Construction Alert

I am face to face with the worst fear of a new house(rather apartment) owner - no, its not rodents, termites or other crawling creatures, it is not even barking dogs in the adjacent apartment or youngsters having wild parties at all times of the day and night. It is the beginning of a new construction right outside my window!

I had savored the pleasure of sitting in my balcony with its clear, unhindered view of a few hundred yards, only a few times in these six months since my move. But those early mornings of looking outside, enjoying a cup of tea in solitude or those precious minutes before dusk while I read in the soft natural light before the falling darkness and raving mosquitoes drove me inside will soon come to an end.

Last week a huge orange truck with its drilling paraphernalia proudly mounted on its back spent the better part of a day penetrating the earth in search of water. After a few false starts, they found the elusive life-giving liquid. The next morning I awakened to the sounds of tens of trucks parked next to each other as a gigantic earth mover dug into the ground and loaded the trucks with mud. The same process continued each day and what began as a gash in the ground turned into a huge gaping hole. Everything in its path was removed - mature tree and beautiful rocks. Even the family of stray dogs that used the space to camp for the night fled to safer surroundings.

While the prospect of another residential building so close to mine is not pleasant, it is not just the impact on natural light and evening breeze (which I currently enjoy) that bothers me. It is the endless months of mind-boggling labor, dust, noise and other kind of pollution that I will have to withstand that is a concern. And without the kind shadow of the trees that graced the property not so long ago, I wonder who will take the onus of balancing the acts of mindless construction that is rampant everywhere in India. Can we not have rules and authorities with the power and ethical principles to uphold the rules? Can we not mandate a corresponding addition to the green cover for every square feet of land that is developed to create urban wastelands? Can rain-water harvesting not be made a prerequisite for obtaining building permits?

These and other questions will continue to haunt me as I observe the frenzied pace of work next door. Stay tuned for more.