Distorting the countenance of a city: Defacement and urban traffic

Distorting the countenance of a city: Defacement and urban traffic

MUNISH DHIMAN  1st Feb 2014

Instances of defacement at the Rock Garden, Chandigarh rchitectural defacement does not only entail physical damage to built heritage but also constitutes an attack of the cultural ethos of a space. Historical sites and important tourist destinations all over India have been silent witnesses of love birds who have appropriated ancient walls and facades as their own canvasses, and Chandigarh is no exception to this practice. Despite defacement of public property being a punishable crime by law, trees, walls, roofs and even floors have not been spared from the apathetic approach of guests and visitors. Though the Chandigarh administration boasts of implementing stringent laws for the offenders to minimise defacement, has it really contributed towards any change? Nek Chand, creator of the Rock Garden told Guardian20, "It is not only about the Rock Garden, I believe. People should respect the place they are visiting. Today it feels bad to see scratches on doors, stones, walls and even statues I made with my hands and cared for them like my children. There are strict rules, but you cannot employ one guard every 50 meters to keep a check on the public. This should be part of social responsibility." It is worth mentioning that people encourage their kids to cross fences and jump instruction boards at tourist places to get their photographs clicked. This shows that visitors don't even pay heed to the instructions. "Imposing a fine or even arresting someone for the crime is not the solution. There should be strict rules so that people don't dare to repeat their mistakes," says activist Gaurav Chhabra. Then there are other ways in which a city’s aesthetics get mulled. Increasing traffic coupled with the laying of new roadways and the absence of repair in older ones, definitely top the list. The administration has been taking corrective measures for smooth traffic flow, and at the same time to minimise causalities, but it has generated a mixed response among residents.  "Keeping an eye on everyone is not an easy task as thousands of visitors visit a site daily. People write their names on tree trunks and even on walls. Employing one police personnel at every corner is not feasible, so we encourage NGOs and volunteers to educate people not to deface the place," said an official at the Sukhna Lake police post. There are other ways in which a city's aesthetics get mulled. Increasing traffic coupled with the laying of new roadways and the absence of repair in older ones, definitely top the list. The administration has been taking corrective measures for smooth traffic flow, and at the same time to minimise causalities, but it has generated a mixed response among residents. Concrete road projects, mastic asphalt sheets at roundabouts, pathway for pedestrians and cyclists near roundabouts, traffic lights at roundabouts, and automatic traffic lights at various crossings are some of the initiatives initiated by the police and the administration to provide city residents with safe roads. One of the pilot experiments conducted by the UT engineering department, the rumble strips and median gaps at the Sector 20-30-27-19 roundabout, became a nightmare for commuters. The rumble strips earned the ire of residents as the aim to provide a safe crossing to cycle and rickshaw pullers wasn't achieved. Instead, it caused a pile-up of vehicles and only added to the crisis. Besides the inconvenience, several accidents were witnessed on this stretch due to these rumble strips. http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/distorting-the-countenance-of-a-city-defacement-and-urban-traffic