Tuesday, 5 June 2012
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
A possible solution for AP like crisis- shifting prime institutions out of the urban cities into far away clusters of rural villages - an engine for geographically equitable growth?
Dr. Jaya Prakash Narayan, now popularly known in AP as JP, is a retired senior IAS officer who quit the secure and powerful job with a long career still awaiting and plunged into active politics with a new set of ethics and values and is passionate about good governance. He is the head of 'Loksatta', the new political party he founded. He is currently not only the lone representatative of Loksatta in AP state assembly, but also one of the very few hopes of Indian politics.
I had the pleasure of discussing these concepts/ideas with him during March 2011 in Hyderabad.
His pointed question was,
'How would the faculty colleagues respond to the suggestion of shifting, say, IITD to four or six IITD campuses in far flung rural village clusters?'
Well, it is said, 'charity begins at home'.
I would like to know the responses from my esteemed colleagues, in particular from those who are inclined to Gandhian model of decentralized development as the best chance for being sustainable and holistic, on the concepts presented here.
Here is the note that I had mailed him prior to the face to face over 45 minute meeting.
Dear Sri Jaya Prakash ji,
Jaihind!
First let me thank you for the tele-meeting this morning.
I humbly submit the following points which may aid in resolving the crisis AP is unfortunately going through.
1. Basic Problem/s
Unbounded and cancerous growth of cities as a result of centralized large production systems based on misplaced over confidence on 'bigger the better' of economics relying solely on 'square -cube law' as against 'small is beautiful’ , a concept that was proposed/backed by eminent scientists much later.
This development model has promoted unholy nexus between ...
(unscrupulous) politicians, businesses and mafia gangs including those of land mafias.
Basically many problems of the above development model have arisen because 'economics of the market' alone is relied up on.
2. Immediate problem:
Huge hopes and investments in Hyderabad.
3. Long term Solutions:
Development model based on decentralized systems with production systems included,
--- somewhat in line with Gandhiji's Gram Swaraj.
100 years ago Gandhiji was ridiculed as ignorant of economics upon his objection to centralized large production systems on grounds of human problems ( relations included) alone.
Today Gandhiji’s stand is increasingly getting to be vindicated
not only because of human /social problems
but also because of issues like
energy, ecology and global warming concerns and sustainability issues.
Once a cost is assigned to each of the above, along with those of human related ones, as per the free market ‘economic’ principles, almost nothing would remain economical –
Certainly not the power/energy from oil, coal and other non renewables,
Certainly not the production of building materials like steel, cement, aluminum, plastic composites etc.,
and the list goes on.
Suggestions for the long term:
#1. Restrict unhindered cancerous growth of cities/towns/villages by 'statutarily transferring' the governance of the city/town village to the next higher group . For eg., once beyond 'a limit', Hyderabad may be governed by central parliament.
Local politicians, my may be my naive presumption, would then prefer to divert business/industry growth to a different city of the AP rather than lose political control.
i.e., it would drive a wedge between the vested interests of local politics and businesses/industries
and this would reduce if not eliminate the role of mafias, in particular land mafias.
#2. Deposit taxes, direct and indirect, through ‘tagged’ accounts, each representing a policy or opinion.
Every time any purchase is made, the applicable taxes would be routed through the tagged account of the purchaser's choice.
The present IT would make it implementable at affordable costs.
It would be a measure of the public opinion that would be much more efficient than any other present today.
Can end the intensity of violence in the bandhs being claimed as public opinion by the unscrupulous.
#3. Land for any use other than for zero carbon foot print agriculture can only be leased at ‘market’ rates.
Reason : land is fundamentally different from all other traded commodities. And may remove the possibility of the fly by night operators making fast buck, the back bone of most vested interests - politics - businesses/industries - mafia gangs.
· Immediate Solution for AP crisis:
# Disperse the campuses of universities, R&D labs, high end schools and hospitals from Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupathi etc to at least six clusters of villages, two from each of the three regions, but not less than, as an example, 300 km from Hydrabad and 30 km from the nearest tier 1, 2, 3 cities.
# Each campus carries its own brand name and sets up its campuses in all six clusters.
Much like several campuses of Univ of California. So different university brands get to have a healthy competition in each cluster.
The new campuses are to be in the clusters of villages, as sugar is in milk, without the bulge/over flow, and only by leasing out the lands needed.
And letting the farmers farm their lands except where the roads and buildings come up
and letting the farmers develop & maintain any particular greenery needed in specific cases.
The agricultural and other univ campuses in the cluster can play a pivotal role.
Original campuses vacated in Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam etc., can be used for developing residential/commercial complexes including those related to 'healthy' tourism with at least one mega convention centre in each such campus which,
would be owned by the original organization, but professionally managed and
the income there from credited to all the campuses of the original owner organization.
The lakhs of crores of rupee funds generated would more than finance building of about 5 to 10 new hopefully superior campuses for each campus vacated from the big cities and
would have enough surplus to build fast communication systems including mass rapid rail systems all over the state.
Ultimately the model could be applied to all over the country.
I would be glad to explain/illustrate further given a chance over the next few days of the week.
with best regards,
Dr P Sudhakar
Associate Professor
CRDT, IIT Delhi
New Delhi- 16
+91 - 9312323702
I had the pleasure of discussing these concepts/ideas with him during March 2011 in Hyderabad.
His pointed question was,
'How would the faculty colleagues respond to the suggestion of shifting, say, IITD to four or six IITD campuses in far flung rural village clusters?'
Well, it is said, 'charity begins at home'.
I would like to know the responses from my esteemed colleagues, in particular from those who are inclined to Gandhian model of decentralized development as the best chance for being sustainable and holistic, on the concepts presented here.
Here is the note that I had mailed him prior to the face to face over 45 minute meeting.
Dear Sri Jaya Prakash ji,
Jaihind!
First let me thank you for the tele-meeting this morning.
I humbly submit the following points which may aid in resolving the crisis AP is unfortunately going through.
1. Basic Problem/s
Unbounded and cancerous growth of cities as a result of centralized large production systems based on misplaced over confidence on 'bigger the better' of economics relying solely on 'square -cube law' as against 'small is beautiful’ , a concept that was proposed/backed by eminent scientists much later.
This development model has promoted unholy nexus between ...
(unscrupulous) politicians, businesses and mafia gangs including those of land mafias.
Basically many problems of the above development model have arisen because 'economics of the market' alone is relied up on.
2. Immediate problem:
Huge hopes and investments in Hyderabad.
3. Long term Solutions:
Development model based on decentralized systems with production systems included,
--- somewhat in line with Gandhiji's Gram Swaraj.
100 years ago Gandhiji was ridiculed as ignorant of economics upon his objection to centralized large production systems on grounds of human problems ( relations included) alone.
Today Gandhiji’s stand is increasingly getting to be vindicated
not only because of human /social problems
but also because of issues like
energy, ecology and global warming concerns and sustainability issues.
Once a cost is assigned to each of the above, along with those of human related ones, as per the free market ‘economic’ principles, almost nothing would remain economical –
Certainly not the power/energy from oil, coal and other non renewables,
Certainly not the production of building materials like steel, cement, aluminum, plastic composites etc.,
and the list goes on.
Suggestions for the long term:
#1. Restrict unhindered cancerous growth of cities/towns/villages by 'statutarily transferring' the governance of the city/town village to the next higher group . For eg., once beyond 'a limit', Hyderabad may be governed by central parliament.
Local politicians, my may be my naive presumption, would then prefer to divert business/industry growth to a different city of the AP rather than lose political control.
i.e., it would drive a wedge between the vested interests of local politics and businesses/industries
and this would reduce if not eliminate the role of mafias, in particular land mafias.
#2. Deposit taxes, direct and indirect, through ‘tagged’ accounts, each representing a policy or opinion.
Every time any purchase is made, the applicable taxes would be routed through the tagged account of the purchaser's choice.
The present IT would make it implementable at affordable costs.
It would be a measure of the public opinion that would be much more efficient than any other present today.
Can end the intensity of violence in the bandhs being claimed as public opinion by the unscrupulous.
#3. Land for any use other than for zero carbon foot print agriculture can only be leased at ‘market’ rates.
Reason : land is fundamentally different from all other traded commodities. And may remove the possibility of the fly by night operators making fast buck, the back bone of most vested interests - politics - businesses/industries - mafia gangs.
· Immediate Solution for AP crisis:
# Disperse the campuses of universities, R&D labs, high end schools and hospitals from Hyderabad, Vizag, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupathi etc to at least six clusters of villages, two from each of the three regions, but not less than, as an example, 300 km from Hydrabad and 30 km from the nearest tier 1, 2, 3 cities.
# Each campus carries its own brand name and sets up its campuses in all six clusters.
Much like several campuses of Univ of California. So different university brands get to have a healthy competition in each cluster.
The new campuses are to be in the clusters of villages, as sugar is in milk, without the bulge/over flow, and only by leasing out the lands needed.
And letting the farmers farm their lands except where the roads and buildings come up
and letting the farmers develop & maintain any particular greenery needed in specific cases.
The agricultural and other univ campuses in the cluster can play a pivotal role.
Original campuses vacated in Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam etc., can be used for developing residential/commercial complexes including those related to 'healthy' tourism with at least one mega convention centre in each such campus which,
would be owned by the original organization, but professionally managed and
the income there from credited to all the campuses of the original owner organization.
The lakhs of crores of rupee funds generated would more than finance building of about 5 to 10 new hopefully superior campuses for each campus vacated from the big cities and
would have enough surplus to build fast communication systems including mass rapid rail systems all over the state.
Ultimately the model could be applied to all over the country.
I would be glad to explain/illustrate further given a chance over the next few days of the week.
with best regards,
Dr P Sudhakar
Associate Professor
CRDT, IIT Delhi
New Delhi- 16
+91 - 9312323702
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