Re: India got thrashed - so why am I happy ?
^Vinesh, I agree 100% with you on city planning and waste management.
I have also wondered how these builders who are building those high-rises left, right and center , get their projects approved from regional development authorities because they seem to be violating all building laws. Most times these bldgs don't have much of frontage space for roads etc and don't gel well with the rest of the locality.
btw, Waste management for most Indian households is based on the NIMBY (Not in my back yard) philosophy. So if you cut down on open space, the trash spills on the streets.
The big difference between US/Europe and India is.....that Indian Govt survives on the knife's edge most times and can't be expected to take tough decisions.
Example : The slums around the Mumbai Airport cannot be removed for expanding the Airport even though they are clearly unauthorized. Even the slum population constitute a vote bank - and also in this case , I am told, that the slum colony is majorly occupied by Muslims. So you move in the bull-dozers at your own political peril.