Sunday, May 22, 2011

तुम्हे हो यकीं या न यकीं - Ghazal

ये तो पहली नज़र का प्यार है
तुम्हे हो यकीं या न यकीं |

मेरे दिल की तारीफ तुमसे है
तुम्हे हो यकीं या न यकीं |

मेरी छाया नहीं तुम हो मेरी
है ख्याब या ये है यकीं |
ये तो पहली नज़र का प्यार है
तुम्हे हो यकीं या न यकीं |

हो फूल या कली खिली
न सवाल अब, तो है यकीं |
ये तो पहली नज़र का प्यार है
तुम्हे हो यकीं या न यकीं |

Pimple Saudagar: One step forward and two steps backward

I am lucky, that I booked my flat in mid-2007 @2075/- per sq foot. Today rate is skyrocketing at 4000-4200. People who purchased here, way back in 2005-06 (then rate was around 1000-1500) are making killing. All thanks to its location (close to Hinjewadi, Aundh and Pimpri) and continuity of IT boom. As per an independent survey and estimation, in last 4 years around 60,000 people have chosen Pimple Saudagar as their dwelling/investment destination.

This big migration of people brings prosperity and life style. Four year back the whole area wise one of the fertile agricultural land; now gradually becoming one of the posh residential areas of Pune. High rise societies, modern restaurant, lounge, all big brand shop and services (all essential daily needs) is available at the door step; big malls and multiplexes are on the card.

Only trader, builder and early investor are not making money out of this prosperity; it’s PCMC, the biggest beneficiary of all. Property and other taxes, making it further richer (It’s already one of richest Municipal Corporation in India). Good thing is that PCMC too is playing its part, trying to provide all necessary infrastructures. A six lane main road is under construction, which will connect Nasik phata to Dange chowk, BRTC is planned, event the roads in side lanes and very wide and well planned, in a year or two the road infrastructure will be remarkable with planned footpath, all sort of underground cables, street light, etc. PCMC environment friendly norms compel builder to make their society green enough, which will make the area even more beautiful.

It was the one side of coin, which say we are moving one step forward (towards prosperity and healthy lifestyle), let’s asses other side –

Things were going good till the PCMC came up with the idea of open Nullah (rain water drainage). Rain water drainage is necessary as rain water will flow with wide web of roads all across the Pimple. It’s planned that all rain water will be diverted to Pawna River. As per Nullah plan, it was passing through some of residential societies. The builders of such societies proactively built underground pipeline for rain water drainage, and most of them got the completion certificate from PCMC on this ground.

Now, PCMC suddenly decided to go for Open nullah (instead of pipeline, as per earlier plan), and dig most of existing pipeline and making it open to sky. The world is moving toward better living with the enhancement of technology, but the PCMC is taking two steps backward with open nullah; one step back by making it opens to sky, and second step back by removing the existing pipeline.

Pipelines were not only easy to maintain, it was also offering enough real estate, where builders can build, garden or parking space. Open nullah is tend to get dirty with time; and since most of them are 10-14 feet deep, and builder of nearby society is further creating 8-10 feet high wall around it, so effective depth of nullah will be 18-24 feet, it will be extremely difficult to clean it (rather impossible). It looks bad too.

Residents are puzzled and yet to understand the logic behind open to sky nullah. To decode this puzzle, they went to area’s corporator. Like all other politician, he too assured that it will be taken care of, and ask resident to pressurize their builders to meet him, but all builders said no to this. The corporator wants to meet builder and builders are reluctant to meet, both are doing so to safeguard their own vested interest. If both party could meet, and come up with some compromising (and not so compromising) formula, then things may take a good shape.

Meanwhile, open nullah has already been excavated all around the Pimple Saudagar. The big blot on the future prosperity and beautification of the area is taking two steps backward, and we the residents, are enjoying this “tamasha”. After all such things are common to “common man”.