neighbourhood fights are common place and city residents combat the daily pressures of urban life.

To think about it, in India before you can see pollution you get to see people everywhere. People stuffed in buses, cramped in slums, dying on pavements or fighting for travel on road. The whole idea of coming to a city to get rid of poverty becomes false. While one gets to manage the monetary power the city offers, another kind of poverty sets in his life which is basically the lack of life itself.

Slums & Planned Slums The map below shows the concentration of slums areas in Delhi. Notice that the denser areas happen to be in the centre of the city. This aspect is peculiar of all the third world cities. Populations migrating to cities, often due to distress reasons try to be near to their job place. In almost all the cities jobs tend to be in the central district, which explains slums squatters being present in the city centre. This is result of people avoiding the long commute to their jobs. For new incomers to the city, housing is on lesser priority than grabbing a job first. Slums are basically a launching pad for a job seeker in the city and requires very less monetary arrangements. Therefore slums keep on increasing with increasing migrations.

It is a known fact that all efforts of the authorities have failed to do away with the slums. Land and housing is being offered to city slum dwellers, but they return only to settle some where else with a greater force. Legal residents of the city keep on complaining about the slum dwellers, but tend to forget that they are also part of a system, only at a higher level status. The problem is more social than legal.

The present population of Delhi is about 13.9 million. Of this nearly 45% population lives in unauthorised colonies, rural villages and slums and JJ clusters. The current number of slum dwelling units is estimated at about 0.6 million and the population living in slums and Yamuna clusters is projected at about 3 million.

Out of the 0.6 million JJ units, nearly 62,000 units are estimated to be located in the river bed of Yamuna on both sides of its stretch along Delhi and on the embankments of a few major storm water drains such as Najafgarh drain, Barapulla drain etc. During dry weather these slum dwellers use open areas around their units for defaecation. In this way, the entire human waste generated from these 62,000 units along with the additional wastewater generated from their household is dischaged untreated into the river Yamuna.

This is a fine example of the impact of slums on the city and environment. And please note that slums are low rise not more than two floor construction mostly.

Compare this to the planned slums - the modern housing apartments which are high rise in nature. If low rise slums can put a pressure on civic conditions and environment, what these high rise building will do? The population density in high rise apartments is much more than the slum squatter areas. This can be proved by the satellite pictures shown above where high rise apartments provide a contrast to adjacent low rise settlements.

Essentially the environmental load generated by the high rise apartments is far more greater. The planned apartments in city consume more water as well as electricity and generate high waste in proportion to consumption. Proper infrastructure development for supply and waste management can resolve the problems to some extent, however in our cities the realities is the delay of such projects and much smaller reach. Prevalent corruption in the system also lessens the results of long awaited efforts.

The gap keeps on increasing day by day between haves and have nots. Each section blaming the other for plight of cities. As a whole the city is a collapsing system every resident being part of that system in a chawl or a penthouse. No wonder in context of a city, today you live in a horizontal slum or a vertical one.

Today's Home Sweet Home..

..A ticket to hell Tomorrow

The city growth does not stop after you buy your dream flat. Your flat only becomes conjusted, polluted and a rotten building in no time.

This was a preview. The rest part of the book deals with how to overcome the problems of urbanisation and live a happy life instead of paying EMIs for concrete graves in name of high rise apartments.

Sustainable development and appropriate changes in lifestyle only can promise a meaningful life for your future generation.

Being the part of rat race is easy, to get out of it takes courage because it involves moving against the current forces.

Soon the world will see shortages of all kinds & this book has the simple & practical solutions. For a copy send mail to satyakamgarg@yahoo.com