Browsing by Author "Dr. Atreyee Majumder, - Supervisor"

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Integrating ‘walkability’ in Indian cities : a study in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-26) Uday, Bhat Chaitanya; Dr. Atreyee Majumder, - Supervisor
Currently, India’s upwardly mobile population is fuelling a growing preference for private vehicles that are adding to the congestion on the country’s already narrow and dense streets. This trend is alarming not only from the perspective of climate change but also from the viewpoint of ‘liveability’, as our cities grow to house more people. Improving the state of non-motorised transport has long since been touted as a solution, with ‘walkability’ assuming a position front and centre among the policy interventions. This dissertation seeks to understand the current state of walkability policies in the country, and aims to compare it with the preferences of pedestrians today. The study area for this is the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, whose dense and compact nature makes it inherently walkable. The research seeks to find out the lacunae in existing policies and layer them with the situation on the ground. This will allow for charting a direction for the policymakers of tomorrow to modify walkability interventions so that they are in touch with the needs and preferences of pedestrians, across lines of class, social background, and gender. The methodology adopted for this research includes qualitative interviews paired with observational research in three study areas of Mumbai city, selected due to differences in the demographic and socioeconomic composition of their residents. The researcher also walked with local residents to better understand their problems and priorities when it comes to pedestrian infrastructure and policies. Additionally, data was obtained from policies, plans, and published guidelines by State machinery to understand the current viewpoint of the governing institutions. Both these sets of data were analysed and key themes were identified to understand the areas in which our current policy infrastructure is lacking. Keywords: walkability, urban mobility, urban governance, citizen participation
Political economy of fisheries : unsustainability and the need for de-intensification of production in the Rameswaram region
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-30) Vishwanath, Rohith; Dr. Atreyee Majumder, - Supervisor
Since the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 2009, it has been a weekly practise for fishermen from Rameswaram and the surrounding areas to be detained or killed by the Sri Lankan Navy for indulging in cross-border fishing. The majority of this cross-border cooperation occurs in order to collect marine resources from Sri Lankan waters. It's worth noting that cross-border fishing boats are mostly mechanised bottom trawlers that hunt fish for export markets, and the lack of fish in Indian waters is frequently cited as the main reason for them having to go to Sri Lankan waters to make a profit on their capital, fuel, and labour investments. While this is true for mechanical fishermen, artisanal fishermen, who mostly engage in near-shore fishing and have less capital, have been vocal in their condemnation of their mechanised counterparts and the use of bottom trawlers on the Indian side. Not unexpectedly, the impact of Indian bottom trawlers on Sri Lankan waters is also the reason for their navy capturing our fishermen and vessels as they try to defend their already overburdened artisanal fisheries sector. Rather than blaming Sri Lanka for detaining Tamil Nadu fishermen, or vilifying mechanised fishermen for depleting fish stocks and endangering the livelihoods of their artisanal counterparts, the author examines what the Union government and the State of Tamil Nadu have done on a policy level to manage the state's fisheries resources. The author of this paper highlights the impossibility of continuous fish production intensification in the Rameswaram region, and asks for an alternative approach that is tailored to the region's geographical, geopolitical, and socioeconomic constraints.
Understanding governance of heritage sites : a case study of Hampi world heritage site
(National Law School of India University, Bangalore, 2022-11-30) Dasgupta, Samragni; Dr. Atreyee Majumder, - Supervisor
The concept of ‘Heritage’ and in turn, ‘Heritage Governance’ has traditionally been understood through a top-down approach in India. The conservation efforts in India remain to be focused on built structures, with the Archaeological Survey of India following archaic methods of conservation. The Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority was mandated into creation by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization through its policy recommendations put forth by the World Heritage Convention. When Hampi was recognised as a World Heritage Site, it was done so not only because of the unique architecture, topography and other structural planning, but also because of the sheer scale of the site. Hampi is not just one built structure, but rather a plethora of structures intertwined with the existing local culture, topography and history. It is a Cultural Landscape, a living heritage site. The study aims to find out the methods in which the UNESCO policies of Heritage Management are implemented in the Hampi World Heritage Site, and the impact of such implementation. The study found that the implementation of the Heritage Governance institutions remains to be exclusionary in nature in Hampi. There is no local representation in HWHAMA. There has also not been any form of communication and discussion with the local community in regards to conservation methods, development plans and impact of becoming a WHS. HWHAMA does not understand the local ethos of the space, further establishing the fact that the Indian State has an archaic, exclusionary and top-down system of heritage management, and in turn governance. The State relies on the creation of Parastatal Bodies whose members are neither representative, nor experts in the area-specific needs of the World Heritage Site. The policy recommendations made try to address these prevalent issues