By Jatin Sheth* Ahmedabad’s selection as host city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games should have been a moment of civic pride. Instead, it exposes the uncomfortable truth that the city, in its present state, is nowhere near ready to shoulder an international event of this scale. The gap between the celebratory rhetoric and the lived reality of Ahmedabad’s civic infrastructure is so wide that only a sustained, time‑bound overhaul can bridge it—and even that will require political will of a kind we have not seen in years. The most basic functions of urban governance have been compromised. Roads cave in with frightening regularity—two hundred collapses this year alone, each one a reminder of the absence of engineering supervision and the dominance of politically connected contractors. Resurfacing is done as if it were a ritual, not a technical process, and the result is predictable: waterlogging, accidents, and financial losses for ordinary citizens. The city’s engineers, a...
By Raj Kumar Sinha* Rivers are the lifeblood of the Earth. They provide us with food and water, which is why rivers have traditionally been revered and worshipped as mothers. It is impossible to imagine the development of human civilization without rivers. They have sustained humanity and played a vital role in its progress, meeting countless everyday needs. Traditionally, human societies recognized and respected this intimate relationship with rivers. Today, however, rivers are under severe pressure because of an ever-growing culture of greed and profit. The expanding influence of market-driven development is also a major factor in their destruction.