Trampling trees and worse

Dilip Cherian India's 'Image Guru' and a diehard observer of the capital discusses how 'developmental' work is affecting the city's greenery

Dilip Cherian India's 'Image Guru' and a diehard observer of the capital discusses how 'developmental' work is affecting the city's greenery

The Dilli government has finally dropped the charade of seeking environmental clearance of its ongoing projects from the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC). It simply got three projects cleared by Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna, defying the panel, which had put them on hold.

Grin and clear it: The Commonwealth Games are more important than green cover or heritage sites which may be affected by the 'developmental' work File Pic

Clearly those who expected relations between the sarkar and the panel to improve under the new DUAC chairman KT Ravindran were mistaken.

Ravindran, like his predecessor, noted Mumbai-based architect Charles Correa, objected to several projects related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games because they involve felling of trees. But with time obviously running out, the government decided to approach the LG directly for his sanction. Construction of an elevated corridor over Barapullah Nallah from Sarai Kale Khan to Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium for the movement of 10,000 players during the Games, has now been sanctioned by no less than the Central Group of Ministers.

The message to the Dilliwala is clear: the Commonwealth Games are more important than green cover or heritage sites which may be affected by the 'developmental' work. The DUAC, meanwhile, can simply take a walk.

No silver lining here

The battered Taj and the Oberoi may have recovered and reopened quickly after the Mumbai terror attacks, but the outlook is still grim on the tourism front. Foreign tourist arrivals which witnessed a 17 per cent drop last month are continuing their three-month decline. Undoubtedly, travel advisories issued in the wake of the Mumbai attacks and the global slow down have hit hard now.

The plunge in arrivals has brought hotel occupanciesu00a0from Dilli, to Agra, to the beaches of Goa and Kerala down to 60 per cent, the steepest decline, some say, in a decade. No wonder then alarm bells are ringing in Dilli, and Ambika Soni and her babus are frantically trying to shore things up even as elections drown everything out. But will these measures work? Considering that the "India" season is almost over, it may be too late to bring the shine back for 'Incredible India' this year at least.