Shubhra’s Article

The other day, as I was strolling down Vyapar Kendra Market in Sushant Lok-I, I saw the unabated use of plastic in shop after shop. The toy shops had teddy bears hung outside in thick, glossy plastic bags, the dry-cleaning shops displayed readied business suits in long plastic canvases, and the carry bags that were being doled out to customers were the typical multi-coloured polypropylene bags. As I came outside the busy market, cows were eating from a large open mixed waste dump, much of which had polythene bags. With so much reliance on plastic, the on-ground scenario made me think: Are we indeed ready to implement the single-use plastic ban announced by the Prime Minister, starting October 2, 2019? Single-use plastic refers to disposable plastic that finds a one-time use. It is the most visible and used plastic; in fact, more than 50% of all plastic produced is single-use plastic. To be sure, the ban is on six items — plastic bags, cups, plates, small bottles, straws and certain types of sachets. The national objective, as per the PM, is to wipe off the use of all single-use plastic by 2022. While it is the first time that a nationwide call against plastics has been made, it will need a Herculean effort from all quarters — the government, the manufacturers, the product users and the end consumers — to abolish single-use plastics. In the past, most states have declared bans and strict penalties on the use and manufacture of certain kinds of plastic. At the national level too, the Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules were put into place as early as 2011 and the Plastic Waste Management Rules were introduced in 2016, but the rules were of little use. Clearly, the fight to make India plastic-free is not an easy one. We will have to break away from the lure of plastic. The end consumer has to say a brave no to plastic carry bags and polythene bags while shopping, and replace them with cloth bags, stop buying plastic water bottles when on the move and use metal bottles instead, stop buying food items in plastic containers, avoid plastic cutlery and straws when eating outside or while organising events, and say no to products delivered in plastic packaging from online companies. That will, to my mind, reduce the demand. There are some positive changes already. The Airport Authority of India has banned single-use plastic items at 16 airports. Some airlines have announced that they will not use plastic products on their flights. Some manufacturers have shifted from using plastics to renewable and biodegradable packing material for their products. A large e-commerce company recently announced that it is replacing poly pouches with recycled paper bags and bubble wraps and airbags with carton-waste shredded material. Another e-commerce giant has said that it will eliminate single-use plastic from its packaging by June 2020. These companies are also beginning to collect back a part of the plastic as part of the Extended Producers’ Responsibility and recycle it. Besides, more conscious citizens are replacing plastic kitchen jars, plates, lunch boxes and bottles with stainless-steel or metal items. Cloth bags are now in more supply and have become fashionable too. In spreading awareness about plastics, two to three messages are paramount. One, plastics never get degraded but get broken down into smaller, minute pieces, and these microplastics enter our food chain and humans and animals end up eating and drinking from them. Plastic in landfills percolates down and pollutes our groundwater. If we burn it instead, it pollutes the air. Two, it is most unhealthy to use low-grade plastics for food and beverages. This needs to be stopped immediately. Lastly, very little plastic gets recycled; what is largely done is down-cycling of plastic to lower grades and reusing it. However, downgraded plastic still stays in the environment. Let Gurugram take a serious note of the nationwide call for a plastic ban and be among the first few cities to declare it is as being free from the use of single-use plastic.

I find the theme for this year’s international women’s day on March 8—”Each for Equal”—quite compelling. This theme is steeped in the values of equality, dignity and fairness to all, and that’s precisely what all women movements should eventually be about. An equal world is a fair, just and inclusive world. It is a world that respects diverse talents and perspectives. It is a world that believes in sustainability and shared prosperity. In a landmark judgement recently, the Supreme Court of India paved the way for women equality in the Indian Army. Women officers will now have parity on getting command postings, promotions, ranks, benefits and pensions. In doing this, the court categorically stated that the discrimination was based on stereotypes and socially ascribed roles of gender, and emphasised the need to remove restrictions and bring about true equality in the army. This is a historic step. Hopefully, some other hitherto male-dominated professions will also see gender-equitable policy changes. “Equal” means that there are equal work and growth opportunities as well as equal pay. Women are paid less as it is believed that they are likely to put in less working hours, and are less competitive, less efficient (the incorrect example of daily wagers in the construction sector is often given) and also because they are likely to have more career breaks. But things are changing for the better. There is a growing awareness of pay parity in corporates. In sports too, prestigious events like the Australian Open and Wimbledon have started offering equal prize money to both women and men winners; though some popular sports like cricket and football still have to catch up. In the Hindi cinema world (Bollywood) too, conversations about fee parity between men and women actors are being heard. But the world is nowhere close to achieving gender equality. As per the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 released by the World Economic Forum last December that benchmarks 153 countries, global gender parity stands at 68.6%. This indicates an average gender gap of 31.4%, which the study says will take 99.5 years to close if the current gap continues. Among the four parameters used to analyse the gender gap—political empowerment, health and survival, educational attainment and economic participation—the largest disparities exist in political empowerment, followed by economic participation. In fact, the economic gap has widened more than before, with a wage gap of 40% and an income gap of 50%. Regionally, the gender gap in western Europe is the smallest, and Iceland has been deemed the most gender-equal country in the world for the eleventh time in a row. As for India, the report has nothing much to celebrate. The country’s ranking has dipped from 98 in 2006—the first year of the study—to 112 in 2020, indicating that other countries are doing much more to fix the gender gap than India. Worryingly, India continues to score low on health (this rank has dipped from 103 to 150, indicating it is among the last four) and economic participation (this rank has dipped from 110 to 149, indicating it is among last five). This is appalling. We simply cannot afford to let one-half of our population languish and be deprived of economic wealth and well-being. To ensure inclusive growth, many aspects need to be set right. Women need to take leadership roles in politics, get elected in Lok Sabha and take up ministerial positions. At the village and block level, they must be encouraged to get panch and sarpanch positions and head various local committees. They need to be in senior corporate leadership roles and sit on their company’s boards. They need to contribute equally to the labour workforce. They must have a presence in all professions, be it technical education, sports, defence services, as well as upcoming fields. The role of government and workplaces in creating facilitating policies and environment cannot be understated. Needless to say, for all of this to happen, violence against women and the girl child must stop. Women must feel safe to pursue their livelihoods and move about freely. It will also require women to overcome stereotypes, fight biases, change narratives and broaden their perspectives. What will certainly work is creating an inspired sense of sisterhood towards each other through robust women networks, mentoring platforms and support groups. That means women bosses must encourage their women subordinates to come up, and that mothers should stand up for their daughters’ equal right to education and right to inheritance. In sync with this year’s theme, let all women aspire to be “one among equals”. It is also important that we celebrate our roles, our identity, our accomplishments and the distance thus travelled in bridging the gender gap. Several events are being organised in the city to mark the occasion. The one I have signed up for is the all-women marathon at Cyber Hub by the Gurugram administration. See you women at the start line!

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, several cities have developed their own city-specific swachhta (cleanliness) anthems as part of the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) activity. In these cities, the anthem is played on radio, cable TV, on the waste pick-up trucks and also popularised in schools and colleges. In some cities, the anthem has become quite popular. Most children in Indore, for instance, would know the lyrics of the city’s swachhta anthem, ‘Ho Hallah’ and the people of Indore take great pride in singing it. A well-composed swachhta song aids in building pride for a clean city and in retaining the importance of cleanliness on the minds and hearts of the citizens. Gurugram’s own swachhta Anthem ‘Swachhta Ki Dhoom’ was produced and launched on January 12, 2019. The timing of the launch couldn’t have been better. The Swachh Sarvekshan 2019 (that evaluates and compares sanitation standards across 4,000 plus cities in India) is currently underway from January 4 to January 31 and there is heightened IEC activity across the city. The song is slowly gaining popularity and has had 4,000 likes on Youtube within the first three days of the launch. Hopefully, along with the other IEC activities, such as workshops, hoardings, distributing leaflets, swachhta pledges, the song should help the city move forward in its aim to become cleaner. The intent was to create a song that was inspirational, had all the key messages and was lively and appealing to the youngsters. Its underlying motto was that swachhta or cleanliness must become a way of life, a habit. It has to come naturally to us, not something that is imposed on us. And waste champions need to be the ‘cool dudes’ of the city, recognised and acclaimed by the government and civil society for bringing about positive change. Only, then can the collective consciousness of a city be raised towards waste management. There was no better way to say this the language we all understand best, that of song and music. The 4.48 minute song sung in Hindi has key messages such as urging citizens to stop waste dumping, focus on cleanliness of roads and neighbourhoods, relation of cleanliness with health, importance of waste segregation and composting, avoiding use of plastics and polythene, and encouraging the use of public toilets and dustbins. In the end, it talks about celebrating cleanliness just like any other festival. The melody has been kept catchy and vibrant and a few lines of rap have been added to make it popular with the youngsters. The video of the song displays different key stakeholders including children, senior citizens, waste champions, councillors, sanitation bandhus, college students and MCG officials singing the anthem, demonstrating that each stakeholder has a role to play and that it needs the might of all stakeholders together to make a difference. The video also demonstrates most of the positive steps on waste management taken by the citizens and authorities in the recent past, including building clean toilets across the city, constructing a road in Sector 51 from plastic waste and community composting among other things. The next step is to popularise the song. Our team is planning to sing the song live on ‘Raahgiri Day’ currently held in Sector 4 with the participants. The song is already running on local radio, Gurgaon Ki Awaaz. It will be shown across at cinema halls and played in malls. We are tying up with schools to play the song with school bands. A live performance is also being held at Government Girls College, Sector 14. In live events, the idea is to give all key messages about waste management along with the song. A downloadable link to make the main lines (mukhda) of the song as the caller tune is also on cards. In future, there would be more versions of the song with supplementary messages. There is a plan to build interesting competitions around the theme, ‘Swachhta Ki Dhoom’. More local music talent will be involved in further versions of the song. The idea is to build excitement and enthusiasm about waste management. A disclaimer: The song can only do as much. It can create enthusiasm and excitement towards waste management. It can also spread key information in an interesting way. But it has to certainly be backed up with action. The newly constructed public toilets need to be used, remain functional and clean. There is still considerable amount of open waste dumping in the city. Waste segregation is inadequate and the bioremediation efforts at the landfill needs to be speeded up. More and more bulk waste generators need to start composting. Besides, ragpickers need to be integrated in the formal waste value chain. Of the total 5,000 marks in the Swachh Sarvekshan 2019 on which cities are being assessed, the allocation of marks is as follows: direct observation (25%), citizen feedback (25%), service level progress (25%) and certification including star rating and ODF status (25%). Gurugram is aiming for a five-star rating and an ODF plus plus status to get better marks on certifications). By the division of marks, one can see that citizens have a great role to play in the city’s rankings. Active citizen engagement is being assessed by how many of them have downloaded the swachhta app and reporting cleanliness-related issues or have given citizen’s feedback on the app, and how many have reported waste-related developmental activities on the website platform, Swachhta Manch. Last year, Gurugram’s ranking in Swachh Sarvekshan was 105. This time the hope is that it features among the top 50 clean cities of India. While the ranking is an important indicator, the city should aim for a more holistic, deeper and permanent transformation. Improved rankings would then simply be a by-product of that change. Then Gurugram would be celebrating ‘Swachhta ki Dhoom’ in the true sense.

Until the beginning of this decade, most of us lived in denial as far as waste was concerned. As long as our homes were kept clean, we really did not care where our waste went. Waste for us had no value and its management was the task of the authorities. This mindset has now changed, as we recognise that waste is not just waste but also a resource. We accept that managing waste is as much ‘our problem’ with its negative impact affecting us back. The penny has somewhat dropped, and some on-the-ground positive changes have come about. But to make these changes permanent and move to the next level, waste management has to become a way of life. For this to happen, waste management should be looked as a ‘cool thing to do’ that can be done by making it a part of our everyday life and conversation. Films, music and art based on waste themes have already begun to appear, giving us more reasons to talk about the subject in interesting and exciting ways. Last month, a very interesting film shot entirely in Gurugram, called Halka, was released. It was based on a slum child’s desire to construct a toilet for his house and evoked a strong emotive response to the ‘Swachh Bharat’ cause. With painting competitions, music festivals and public art exhibitions devoted to waste management themes, the creative energies of the city can flow to inspire and move people beyond their comfort zones, forcing them to change. Besides, the collective values of our society at large need to shift. Identifying, recognising and awarding ‘waste champions’ from each of the 35 wards in Gurugram can help. A ‘swachhta’ medal or a batch that can be adorned by the champions will make them role models. Also, addressing sanitation workers in the city as ‘swachhta bandhus’ could uplift their morale and dignity. Schools and colleges are great places to trigger change. Some schools in Gurugram have already appointed ‘green ambassadors’ to take up e-waste and cleanliness drives in the school neighbourhoods. In fact, if children learn about simple waste management techniques (like how to make compost) at school, they can start influencing behaviours at their homes. Birthday parties and other events could be green parties or zero-waste events that use no plastics and ensure minimal wastage. Another cool thing will be to start gifting home-made compost or plants grown on home-made compost on festivals such as Diwali. All these ideas will not make sense unless it is backed by a robust information, education and communication (IEC) strategy. An effective IEC strategy should be comprehensive in approach, simple, and relatable with well-integrated themes and strong monitoring mechanisms. Here are some must-haves as part of the IEC strategy. All key stakeholders — MLAs, councillors, RWA presidents and officials, panchayats, religious leaders, youth clubs, women groups — must be covered. Communication must be simple establishing a clear linkage between poor sanitation and health. Doctors may be involved to convey these ideas more convincingly. Using different modes of communication, such as TV, hoardings, leaflets, workshops, apps and portals that have synergistic messages is recommended. Short motivational messages at critical locations such as the DC and ADC offices, courts, government departments, metros and public transport places could be put. Besides, one-to-one meetings with influencers such as village sarpanches and religious leaders, and understanding what they feel about waste management are important. Use of street plays and puppet shows in markets and villages could be undertaken. Swachhta pledges in schools, malls, villages and corporate organization can be organised. Another effective strategy is to revive and involve NSS, scouts guide and NCC in this mission. They could target key locations such as government hospitals, nursing homes, religious places and crowded markets, which require special care. Information can bring empowerment. So once the collective consciousness of the city builds up, courses for citizens — where they can understand types of waste, waste solutions, vendors etc — can to be organised. For the swachta bandhus or sanitation workers, workshops that touch upon the right and safe waste processes and practices, equipping them with waste management techniques and address their unique concerns, would be useful. They are, after all, our ‘ground warriors’ for change. Sometimes innovative messaging comes in handy. A smart alternative communication to “segregate your waste” is to tell people simply not to mix the various kinds of waste generated into bins. It suddenly takes away a lot of pressure of segregation. Besides, communicating that India has traditionally always had a “minimalistic” approach to waste and reused its waste sensibly is also important. (We shared clothes and books within family and friends and gave away vegetable waste to the cattles to feed). All we need is to tell people is to revive the same culture and values once again. Indore got the first spot in Swachh Sarvekshan Survey in 2017 and regained the title in 2018, as cleanliness became everyone’s priority: from the councillors, to the NGOs to the common man. Till a few years ago, it was hard to imagine that Indore will pull this off, as spitting paan residues in public places was common, markets were dirty and the city had open waste dumps. But with mass awareness and pride attached to cleanliness, each citizen has become a watch dog. Ho Hallah — the Indore Swachh Anthem by Bollywood play back singer Shaan is so popular that many residents of Indore use the track as their caller tunes. The city has now taken up the challenge to ensure, as mentioned in the song, ‘Indore Rahega No 1’. What Gurugram needs is the same passion and commitment. Once a positive cycle sweeps in, the results will be permanent and for everybody to see. Then, waste management would have become a way of life.

When you exercised your right to vote to elect the government at the Centre this time, the indelible purple ink on your left finger (that perhaps has stayed on till date), was a quiet reminder of your active citizenship. Paying your taxes in full and on time is also an act of duty of an active citizen. These are some of the “first-line” rights and duties of a citizen. A conscious citizen who saves water, electricity, follows traffic rules is also an active citizen. Stepping beyond and getting involved in local communities, such as residents’ welfare associations (RWAs), being a member of ward committees, engaging with local bodies and other key stakeholders, organising awareness campaigns—all form elements of active citizenship. Filing Right to Information (RTIs) and Public Interest Litigations (PILs) for larger public causes also comes under the aegis of active citizenship. The beginning could be as small as planting a tree in one’s neighbourhood; but there is no end to leading, inspiring and affecting change. Active citizenship is participative, proactive and positive. For vibrant democracies that follow the principle “of the people, by the people, for the people”, active citizenship is pivotal. It helps everyone exercise their democratic rights, duties and values; fight social injustice; improve communities and local governance by keeping the government in check; instils civil leadership; promotes inclusivity, provides innovative solutions and engages citizens in national, state and local affairs. Several of our national policies have benefitted in design and execution through active citizenship. At the local level, many citizen volunteers help municipalities, panchayats and ward committees achieve efficiency and effectiveness. The seeds of active citizenship need to be planted at the school-level. One way to instil it is to reform the way we teach Civics as a subject to students. While students are taught about local governance structures, they need to be encouraged to make representations to local bodies about local issues. A group of students in Gurugram had recently made a representation to the state minister for protecting the Aravallis. An exclusively student protest march on climate change where young boys and girls of Gurugram raised slogans and made impactful speeches caught a lot of eyeballs. In fact, campaigns led by young volunteers appear more earnest and have more chances of being heard. Such is the importance of young leaders that post presidency, the United State of America’s former president, Barack Obama, has started a focussed mission to promote and empower young leaders globally. With a majority of its population young, India could also gain from such leaders—what is needed are institutional frameworks that help educate, empower and inspire them to bring about social change. Having said that, there is no age to turn to active citizenship. An incident, a chance meeting, a sudden realisation, a passionate hobby can turn on active citizenship in you. A homemaker who has learnt to make compost from her kitchen’s waste can hold a workshop for other residents in her colony. A retired senior citizen can join his colony’s RWA and contribute to its welfare. A student group can run a campaign on saving water in the neighbourhood. Gurugram is a great city to contribute to. It has the finest kind of active citizenry, be it for environment, education, natural resources, cleanliness, governance, women safety or children’s issues. As part of NGOs, citizen groups and RWAs, active citizens intervene, advocate and interact with stakeholders to make the city a better place to live in. Several social groups help citizens unite for meaningful causes. Raahgiri, a novel concept to promote non-motorised transport that has spread across several cities, in fact, originated first as a citizens’ movement in Gurugram. On an institutional level, a lot of credence is being given to citizens’ involvement. And, why not? Institution heads come and go, but citizens who have adopted the city as their home have a long-term interest in the well-being of the city. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is mandated to have citizen participation through resident advisory councils and citizen committees. The GMDA has recently asked citizens’ committees to help decide new routes for public bus service in the city. It also sought citizens’ suggestions to create a liveability index for the city. Besides, one can join committees of their respective wards can help in improving civic issues of their locality. Making a positive difference by being socially responsible gives a new meaning and purpose to life.

Any urban local body has a lot to contribute to a city’s liveability. In the last few days, several developments have once again put the spotlight on Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG). The latest was the news of the takeover of eight colonies by the corporation from private builders. This means that all services such as maintenance of roads, sewerage, drainage, upkeep of park and street lights as well as issues such as security, encroachments, etc. of these private colonies would now be in the hands of the MCG. The MCG is also planning to get ward committees in each of the 35 wards of the city to ensure that citizens of these wards act as foot soldiers and watchdogs for maintenance of all civic activities and that councillors play a more active role in local governance. There was also the news that MCG was able to utilise only 25% of its allocated budget in 2018-19. All these developments point towards the need for urgent capacity building within this large institution, which has several departments and a complex organisational structure. To begin with, frequent changes at the top is very unsettling for bringing any lasting functional changes. The organisation structure also doesn’t allow any central intelligence to build up and very often the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing. Responsibility and accountability remain loose and the organisation is always in a reactive gear than a pro-active mode. Motivation of staff to outperform is also low. There is simply too much on the plate — too many functions to administer, several ongoing and new projects to be undertaken and too many special drives to be undertaken. Some positive changes, such as increasing the use of IT in project monitoring (e-samiksha), encouraging online payments (e-payments), grant of certificates, etc, have not only reduced legwork and paperwork for residents, but also improved efficiency and removed delays. The empanelment of vendors is another commendable step. A list of wet waste community composting agencies is provided on the MCG’s website. Similarly, for rainwater harvesting, three agencies for installing and maintaining rain water harvesting systems have been empanelled and listed on the MCG’s website. The MCG has also empanelled suction tank owners to collect sewage from unapproved colonies and discharge it at specific disposal points. RWAs often face a difficult time trying to find the right vendors for a particular task or an initiative. Now, RWAs will be encouraged to take up these at a greater speed. Besides, a standard design for all road cross-sections in the city has been finalised. This will ensure that the contractors adhere to the basic requirements and that all the cross-sections in the city will have a similar design. Then, several sustainable initiatives are being tried out such as water ATMs, multi-level parking, vertical gardens, development of green belts, nurseries. Also, a state-of-the-art camera museum that showcases rare cameras, photographs and allied equipment at Chakkarpur Community Centre will be inaugurated this summer. Creating social spaces helps to enrich living experience and build the soul of the city, as people of all age groups and from all strata converge at these places for an engaging experience. The MCG has a promising but a large development agenda and to implement these plans and projects efficiently and takeover new colonies, monitoring needs to be stepped up. Systems and procedures need to be defined and tightened and teams built to execute and monitor these projects well. The MCG must also create ways and means to mobilise the city’s intelligentsia and talent in its development plan. There is a role and opportunity for local engineering firms, consultants, residents’ welfare associations, CSR wings, corporates, NGOs, progressive citizens’ groups can also contribute by becoming a part of the ward committees. While the role of Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) will remain largely strategic, and the role of Haryana Urban Development Agency will diminish. The MCG will continue to carry the bulk of the city’s development and maintenance on its shoulder. The more efficient it is, the faster it will show results. The GMDA is already creating a strategic development vision and plan for the city. If MCG too spruces up, hand-in-hand, they can connect the ‘missing links’ and ensure a better quality of life to the citizens.

“We made plastic. We depend on it. Now we are drowning in it.” This statement aptly describes how plastic, once considered a boon, is now threatening the earth. It’s strewn everywhere—on the streets and in the waste dumps; it is blocking sewer pipes, choking up landfills, floating on rivers and destroying our oceans and marine life. The problem is that left on its own very little of it gets recycled. It never decomposes, but finds its way back in the food chain as micro-particles that wreak havoc to life in soil and groundwater. It was the plight of our oceans and marine life brought out by research studies and documentaries that rung the alarm bells globally. Almost 90% of debris floating on the oceans and lying on the beaches is plastic. Given the damage it has already done, it is difficult to believe that the first plastics were made just about a century ago. However, its production shot up after the Second World War. The world produced 335 million tonnes of plastic in 2016 and this figure is set to double by 2050. India too is producing more and more plastic. Sadly, most of the plastic is produced for single use — 40% of all plastic produced is just meant for packaging, to be used once and thrown afterwards. From cars to toys to medical and sports equipment, plastic has become an indispensable part of our daily life. Milk comes in plastic sachets. Our waste liners are made of plastic. It is estimated that 40 plastic carry bags per week enter the average household in a city like Gurugram. Plastic are synthetic polymers that mainly exist as one of the following: polyethylene terephthalate or PET (found in bottled water and jars), high-density polyethylene or HDPE (found in snack boxes, toys), polyvinyl chloride or PVC (used in credit cards and pipes), low-density polyethylene (used in films and wraps) and polypropylene (found in straws and lunch boxes). In India, there are no formal ways to segregate plastic waste. Most of the sorting is done by ragpickers who sell it to kabariwalas, who further sell it to reprocessing units. There is a plan by the city administration in Gurugram to create plastic collection centres from citizens where plastic waste will be bought at ₹ 10 per kg. PET and HDPE are most commonly and easily recycled. However, recycling is cost-intensive and also the quality of recycled product decreases with every processing cycle. Besides, all plastic is not recyclable. There is now a rising demand to produce only biodegradable plastic or that plastic that can be recycled easily. But the best way to fight plastic pollution is by reducing the consumption of plastic. Here, the role of citizens is paramount. Simple behavioural or lifestyle changes can go a long way in reducing usage. Carry your own shopping bag. Stop buying bottled water and carry your own metal water bottles. Carry your own containers for buying meat, etc. You can take your own thermos to coffee shops. Glass jars can replace plastic containers. Newspapers or biodegradable liners can replace waste-liners. You can stop using straws easily. You can also avoid using plastic cutlery at events At the national level, the Plastic Waste Management Rules 2016 have created frameworks for better management of plastic waste. It has increased minimum thickness of plastic bags, expanded the jurisdiction of the law to rural areas, allocated responsibility of producers and brand owners to take back plastic waste under Extended Producers’ Responsibility, and revamped pricing under the plastic waste management fee for importers of plastic bags or street vendors for selling the same. While these rules will guide sustainable management of plastic at the macro level, we must not forget that ‘reduction in use’ is the easiest and the most natural ways of curbing plastic pollution. Unless each one of us makes informed choices in our daily life, this menace is here to stay.

The park I go to for my morning walk is frequented by three distinct categories of people: the “real” Gurugram residents who have been staying here for generations, those who have moved from the Delhi-NCR to live in larger homes and retire in Gurugram, and the young millennials who are here for work. The only time I see the three types coming together and chatting in the park is when they converge at the open-air gym; else they prefer to confine themselves with their likes. Public places, such as open-air gyms, are great meeting grounds. These are places that all residents, irrespective of their socio-economic standing, feel inspired to share and use. But such places are indeed rare in Gurugram. The city has been so caught up in building malls, hospitals and office buildings that there has been no time, resources or foresight to build ‘social infrastructure’ such as public libraries, auditoriums, centres of art and culture, clubs, community centres, public parks, playgrounds, picnic spots, bio-diversity parks, public toilets and so on. An apex centre for art and culture is, for instance, non-existent in Gurugram. There is Rangbhoomi, the open theatre at Sector 29, where weekly music, dance and drama performances are held, but you can hardly call it a space that promotes art and culture in the city. Public parks, libraries, play grounds, stadiums, clubs are few and far between, do not cater to all sections, or are in a dilapidated condition. Picnic spots are virtually non-existent. We are not talking about the facilities within Gurugram’s licenced or gated colonies, but ‘city-centric’ facilities that are available to all at affordable prices. In some HUDA colonies, community centres have been built and handed over to some RWAs recently, but RWAs need to find ways and means to make these centres more user-friendly by having basketball/badminton /tennis courts, libraries and senior citizen clubs at these centres. Some of these projects, I am told, are at a proposal stage. There has been a proposal to set up an art-and-culture centre at a cost of ₹ 100 crore in Sector 52. While the government needs to move fast on the new projects, it must also invest in renovating, modernising the existing social infrastructure in the city to make it relevant and usable. A case in point is the public library in Old Gurugram that was in such a bad state that it was overhauled through private donations. There are not many playgrounds or parks for children, so much so that one hardly finds children in the parks in the evenings. An innovative solution could be to encourage schools to let out their playgrounds in the evening for neighbourhood kids. After all, schools have been built up in spaces earmarked for community use. In fact, the concept of a shared resource needs to be put in place. Schools and hospitals should keep a certain percentage of their admissions reserved for the underprivileged class. Besides, we certainly need more sport academies and indoor stadiums, other than the solitary Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Sector 38 and community fitness centres in the public domain. Special needs should be catered to as well. There should be one or two parks where people can take their pet dogs to walk and play. Infrastructure for differently abled persons at the bus stops, railway stations and public utilities also needs to find its place. Then, we can certainly revive select water bodies in the city and develop them as picnic spots for families. Also, creating non-motorised infrastructure such as cycle paths or walkways will encourage residents to use the city in more engaging ways, such as walking and cycling. The 5.2-km-long Chakkarpur-Wazirabad Bundh is a great example of an equitable non-motorised pathway-cum-eco-reserve being used by one and all in the city. More such paths could be developed. For tourists visiting Gurugram or for Gurugram residents, there are no historical or heritage sites or tours that are well-etched out. Due to a dearth of such sites, most visitors end up at the malls or at best visiting the culture gully at the Kingdom of Dreams in Sector 29 that is not fully representative of the city’s culture or heritage. Last but not the least, the bio-diversity zones need to be protected. Gurugram’s shining glory, the Aravalli Bio-Diversity Park, which hosts many native species of trees, grass, birds, butterflies and wild life, needs to be protected and preserved as an urban forest for all times to come. A butter fly park is coming up in Sector 52A, but more of such eco-reserves need to developed and made popular among residents. The best part about a greater number of public places is their direct correlation with higher safety and security. Vibrant spaces visited by diverse sets of people in the city ensure better safety. These spaces can be made more interesting by street art or wall art. Certainly, the more social infrastructure we build, the more liveable our city becomes. After all, a city’s soul is not defined by the state-of-the-art malls and buildings it has, but by the collective consciousness and shared values and beliefs of its residents. The role of equitable, shared social infrastructure in creating platforms where residents can meet, interact, and learn from other another is crucial. This will not only help in emergence of a shared culture of belongingness to the city, but also help in building a more tolerant and safe society. Gurugram, critics say, is torn between the new and the old. Shared social spaces will bridge that gulf.

A few days ago, my son, a sixth grader, approached me for some help with his social science homework. He had to answer the question “How does India’s diversity add to its unity?” While helping him write the answer, I realised that the answer is what defines our Indian identity and its essence. Diversity for us is not a remote concept, but a part of our everyday lives. We follow different beliefs and religions, speak different languages, dress differently, look different, have different ethnicities, experience different seasons, reside in diverse geographical terrains and yet are woven in one common fabric. Diversity forms the basis of our character, our values, our philosophy and our strength. As we celebrate our 73rd Independence Day, we must recommit ourselves to this Indianness. A serious reading of the preamble to our constitution is a simple yet very powerful gesture towards such recommitment. We may have read it before, but it is important we reinforce within us the values it enshrines. This one-sentence preamble, I feel, is very empowering and all encompassing. It lays down core principles and objectives we wish to achieve as a country. It reminds us about the ideas and ethos of India. The opening phrase “We, the People” gives a sense of both empowerment and responsibility. The words —sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic, liberty, equality, fraternity, unity, integrity and dignity—reinforce the promise to provide and promote better life to all citizens. Delve a bit more into the constitution, to read about directive principles of state policy and our rights and duties as a citizen, and in one stroke you get an overarching view of how the state needs to set policies and how we can become better citizens of this country. Our preamble highlights why it is important to vote and to pay our taxes. Why it is critical to ensure better wages and working conditions for workers in our factories and houses. Why employment opportunities must be available to all. Why we must consider men and women, rich and poor equal. It also reinforces why we must accept diverse religious beliefs. Why we need far greater education, housing and health infrastructure for the poor and the needy. Why a pedestrian has an equal (in fact even higher) right on the road than the car-owner. Why we need to protect children, senior citizens and differentially able in the society. Why all citizens have equal rights over natural resources, such as water, in the country. And, why must we protect our natural environment, such as lakes, rivers, and the wild life, of this country. The gap, in terms of where we are and where we should be, is abysmally wide. The onus is both on the governance and the citizenry to work towards reducing socio-economic inequalities through all formal and informal means. Some recent incidents indicate that we are still far from internalising the core values enshrined in the Preamble. In a recent unfortunate instance, a customer who ordered food online, refused to accept it because the delivery boy was of a different religion. In yet another incident, a customer cancelled a cab as the cab driver was of a particular religion. While both these acts are unconstitutional, and they were widely criticised on the social media, they indicate deep social biases and prejudices that still exist in our society. Such biases are not just related to religions, but also related to sex, economic class, regions, colour, etc., that are also widely prevalent. Clearly, we are missing the idea of what India is, as defined by the fathers of our constitution. What can we do to bridge this divide? We should certainly stay away from activities that polarise or divide us and we must root ourselves in India’s core values to build a stronger nation. This means celebrating all festivals, bringing different communities together, upliftment of weaker sections, making sure everyone’s rights are honoured, ensuring better health, housing and education facilities for the under-privileged, ensuring public spaces are used by all, saving water, reducing pollution and increasing the green cover. There is clearly a lot to do at an individual, community and city level. As I was telling my son about the Constitution and read the Preamble to him, I was drawn towards the following lines that sum up the spirit of our constitution: “Let’s be equal, just, and free…strong in our diversity…free in thought and free in prayer…and free to dream and free to dare”.