The ‘Wednesday interview’, “Amaravati could become the prototype for building cities” (April 26), with conservationist Professor Vikram Soni, talks about a proposed plan to build Amaravati as a natural city. A proposal such as this one would not only be sustainable, climatically sound and economically viable but would also justify the taking over of prime agricultural land for building purposes. This brings to mind an old Asian model of development, the desi kota system — 1 sq.km area bounded by roads on three sides and a canal at the rear. High streets would then give people access to commercial buildings and offices. A third road would lead to residences, educational institutions, community areas and religious centres. These would be adjacent to the agricultural area which fronts the canal. The benefits are huge: imagine eating fresh produce, straight from the farm to the table; imagine so many of these 1 km x 1 km squares on either side of the canal; imagine these canals feeding agricultural lands being waterfronts where one can relax and be rejuvenated. Amaravati seems the perfect place to begin work on this model since it is a greenfield development area on river flood plains and with an existing feeder canal system.
Renu Singhal,
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Hyderabad