The dream of speeding India towards globalization and economic liberalization has encountered quite a number of hiccups over the past year, though two failed government policies in particular stand out: the sealing drive in Delhi, and the Special Economic Zone plan in rural Bengal.
The state government Municipal Corporation of Delhi had elections over the past few days, and the Congress Party lost heavily, while the BJP gained the majority of seats, primarily because of “sealing,” which is the process of closing down illegal commercial enterprises in residential areas. The government’s mismanagement of the sealing drive, which has led to repeated interventions by the Indian courts, can be compared to what happened recently in Nandigram. There, a group of villagers gathered to protest the conversion of their farmland into a “Special Economic Zone” (SEZ) found themselves under fire by police. Fourteen people died in the violence, and in the subsequent uproar the Communist government of Bengal has been forced to suspend (temporarily?) its plan to develop a massive chemical factory and the four-lane highway that would lead to it.
There are of course ironies in both instances. It’s remarkable, for instance, that the Communist government of Bengal is so pro-globalization that it was ready to force several thousand people in Nandigram to relocate to make way for an Indonesian corporation (the Salim group). But it seems to me that what is happening here isn’t so much about conventional ideology (left vs. right) as it is about pro-development policies, that might make sense in principle, being terribly mismanaged.
Both issues are incredibly complicated, and alongside your opinions and arguments, I’d like to humbly request that readers suggest links that shed light on the different sides of each issue. The Wikipedia entry for the 2006 Delhi Sealing Drive is pretty helpful, as it gives a detailed timeline of events (supported in many cases by external links to news articles). Another helpful starting point is this Rediff article from last November. There is also a blog of sorts on Delhi Sealing; the recent entries refer to the “Delhi Master Plan 2021,” which was unveiled by the Congress government last fall as a way to offset the political damage created by the misguided sealing drive that unfolded over the course of 2006. The new Master Plan compromises on several issues; for instance, it aims to create more “mixed use” areas, thereby reducing the need for sealing under the previous plan. In all of this, the Supreme Court has been a major thorn in the side of the Congress government; it has required the government to implement a deeply unpopular policy, and in some sense pushed the Congress Party in Delhi into its current situation. (The Supreme Court has also bucked the will of the legislative branch on the question of reservations for OBCs, though that is another whole can of worms.)
On Nandigram and the SEZs, Wikipedia is again a good place to start. I would also recommend this Tehelka article from March 3, which also discusses a controversial SEZ plan in Singur involving a proposed Tata Auto plant. There’s also an interesting Op-Ed in the Indian Express, from a writer who is clearly pro-SEZ and pro-globalization, but who recognizes the failures in the plan as it was enacted. And finally, try this leftist critique of the rather non-leftish policies of the CPI(M) in Bengal at Znet. (You may or may not agree with Akhila Rman’s assessment of what happened at Nandigram, but her footnotes/links are very helpful.)
The biggest problem with the SEZ program from a civil rights perspective is the way the government can acquire rural land from peasants who may not have any papers to support their claim to ownership. (In this sense, they are similar to the traders who run unlicensed shops in Delhi — and the claims of both groups are, in my view, legitimate.) A new policy is being put in place that will require that SEZ land in the future be purchased, rather than simply possessed, but it’s unclear whether that is now going to be tried at Nandigram.
The effects of ‘sealing’ were very evident when I was in Delhi in March. M.G. Road (Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road) which was lined for miles with stores of different kinds (furniture, appliances, electronics, housewares) is now a desolate stretch of empty lots and boarded-up, closed-down shops. A lot of them have signs in front advertising new locations or temporary phone numbers to call. Those unscrupulous shopkeepers probably did need a good kick in the ass, and the shops were doubtless illegal, but what’s there now (basically a lot of ugliness) is even worse in a lot of ways.
I wonder if they are ever going to mess with Sainik Farms, which is basically ALL illegal, but comprises the enormous mansions of various rich business families.
there’s a video of the incident on youtube [via]
not for the faint-hearted
One critique I’ve read (but I can’t remember where) is that by trying to move all commercial activities away from residential areas, governments are handiapping small businesses. Many Indian housewives run small businesses out of their homes, and in such a setup, can send their kids next door or down the street to do some quick shopping. By moving all retail away from residential areas, this economic activity is redirected, at a time when the roads are still pretty poor.
Amardepp, I fail to see the symmetry between these two events. In the case of the Sealing Drive, the shopkeepers have explicitly established local laws in setting up commercial establishments. This could have been kept up only by regularly bribing municipal officials. In the case of Nandigram, we clearly have government overreach which borders on fascism. It may not even really be a left v/s right issue. For e.g., a lot of people on the left and the right oppose Eminent Domain in the US. The agricultural land in Nandigram may at best be of dubious status. When you consider how much communal land in India continues to be so, it is clearly an institutional failure to regularize property rights. In short the issues of Urban land abuse and Rural land confiscation need to be decoupled.
I am copying a series of suggestions from another message board, because I found them to be useful.
Some different takes on Nandigram and SEZ policy can be found here, here, and here. The “explanation” by Prakash Karat was a particularly good look at how the Communist Party of India-Marxist can spin an issue.
You’re right, it’s a complicated issue wrapped in local panchayat politics, corruption, greed, violence and anti-development sentiment. And Nandigram may mark the re-entry of a unified Muslim political voice into W. Bengal political theater.
The biggest problem isn’t how to deal with peasants who don’t have papers to prove ownership, it’s how to deal with the bargadars (sharecroppers), the seasonal workers, and the loads of people who provide services to the landowners and tillers.
Who ever said Communists weren’t corrupt and prone to violence?
Sorry, the previous should have been “Amardeep” and “explicitly violated established laws”.
I’m guessing the civil rights issues surrounding Nandigram are probably still uppermost there and in Kolkata, as displacing the farmers involves dispossessing the sub-group that has long worked the land without holding title to it. I first heard about ‘s twenty five day fast in protest against the long tertm ;lease to Tata for a plant to make very small cars, so that wasn’t about globalization per se, and I must say that fast was taken only a bit more seriously in some quarters than the fast against Sanjaya. Kudos to Tehelka for letting people know what a fine area and community it is. Compensation has long been said to be far less than it should be, but the fact that it’s prosperous as well as bucolic really makes it unconscionable to destroy it. City folks in Kolkata are primed to respond heatedly, as I know well from watching riots and lathi charges at close quarters back in the heyday of Naxalite activity, and I don’t see that changing.
Mamata’s fast, damn my typing.
fsowalla, thanks for the link to PK’s “explanation.” Strange use of “anti-peasant” and “cleansing operations.” Since CPI(M) has long been the entrenched Right in W. Bengal politics, such reactionary measures are not entirely surprising. I remember Naxalite friends mentioning nails being pulled out and lighted cigarettes applied during interrogations, and also that back then they said that wasn’t the half of it.
Amardeep,
“The state government of Delhi had elections over the past few days, and the Congress Party lost heavily, while the BJP gained the majority of seats, primarily because of “sealing,†which is the process of closing down illegal commercial enterprises in residential areas”
A correction: The elections were not state government elections (i.e. to the Vidhan Sabha – the last set were held a few years ago, 2004 maybe, so the term runs till 2009) but MCD elections. Also, it seems a bit presumptuous to make the causal claim in the second part of your sentence…
Someol’guy, thanks for the correction. I realize that rising prices has also been an issue, but this seems to be the “big ticket” problem. Have there been any “exit polls,” to find out what was foremost in the minds of the masses of voters?
say hi to Advindh…. best artist ever!
I hope these are just growing pains for Delhi. On the whole, one gets a sense that it is a city on the upswing, and various infrastructural improvements contribute to that. They are preparing a bunch of things for the upcoming Asian Games (?)…the Metro is beautiful…and as per your links, Amardeep, they are trying to address most if not all the major civic issues in a systematic way. The Metro, the new highways/flyovers, and the markedly improved pollution situation (due to forced use of CNG gas) all make me believe that in Delhi (and India generally) where there’s a will there’s a way, and things CAN get done.
“Metro” refers to their new subway system. I took a ride on it just for fun…the cars are nice and clean, well air-conditioned…the fares are cheap (at least for the middle class)…the only problem as usual are the people. When you get to a station, instead of waiting for people to get out first, everyone rushes IN to the train…so you have masses of people moving in BOTH directions, against each other.
Amitabh, I believe that they’re preparing for the Commonwealth Games- I could be wrong though.
Whats sp remarkable about the Communists in West Bengal and Why would communists automatically be against globalization? CPI in WB is acting just as Communists always have done and always will do, it’s pretty obvious to anyone that 30 years of Communist rule has been a complete failiure, so the scrapped the anti industry part of their flawed ideology but kept the very essence of it. People doesn’t matter, results do. Hence, shooting people to achive industrialization is a ok.
The problem with Nandigram is this, the Robin Hood landreform law, one of pandit Nehrus many failure that impoverished our country for decades. If these poor farmers had the right to their property they could have sold it for an apropriate fee tp the developers. But communism is not about people, hence they thought what the heck, just grab the land and shoot the if they protest. As they do in China.
Little surprise that the very same Communist regime in Bengal was the first to execute a man in India since the 90’s, blood thirsty as they are.
Could someone please write a two para description of Indian communists. I know they are quite a bit to the right of the classic communists a la Soviet Russia, Cuba, even China. But what exactly is their agenda? Growing up in India, I had several uncles who were members of the CPI but I was too young to understand the finer points of Indian communism at that time.
“sealing” … for one, it aint no sealing – its straight up demolition
i was in delhi this january and yes some shops have been sealed(marked to be demolished) but just drive down any major highway in delhi and you will see buildings in rubble on the side of the road – the highways in and around haryana are like this as well – the idea behind it is to one – expand the roads, and two because they are not supposed to be there in the first place
to label this a “misadventure” on a couse towards gloablization is a mistake – second to chandigarh, delhi is currently the second best planned city in india (ask any local and they will tell you that local govt intend it to be the “paris of india”) – and of all the cities in india i recently visited, it is by far the least polluted (thanks to the local govts strict CNG enforcement – even for rickshaws!)
and this type of “cleaning” is certainly not something new and not something that is because of globalization – sanjay gandhi strongly advocated cleaning all slums in Delhi – heck the dude even bulldozered entire slums
I have a different take on this. Why does the government need to “seal”. Why is there zoning. Why not abolish zoning regulations. It is fine in the Western world where transportation is not a major issue but in Indian cities, zoning does not make any sense. Further, in a free market why have such rules that are likely to get flouted anyways. Traditionally, Indian cities have never had zoning. People lived where they worked. In modern times, this partly explains the why slums sprout next to the “rich” colonies in major indian cities. Is this importing a western concept into a society that is not suited for it. I was a firm believer in Zoning till about 3 years ago. Zoning has its benefits in the Western World but am not sure for India. Am open to suggestions why zoning is such a great idea in Indian cities.
Amitabh #14: “The Metro, the new highways/flyovers, and the markedly improved pollution situation (due to forced use of CNG gas) all make me believe that in Delhi (and India generally) where there’s a will there’s a way, and things CAN get done.”
Heck yes! What is spurring progress in India is the public pressure on governments and politicians to perform. Whether it is the proliferation of media, which almost always creates transparency, or whether it is the rising middle class, the government organizations are more on their toes today.
KXB #4 “By moving all retail away from residential areas, this economic activity is redirected, at a time when the roads are still pretty poor.”
Dedicated zoning is a relatively recent concept and more predominant in the US than in other western countries, where it is common for people to live right above their businesses. Interestingly enough, the old fashioned practice of mixed use developments is making a comeback in the most upscale areas of the US, and most significantly, in the suburbia, where business and residential areas have been rigidly kept apart. The town planners are seeing value in creating communities where all your needs – from living to shopping to recreation – are within walking distance. They say it creates a sense of community. Any IBD could have told them that.
Floridian
What do you mean with “to the right”? Indian Communist come in all colors. Anti-globalization, Anti-industrialization, the typical western middle class kids movement would fit them hand in glove. Just say no to anything that smacks modernity. That was the CPI of Jyoti Basu that ruled West Bengal for 30 years.
Since West Bengal is a complete mess and the once industrialized WB is now the least industrialized state in India save a couple of basket cases, the WB communism have taken a new turn. They are copying the chineese wonder. SEZ:s, shove the farmers away without appropriate compensation and give a way the land to the companies that give you the highest baksish.
How come CPI ruled WB for so long? Rigged elections of course.
Let there be no mistake, new CPI is better than old CPI, it’s good that they recognized that raised livinstandards can only be achieved by industrialization. Pity though that they are not doing it the right way. What CPI didn’t understand is that Indias free press would report when they shot down the farmers, the chineese way requires the chineese media. See nothing, Hear nothing, Hear nothing.
Then you have indigneous people that march under the communist banner, without really being communists.
The Kerala Communists are a bit different, they are as you say probably a bit more to the right. But the main difference is that Kerala didn’t have the same party in charge for 30-40 years, so it never became as corrupt as WB.
The bit on zoning and a mix of business and residential areas in suburbia was interesting. Apart from issues like Nandigram and Sainik farms (i.e. illegal use of land for the rich is OK)which are perhaps more serious in nature, in Mumbai, the thelawalas are slowly getting banned from the housing colonies. I am not sure if this is a municipal directive or the increasingly westernised middle class need for suburbia “just like the US”. Anyway, to not hear the familiar cries of the thelawalas (mostly vegetable sellers and itinerant sellers who sell everything from idlis to agarbattis) put me in mind of some of Orhan Pamuk’s observations on Istanbul – won’t this kind of thing make us a more alienated and gloomy society? Why are we doing this?
On Floridian’s comments re: Indian Communism.
In my view, the main political feature of Indian Communism is that it has basically become like a social-demorcratic or labor party in Europe. Whatever transformations it seeks are through participating in elections, labor unions, and other official channels. As such, it will often take positions on class, communalism, education, etc. that are to the left of the other parties–but will also take positions that are in line with the interests of regional and national capital (pro-globalization, pro-nationalism, etc.) As with any ruling party in that position, the CPM will seek to suppress mass agitation from below.
If you read stories about Nandigram in Frontline, a left magazine which is nevertheless quite apologetic about the CPM, who will see what I mean.
I don’t think we need to see this as anything exceptional. The South African CP, for instance, was quite radical in the anti-apartheid struggle but has hitched its wagon so tightly to the ANC that ir barely raises a peep against its anti-worker amd pro-globalization politics. The Chinese and Cuban situation is different because of lack of elections and democracy, but the feastures ars the same: gaining political power and maintaining it is more important than grassroots mobilization and struggle.
Samjay :
That’s not entirely correct actually. They survived mainly due to two factors :
1.The horrors of the Congress rule pre-1977 and what went on during the Naxal movement essentially pushed a lot of people to the left.
The last election was actually managed very well by the Election Commission, deploying thousands of paramilitary forces and conducting elections in five phases. Specifically to clamp down on rigging. What was the result ? — CPM won by historic margins. And that’s exactly where CPM’s arrogance stems from, with an opposition dwindled and almost non existent, they thought the people would support whatever (mis)adventure they engaged in. But that was not quite the case. I guess fear of losing livelihoods would make even the most ardent communist insecure. And thus it was an easy opportunity for an array of opposing parties (ranging from Maoists to Islamists) to prey on it.
The SEZs have run into problems in several places where the govt has essentially decided to abuse its eminent domain rights (they are required to pay for the land, but there’s nothing to force them to pay the market rate or stop them from strong-arming residents) – nothing wrong with the idea of SEZs per se (though it’s a bit of a cop-out to avoid dealing with labour law reform) but what really irks is the way govts are using their eminent domain to steal from the poor to give to the rich in the name of attracting industry. I remember reading about one SEZ initiative (either in Gujarat or somewhere in the South, I can’t for the life of me find the article now) that had the revolutionary idea of actually getting existing landowners and tenants involved in the planning of the SEZ and gave them a stake in the project (not quite on a cooperative basis but similar). That’s the sort of thing there should be more of. It’s the coercive acquisition of land that’s the problem. The CPM has less trouble with requisitioning for “public purposes” than most, of course, we might have approved of this when it took the form of land redistribition to the poor but we’re noticing it more when it’s done abusively.
As for the Delhi sealing drives, there have been versions of these for years. The problem is that there are very very few legal commercial zones in Delhi (Okhla, CP, the residential colony markets), they just don’t meet the demand, and there’s lots of money to be made by getting shopowners to pay bribes to prevent their shops being sealed – every now and again the MCD will start breaking some shops in a market to scare the shopowners, but it’s terribly hypocritical because they are the ones who kept the system going and took the bribes in the first place. But just as upper middle class and activist judicial anger reached a boiling point over slums in Bombay, they did the same for illegal structures in Delhi, and so the MCD was in a bind. They really need to overhaul urban planning and make it more realistic – the sad thing is there ARE lots of groups proposing plans that would incorporate and license thelas and expand commercial space but there are also lots of vested interests that want to keep things the way they are. And the traders/shopowners are a core constituency of the BJP, and more powerful than poor migrant slumdwellers, so they will naturally resist any overhaul of urban land-use policy that would put their businesses at risk (rather like the Narmada valley villagers, why should they trust the govt to compensate them properly?)
They closed shops of couple of my relatives in Delhi, one was in “south-ex” and other one in Baghirath palace..both huge fancy lighting stores.
My nana has a farm there, I remember going there every sunday to play cricket and swim..Oh how i miss the drive to gurgaon
True dat, Pranav
Thanks, Dipesh. One thing, though– CPM/CPI(M) were very much the lead operators in the United Front Govt., so the treatment of the Naxalites can’t be blamed entirely on the Congress Party. The drive for agrarian reform was the true grass roots movement, and the alliance with tribal peoples and the sarcastic use of kangaroo courts utterly terrifying to urban types assigned to manage the rebels. Of course, some of this could be classified as criminal misconduct and extremely harsh retaliatory measures quite wrongfully adopted.
There is another aspect to the various streams of Communism in WB, which hardly dare speak its name or reason– i.e. supposedly not so much anti-industrial as pro-Bengali. In other words, where capital accumulation in the hands of Bengalis seemed to have failed in the course of Bengal’s closest encounter of all with the British, that period, and consequently the early years of Independence, saw the advancement of other communities in the ownership and management of the old and developing “heavy” industries, to the exclusion of Bengalis. (I’m understanding more about this as I read Willam Dalrymple’s new book.) So private funds continued to flow out of Bengal as well as tax revenues siphoned to Delhi (certainly up through the sixties and seventies) which were then, much as NYC to Washington, not ploughed back in proportion into public works in Kolkata and environs, includng WB, Assam, Bihar and Orissa.
I should have said, the near exclusion of Bengalis. Certainly fortunes were made by Begalis in Brotish Calcutta — in real estate and shipping and tea, and there were Marble Palaces and carriages pulled by zebras for certain families’ promenades, and there were a handful of Bengalis running various post-Independence ships/corps, but by and large, Bengalis got babued, aka shafted.
Amrita:
Actually, Amrita, I was talking about the original Naxal movement, where Naxalbari, a village in the North of Bengal became the epicenter. It was during that period, that a Congress govt. was in place in Bengal, lead by Siddhartha Shankar Ray. The clampdown by the state on the movement was draconian to say the least and young people were rounded up and shot dead. And that kind of scarred the general population and made them left leaning. The present day Naxalite movement derives it’s name from there.
I am also aware of the second point that you make. In fact CPI(M) had left no stones unturned to propagate this idea that the center was perpetually against the interest of the state. Which in my opinion is part true part false. In fact the constant harping of this tone has led a large section of the Bengal population to believe that they are victims of the Center’s agenda. This often comes forth in violent reactions to some perceived ‘anti-Bengal’ actions, like dropping of Sourav Ganguly from the India team.
Gotcha. You refer to the time of Charu Mazumdar. Yes, the anti-Bengal mythology also lives. But again, it seems the wheels were well set in motion by the time the Brits moved to Delhi.
y’all!
With likely demolition, row house residents of Vashi meet NMMC Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik addressing the residents stated that the civic body was following orders from the High Court. He advised the residents to approach the court for a stay order. He further expressed hope that with the raining season, demolition would be delayed by NMMC and hence, giving time to the residents to sought a solution to the problem. Local corporator Vittal More said that he represents the residents and as a corporator of the area he will take immediate action by forming a committee and approaching the best lawyer to handle the case. Also present for the meeting was MP Sanjeev Naik, NMMC Standing Committee Chairman Sandeep Naik. http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/sandeep-naik-inauguarate-road-at-mukesh-gaikwad-ward.html http:/www.sandeepnaik.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandeep_Naik