URBAN PLANNING
Move trade fairs to city's fringes
Hindustan Times
NEW DELHI: 22 September
DELHI IS a radial city with a strong core located almost exactly in its geographic centre. Well-defined radial roads connect the centre to the periphery. The circular configuration is further defined by the two ring roads that encircle the larger mass of the city. The design of Connaught Place as a circle intuitively acknowledges the radial configuration of contemporary Delhi, while the power of this geometry assures CP of its unassailable position as the corporate centre of Delhi. The evocative, broken rubble profile of the Purana Quila against the setting sun remains the most time-soaked image of Delhi. The scale and spatial purity of the central vista retain the status of 'Nation space'. The Red Fort symbolizes Delhi's status as the Capital.
The bringing together of cultural institutions around the Mandi House node is unique to Delhi, with the Metro entering its underbelly. The powerful presence of the Supreme Court also qualifies Delhi as the nation's capital. This central district is a precious commodity, as it embodies the psyche of Delhi with all its power, pride and pretense.
In 1972 a new entrant found a permanent place in this central district of Delhi. I was a student of urban design in SPA when Pragati Maidan was built as a celebrated architectural event and remember the ease with which Delhi accepted this location in those days. Over the years, the scale and popularity of Pragati Maidan has soared but inversely its relationship with the city has soured. With Delhi growing towards the east of Yamuna and deep into south, Pragati Maidan has begun to occupy a critical position in its urban fabric. For the millions who live in the north, south and east, it is the only entry point to Delhi's symbolic centre. The two weeks of the Trade Fair is now a recurring traffic nightmare. Bhairon Marg, a crucial link in this network, is also the venue of the major parking for the Trade Fair. The loss of time and money during this period to the ordinary working citizens of Delhi has never been estimated while people from the periphery with no local loyalties along with manufacturers/ traders from around the country and abroad revel in India's largest consumerist carnival.
Balanced planning would demand that such fairs which traumatise the centre of the city must move to the periphery to areas with sufficient land, good road transportation and Metro links. The new location could have an even grander fair and also provide, hotels, convention centres and other uses usually appended all around the world to such fairs. Greater NOIDA already has one such venue. Unfortunately the reverse is happening in Delhi. Eying the new Metro connection, Delhi's fair- weather friends are hovering around Pragati Maidan with their perennial investments to redevelop the area into high- rise commercial project. The impact of these kind of projects on the city's vital transport network would be disastrous. True, the new Metro station can take care of some of the traffic destined for Pragati Maidan. But what about the million others who have to cross the area to reach their place of work, homes or schools by other modes of transport?
No doubt Pragati Maidan with its nearly 150 acres of land in the Delhi's centre can be an asset to the city, provided it is utilised for larger public good. More and more permanent exhibitions like The Science Museum and The Craft Museum could come up and we could continue to have the specialized exhibitions that attract a niche, yet manageable crowd. Art galleries, public art projects, studio apartments, film clubs (not multiplexes!), fashion districts and eateries could come up along with supporting craft production centres and even places for specialized hawkers etc. What we need to remove to the periphery is only the big, unwieldy consumer exhibition and what we certainly don't need in Pragati Maidan is 15 storey glass towers with 5,000 cars and highend commercialization. If the government has the interest of the city in mind they should turn this invaluable asset of Delhi's Central District to a place for people, not for fly-by-night investors.
(K.T. Ravindran is an urban designer and Dean, SPA)
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