By Anoop Nautiyal
While there is relief that the recent episode at St Joseph’s Academy (SJA) in Dehradun is over due to the immediate intervention of the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, questions must be asked and doubts expressed at the brazen manner in which a high-ranking official passed an order to acquire the nazul land with intentions to develop a parking space in the school playground. While he apparently had legal reasons to act in this manner, the ugly episode has left a sour taste amongst the school community, hundreds of concerned citizens and an alarmed and active alumni network.
To start with, while the triple challenges of parking, traffic and abysmal lack of public transport is a grave one for the city of Dehradun, does it make sense to acquire a playground; one of the last, remaining green patches in the middle of the city to develop the area as a parking lot? Are there no other locations within the city or city boundaries that could have been used for this purpose? Why are the state government and the city authorities still unable to begin developing a robust public transport system? A system that could reduce the demand for additional parking spaces. I would like to gently share and remind that we have been hearing about various mobility options like the metro, neo metro, light rail transit and pod taxis in Dehradun for the past six, seven years but nothing has come out of that.
Next comes the question regarding thousands of children and students at SJA. How preposterous is this now withdrawn diktat which came so close to robbing them of their playground in exchange for a concrete laden parking facility? What environmental impact would this cemented monstrosity create in a city that is alarmingly losing its greenery and all else that it stood for?
Given our collective short memories, it might be worthwhile to recall that we recently faced the wrath of 43 degrees in the cruel summer of 2024. A giant parking space cleverly positioned in the garb of public facilities by acquiring a playground would only worsen the urban heat island effect in the middle of a school and the city itself (will come to the cleverly positioned bit, a bit later).
While there are many other ways to look at this issue, let me also add that the speed at which the inspection report was to be submitted, i.e., three days by the high-powered committee of District Magistrate of Dehradun, Municipal Commissioner of Dehradun Nagar Nigam, Vice Chairman of MDDA and SP Traffic Police to the state government reeks of collusion. What else can explain the tearing deadline of three days in a slothful system where months and years can pass without any movement or action?
Lastly, the city is rife with rumours and allegations that the above order was passed to fulfill the commercial interests of the owner of a commercial complex who occupies a position of immense power and prestige in the state government. It is owners of such properties that stood to gain the most with the proposed SJA parking space close to their commercial complexes. While one can only speculate with responsibility, this possibility is very real in a corrupt and compromised ecosystem that thrives on scratching each other’s backs.
I would like to close by thanking the Chief Minister and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand for their prompt corrective actions. In the wake of this SJA incident, it is equally important that a no-nonsense message is sent out to those in power that they should not abuse their positions for alleged commercial gains. Dehradun, and the entire state of Uttarakhand in fact, has lost an enormous lot in the past due to the unholy nexus of bureaucracy, politics and commercial interests. I sincerely hope that the closure of this murky episode will leave everyone a bit relieved and empowered, knowing well that such arbitrary and seemingly unethical decisions can be challenged and revised.
