Team Name: Rising Stars Institute Name: Indian Institute of Management, Shillong Team Member Details: Name: Anshumali

Jha Email: anshumali10@iimshillong.in Contact Number: +91-97740-07073 Prerna Registration IDs PRER2010_101456

Name: Vivek Priyadarshi Email: vivek10@iimshillong.in Contact Number: +91-97740-11412 Prerna Registration IDs - PRER2010_101458

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Is there more good than harm in further developing cities and not protecting heritages? I was in United States of America for two years between 2007 and 2009. I visited many places which included National parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Canyon. I also got a chance to see statue of liberty in New York and other monuments which reflected the rich heritage of United States. After returning to India, I visited my sisters home in Lucknow. I took out some time to visit the famous Bhool Bhoolaiya. I was shocked to see the condition of the monument. Perhaps this was because I had expected the same level of cleanliness and maintenance as in US here also. The walls and the corridors were full of stains from the spit of chewing pan and Gutka. Why did this happen? Was it because of the indifference of the government or was it because of the uncaring attitude of the people? Why is that we keep on building Metros, shopping malls, and big bridges but dont care about the monuments which reflect our glorious past. Did this situation happen because our major emphases off-late have been on urban development? It is high time that we seek answers to these questions and take some actions to preserve the monuments. With the current era of globalisation which led to economic development, the migration of population from rural region to cities has increased. People do so because of the search for a better life style and higher income. Children of this migrating population who are born and brought up in cities are unaware of their cultural heritage. They learn it only from books or through television. The new generation is losing its root. To sustain this surge in urban migration, large amount of infrastructure development and construction are being undertaken in the cities. In addition to this, India has seen a surge in the number of tourists visiting the country post liberalisation. These visitors come to India to see and experience her rich and varied heritage.The presence of foreign tourists at famous archaeological sites such as Konark, Red Fort, Elephanta caves clearly illustrates the fact. However, if this negligence continues the way it is as now, in few years our heritage will become extinct like the dinosaurs. The generation to come will only read and learn about these from text books or would see pictures or samples in museum. It will also have an

adverse effect on the tourism and hospitality industry which forms an important part of our GDP. Hence, it is high time that we all as a country take some strong decisions. The government should come out with policies to preserve and protect our heritage. It should discourage setting up industries or construction project near such area. We should not adopt globalisation or urbanisation at the cost of rich and glorious heritage.

Is there more good than harm in further developing cities and not protecting heritages? I feel that protecting heritage sites is a luxury that only the rich and the developed nations can afford. In developing and under developed countries, when it boils down to the question of basic necessities of life, the choice of living better lives supersedes the interest to preserve history and culture . The blowing up of the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban was one such incident. Developing countries such as India and China which have a very rich heritage and culture have many heritage sites in major cities that act as roadblocks in their development. These two countries face a tough challenge in finding space for establishing industries and human settlements in and around cities. Not protecting heritage sites does not mean to bring down the Taj Mahal and set up residential apartments or factories. But then accepting a law in this regard would prevent the Government to work towards the development of cities as the preservation of heritage sites not only means protecting the monument but also a significantly large area (generally a radius of 100 300 metres) around the site. One of the major problems is that the law sees all heritage sites in the same light. Considering the case of poor and developing nations, there is a small not-so-important old monument in the heart of the city which is protected and which prevents residential complexes in the region around. The space around the monument could provide residential space for say 1000 people. It would also help in strengthening the infrastructure for providing basic facilities for the remaining part of the city. Thus even if the monument is not so important it would hinder the growth of the city. Most of the cities in the world are not planned and have grown radially outwards to accommodate the ever growing population which migrate from rural areas in search of better employment opportunities. These cities are suffering from two big problems. First, is the problem of expansion, Second, is the problem of space to build the infrastructure (roads and drainage) to provide the various amenities to the existing population. These problems associated with heritage sites would also exist in the future. Important buildings that exist today shall become heritage sites tomorrow, which would again become a roadblock in further development of the city. With the world becoming a global village and

all countries competing on the same level ground, such problems would be taken as an excuse for under-development. There have been instances in the past in developed countries such as United States and Russia where entire monuments were held up from the base and shifted backwards to widen roads or were completely lifted from their present locations and shifted to new locations but these solutions are very expensive for developing countries. Thus the preservation and protection of heritage sites is fine as long as it does not hinder the economic and social development.