Asia Times Online :: Terror dents Delhi's free spirit
NEW DELHI - New anti-terror measures may cost the iconic India Gate monument in New Delhi, a memorial for soldiers who died in World War I that was erected during the British Raj, some of its charm.
India Gate was the main hang-out for Delhiites and a must-see for any visitor to the capital, but new security rules have led to the monument and the grand Rajpath boulevard connecting it to President's House (Rashtraparti Bhavan) being declared no-hawker and no-parking zones.
India has suffered numerous terrorist attacks in its 63 years of independence, but the security cordon imposed at India Gate seems to residents a new height of vigilance for the capital.
Last month's bombing in Pune, western India, and warnings of an al-Qaeda strike on Delhi are behind the measures, along with a threat by a militant group on sports events being hosted by the capital revealed last month by Asia Times Online. (See Al-Qaeda chief delivers a warning, Asia Times Online, February 13)
Authorities are particularly concerned about the Commonwealth Games to be held in October, but precautions have also been taken for this month's Hockey World Cup. Home Minister P Chidambaran, Home Secretary GK Pillai and Delhi police commissioner YS Dadwal have drawn up the measures.
"All security arrangements have been made for the Hockey World Cup and Commonwealth Games ... In this regard, India Gate has been secured and all hawkers of the area will be evicted," said Dadwal.
A senior police official said: "It is not just the question of security of the President's House. The venue of the Hockey World Cup, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, is also situated near India Gate."
While they appreciate safety concerns, Delhi citizens are asking if this means an end to simple joys such as wandering across the monument's sprawling lawns, eating ice cream and the other street food on offer.
"Vendors banished from India Gate, fun out too", was one headline on a local television channel's website.
Formerly known as the "All India War Memorial", India Gate is flanked by significant government complexes. The Prime Minister's Office and the ministries of defense, home and foreign affairs are all in view of the Rajpath, as is parliament house, which terrorists tried to storm in December 2001.
Until the ban, a mass of humanity would assemble, day and night, at the monument, with the throng reflecting a mix of the urban population: burkha-clad women; large families lazing on large durree (mats) under trees busy with starlings, and street children taking dips in fountains.
The Rajpath stretch was also flanked by motor vehicles of every make, age and model. Vendors sold balloons and neon-lit children's toys, and snacks such as paan, a spicy betel leaf delicacy.
"A visit to India Gate doesn't seem as much fun now that people need to park a good kilometer and a half away and walk to it," said Sunil Pahwa, who regularly visited the monument with his family.
Sameer Khan, a wholesale kite seller and resident of the famous gallis (lanes) of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi recalls, "It used to be a simple outing for our extended family. But with no vendors, the charm of sharing a simple kulfi [ice cream] with your girlfriend is lost."
Hawking is a marginal, yet crucial livelihood for the large numbers of uneducated poor who make their way to Delhi from India's hinterlands. Dinesh, a 25-year-old hawker, said he paid 500 rupees (around US$10) a month for a license and the same amount to the police as haftaa (weekly payoff), and made on average daily profit of about 300-550 rupees.
The new rules have led to some confusion for visitors. One said he and his family had driven around India Gate for hours trying to find a parking space before a traffic policeman told them about the new rule, others had been swiftly fined for making temporary stops.
Old-timer Swarn Kanta, whose great-grand-uncle's name is inscribed on the 42-meter high memorial, said, "It is sad that a city that is made for the people is turning on its own citizens in the name of their safety. Let the monument live in the hearts and lives of the living, in memorial of the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives to secure the freedom of their brethren."
Priyanka Bhardwaj is a journalist based in New Delhi . She can be reached at priyanka2508@yahoo.co.in
NEW DELHI - New anti-terror measures may cost the iconic India Gate monument in New Delhi, a memorial for soldiers who died in World War I that was erected during the British Raj, some of its charm.
India Gate was the main hang-out for Delhiites and a must-see for any visitor to the capital, but new security rules have led to the monument and the grand Rajpath boulevard connecting it to President's House (Rashtraparti Bhavan) being declared no-hawker and no-parking zones.
India has suffered numerous terrorist attacks in its 63 years of independence, but the security cordon imposed at India Gate seems to residents a new height of vigilance for the capital.
Last month's bombing in Pune, western India, and warnings of an al-Qaeda strike on Delhi are behind the measures, along with a threat by a militant group on sports events being hosted by the capital revealed last month by Asia Times Online. (See Al-Qaeda chief delivers a warning, Asia Times Online, February 13)
Authorities are particularly concerned about the Commonwealth Games to be held in October, but precautions have also been taken for this month's Hockey World Cup. Home Minister P Chidambaran, Home Secretary GK Pillai and Delhi police commissioner YS Dadwal have drawn up the measures.
"All security arrangements have been made for the Hockey World Cup and Commonwealth Games ... In this regard, India Gate has been secured and all hawkers of the area will be evicted," said Dadwal.
A senior police official said: "It is not just the question of security of the President's House. The venue of the Hockey World Cup, Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, is also situated near India Gate."
While they appreciate safety concerns, Delhi citizens are asking if this means an end to simple joys such as wandering across the monument's sprawling lawns, eating ice cream and the other street food on offer.
"Vendors banished from India Gate, fun out too", was one headline on a local television channel's website.
Formerly known as the "All India War Memorial", India Gate is flanked by significant government complexes. The Prime Minister's Office and the ministries of defense, home and foreign affairs are all in view of the Rajpath, as is parliament house, which terrorists tried to storm in December 2001.
Until the ban, a mass of humanity would assemble, day and night, at the monument, with the throng reflecting a mix of the urban population: burkha-clad women; large families lazing on large durree (mats) under trees busy with starlings, and street children taking dips in fountains.
The Rajpath stretch was also flanked by motor vehicles of every make, age and model. Vendors sold balloons and neon-lit children's toys, and snacks such as paan, a spicy betel leaf delicacy.
"A visit to India Gate doesn't seem as much fun now that people need to park a good kilometer and a half away and walk to it," said Sunil Pahwa, who regularly visited the monument with his family.
Sameer Khan, a wholesale kite seller and resident of the famous gallis (lanes) of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi recalls, "It used to be a simple outing for our extended family. But with no vendors, the charm of sharing a simple kulfi [ice cream] with your girlfriend is lost."
Hawking is a marginal, yet crucial livelihood for the large numbers of uneducated poor who make their way to Delhi from India's hinterlands. Dinesh, a 25-year-old hawker, said he paid 500 rupees (around US$10) a month for a license and the same amount to the police as haftaa (weekly payoff), and made on average daily profit of about 300-550 rupees.
The new rules have led to some confusion for visitors. One said he and his family had driven around India Gate for hours trying to find a parking space before a traffic policeman told them about the new rule, others had been swiftly fined for making temporary stops.
Old-timer Swarn Kanta, whose great-grand-uncle's name is inscribed on the 42-meter high memorial, said, "It is sad that a city that is made for the people is turning on its own citizens in the name of their safety. Let the monument live in the hearts and lives of the living, in memorial of the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives to secure the freedom of their brethren."
Priyanka Bhardwaj is a journalist based in New Delhi . She can be reached at priyanka2508@yahoo.co.in
