‘Delhi Under Hammer’, the Crisis of Sealing and Demolition, by A.K. Jain, 2010, Rupa & Co., New Delhi, pp 146, Rs 500/-When in February 2006, the Supreme Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to demolish certain illegal properties in Delhi, no one imagined that this would snowball into a major human and political crisis. The sealing and demolitions triggered arrests, firing, deaths, strikes and agitations that shook the central, state and local governments. It rattled the masses, the businessmen, the Parliament and the Assembly. There were unprecedented confrontations between the people, the judiciary and the government. The impending emergency was met by bringing out a new planning legislation in the shape of Master Plan for Delhi 2021 published in February 2007, which became a bestseller overnight. It established a new connect between the common man and government and ushered a new era of urban planning in India. What was going behind the scenes makes an interesting story. „Delhi Under Hammer – The Crisis of Sealing and Demolitions‟ by A.K. Jain (who was Commissioner (planning) during this period, gives an account of the crisis and troubleshooting. The book “Delhi Under Hammer – The Crisis of Sealing and Demolitions”, is not about the “plan”, but about “planning”.
AK Jain-Architect- town planner, who as Commissioner (Planning), worked on Delhi Master Plan 2021, Commonwealth Games and other projects. He studied architecture, Masters in Planning from School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, and Urban Management at the Institute of Housing and Urban Development Studies, Rotterdam and University of Birmingham. He is a member of the UN Habitat Research Advisory Board, visiting faculty at the SPA . He is an Eminent Citizen MORD ak.jain6@gmail.com
Saturday, July 31, 2010
‘Delhi Under Hammer’, the Crisis of Sealing and Demolition, by A.K. Jain, 2010, Rupa & Co., New Delhi, pp 146, Rs 500/-When in February 2006, the Supreme Court directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to demolish certain illegal properties in Delhi, no one imagined that this would snowball into a major human and political crisis. The sealing and demolitions triggered arrests, firing, deaths, strikes and agitations that shook the central, state and local governments. It rattled the masses, the businessmen, the Parliament and the Assembly. There were unprecedented confrontations between the people, the judiciary and the government. The impending emergency was met by bringing out a new planning legislation in the shape of Master Plan for Delhi 2021 published in February 2007, which became a bestseller overnight. It established a new connect between the common man and government and ushered a new era of urban planning in India. What was going behind the scenes makes an interesting story. „Delhi Under Hammer – The Crisis of Sealing and Demolitions‟ by A.K. Jain (who was Commissioner (planning) during this period, gives an account of the crisis and troubleshooting. The book “Delhi Under Hammer – The Crisis of Sealing and Demolitions”, is not about the “plan”, but about “planning”.
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