MIGRATION

Migration – it refers to physical movement from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. An individual may migrate to increase one’s standard of living while people migrate in groups to set up a particular community. Sometimes people migrate with new hope and new aspirations (many people migrate to Mumbai to with aspirations to become an actor to do something big in the film industry).

An individual can migrate with his own wishes or he can even be forced to migrate due to various reasons.  Sometimes the community which migrates to another part to set up their livelihoods and may end up overpowering the number of people staying in that existing place. Migrants do try to treat their new place of living as their home and try to adjust and fit in to the existing, but sometimes they are not greeted well with the localities.  Migrants may outnumber the local community which results in a tiff between the two. Sometimes migration in huge numbers also results in the case of unemployment. The present situation of Mumbai is the same. The local parties are trying to drive out people who have migrated in the past few decades to give the localities more opportunities and to gain prominence which they have been losing in the past few years.

Sometimes forced migration creates huge problems between the people who are being force to migrate and the one who is forcing them to migrate. Forced migration happens due to a number of reasons such for re-development, for new town planning projects within a city, as well as some rehabilitation of projects. Forced migration may happen be for the cause of well being of the whole area (for construction of a dam) i.e. the localities or it can also be for the progress of the nation (to set up industrial estate).

Migration is a necessity for a place to grow in social as well as cultural aspects. With a mix of culture and the increase in number the economy of the place starts to build up which results in the growth of a place. A village starts to grow up to become a town and town moves on to become a city.

Every migration flow generates a return or counter migration. The majority of migrants move a short distance. Migrants who move longer distances tend to choose big-city destinations. If there is no migration then the life of a city may come to a standstill and you may not beable to see new colours in life.  Migration is a part and parcel of life and each individual does feel the need to migrate but may not due to various reasons. Migration is one thing which will continue and the people will keep migrating with new hopes and in search of a new livelihood in their minds.

Place where I belong

It’s been almost 25 years that I have been staying in the same locality. The place where I have grown up playing cricket, the place where I have cycled through the streets all day long and the place where I have taken my first steps. The place which made me run towards it is now making me run away from it. Yes this place is located in the suburbs of Mumbai and needless to say is now becoming the education hub of the suburbs which in turn is growing faster day by day increasing the population and density.

Since the time I was born I have seen the place changing. The little two storey buildings now become a huge seven storey structures. My buildings been old and this two storey structure seems to be sandwiched between huge eight storey structures. My eyes have witnessed the changes since the past few years and every new building that comes up brings along new people with new faces. Before we knew which uncle use to stay in which block and which flat but these days we done even come to know whether a person by that name stays in out locality or not. Forget locality we have been so busy now that we don’t even get to see people in our very own building. I have seen many people leaving this area and shifting to some other part and many people coming in and making it their homes too, some were friends and some even relatives.

My locality is filled with various cultures. There is a Gujarati society next to my building which organizes navratri and dandiya nights and on the other I have a maharashtrian society which celebrates ganesh chaturthy and gudi padwa with great enthusiasm and anticipation. As a result I have grown up seeing a mix of various cultures which has resulted in a number of temples that have been coming up in the past few years which not only have kept my grand mom engaged in cultural activities but has also held peoples belief in god and kept religious faith alive in the younger ones.

This place once a less populated suburb is now loaded with traffic and too much pollution. The place where I stay has two schools nearby which make the mornings too noisy and the evenings over crowded. A theatre that just opened shortly seems to have increased the problems even though it adds to the source of entertainment. The lane that leads to my house passes through the theatre which has inadequate parking space as a result of which people park on the road making it cramped. Sometimes I am eager to rush home and get some sleep but the lane itself makes me go nausea tic. These are the same lanes where once I use to run behind the ball and try to stop it from reaching the boundary or hit it so hard that it crosses the line. The lanes in which once you could hear people ringing the cycle bells now are echoed with people honking over and over again.

The locality where I stay is located close to a very famous biscuit factory. The highway being a few meters away also makes traveling convenient by road. The transport services i.e. the railways stations and the bus services are also located close by. The area is easily accessible and well connected by all means makes it easy for people to travel as a result many people have started shifting in which in turn is increasing the demand of more space as a result more towers are coming up. The airport being situated close by does not allow the structures to go higher than the existing but just adds on to more traffic as well as noise pollution. The only time where I get to sit peacefully is at night but because of the load on air traffic increasing now the flights pass over my building which not only increases the sound but also disallows me to sleep.

I am tired and my body needs rest. I want to leave home and shift to a new peaceful and a much environmental friendly locality but when I turn the pages of my life and look back; I realize that this place means a lot to me and shifting to another place will not bring any change to my life as the change is now taking over every suburb and every locality. I agree that changes will come but in such a way which is making living conditions worse is just not acceptable. I feel that the kids are missing something which once we enjoyed. The same grounds where once upon a time we had been playing cricket is now occupied with cars using it as their parking space. Where do these kids go if they want to play? Where does a common man go if he wants to take some sigh of relief and breath in fresh air? Urbanization has taken over so much that the one constructing these massive structures are not only endangering human life but also changing the standard of living to worsen the conditions for the people staying here. I agree that a place has to grow with changing times but if the growth has to come at such cost then I strongly disagree. I feel the need of change and the times to reverse so as to make one feel as to what we have been missing. I feel that one should look back and get those times when children laughing out loud in the building compound use to be the only sound in the lane. The growth will come and so will the standard of living rise but that will not change my thoughts and my love for this place. It is just another locality but I want it to become the best where people don’t breathe smoke they breathe in fresh air with a sigh of relief.

Reservation in India with Respect to Education

“Manmohan Singh - We are sending Indians to the moon next year...
Obama - Oh! How many???
PM - 100...
35 OBC, 25 SC, 20 ST, 10 handicapped, 5 sports quota, 4 minority & if possible....1 astronaut”

I received this joke a few years back and it sometimes does make me think is reservation a necessity or mere vote bank politics. Till date we have not had a consensus on the same. With the Patel’s raising their demand for reservation in Gujarat it makes me wonder is reservation a mere political thrust or does it have more to it. Since education is the backbone of a person’s well being I decided to look at reservation in the field of education and its impact. The main focus of this article would be on the IITs as it is one of India’s premium education and is one of the best amongst the world. This article deals with the scenario India is in and argues both sides of the topic and in the end puts forward a conclusion with suggestions which need to be thought of as this is a very sensitive topic.  

India is one of the few countries that practices affirmative action on a large scale. B. R. Ambedkar, the Minister of Law in the Interim Government, and a leader who drafted of the Indian constitution, he made provisions for reservations for Scheduled Castes (previously termed 'untouchables') in government run institutions in the 1950s.

The IITs had initially implemented a quota system, but the quota system was scrapped and the modified scheme described below was introduced in 1983. This procedure was evolved based on the experience of implementing a quota system for ten years (1973–1983). The logic cited for this procedure is that IITs being Institutes of National Importance, there should not be any compromise on the quality of students studying in them; accordingly, students admitted through the reserved quota have no relaxation in requirements for passing courses or getting the degree. They are, however, allowed to complete the program at a slower pace (take longer to get the degree).

Currently, reservation of 15%, 7.5% and 27% seats is provided for candidates hailing from SC, ST and OBC communities. In case enough candidates do not meet minimum qualifying criteria as per written tests, SC/ST candidates are permitted a relaxation of 50%. If some vacancies still exists, a further relaxation is offered with a deferred admission after 1 year of Preparatory Course study covering physics, chemistry and mathematics. After one year of study, only those candidates who are able to clear a cut-off in the End Semester Exams are allowed into regular studies at the IITs. The seats reserved for SC/ST students are not transferable to General Category and roll on to the next year's students from the Preparatory Courses.

HISTORY

In the year 2005, based on the recommendations of an independent panel, the UPA government at the centre proposed to implement quota system for Scheduled caste, Schedule tribe, Other Backward Classes and minority communities in IITs and IIMs (for both students and faculty). To pave way for such reservation scheme, the Constitution of India was amended (the 93rd Constitutional Amendment, originally drafted as 104th Amendment Bill). In 2006, the UPA government promised to implement 27% reservation for OBCs in institutes of higher education (twenty central universities, the IITs, IIMs and AIIMS) after 2006 Assembly elections. This, if implemented, would reduce the seats for the general section of the population to less than 50.5% (since those for whom the quota is granted can compete with the general section also on merit).

This led to sharp reactions from the student communities in the institute’s concerned and also substantial opposition from students of other colleges as well. Students gathered under the banner of "Youth for Equality" and demanded that the government roll back its decision to grant more reservations.

In addition to complete roll-back of the proposed reservation, the striking protesters have demanded that an expert committee comprising members from non-political organisations to review the existing reservation policy and find out whether reservation for OBCs is required at all. This is based on the current confusion over actual population of OBC as various organisations have indicated various figures for the population of OBCs. This is mostly because the 1931 national census was the last time detailed population and economic data was gathered along with caste information for the OBC population.

On 29 March 2007, the Supreme Court of India, as an interim measure, stayed the law providing for 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes in educational institutions like IITs and IIMs. The Court held that the 1931 census could not be a determinative factor for identifying the OBCs for the purpose of providing reservation. The Supreme Court also observed, "Reservation cannot be permanent and appear to perpetuate backwardness".

On 10 April 2008, the Supreme Court of India upheld the law that provides for 27% reservation for Other Backward Castes (OBCs) in educational institutions supported by the Central government, while ruling that the creamy layer among the OBCs should be excluded from the quota

Against Reservation

The main argument against the concept of reservation is that it goes against the idea of merit and would dilute the IITs as one of the basic reasons behind their success is the excellent students they get via IIT-JEE. It is also being argued by the opposers that the irreparable damage caused during the childhood of the individual, cannot be rectified at a later stage. Also, the primary education provided by the government to the economically poor is highly inadequate, and this negligence by the government is the root cause of the problem. Statistics across the IIT's reveal that while about 4–5% of general category students do not complete their degree program, the number goes up to about 20% for reserved category students. This is used as an argument against reservations claiming that the reserved class candidates are not adequately prepared to face the challenging academic life in IITs.

The argument of centuries of social injustice through the caste system (see below, in the next Section) is not accepted by those who point out that the caste system, although differently known and practised in different societies, is a tribal hangover from the past, which had some merit in that it ensured, or 'reserved', specified jobs to be done castes which had a preference to do so. They have no sanction in the Vedas (the Upanishads Section) in which only speak of four broad 'Varnas' or divisions according to the temperament of people and of inter-Varna switch, or mobility, based on individual efforts when he/she happens to be borne to a man of a particular Varna. This process, called 'Samskara' is, approximately, conscious individual refinement. In a true sense, therefore, the talk of deliberate subjugation of or discrimination of upper castes against lower castes has no basis, even though distortions of the principle has happened historically, without sanction of the Vedas. Hence reservation, the anti-reservationists seem to say, is just a mask for demanding reservations under the cloak of casteism over-riding merit and blissfully ignoring that Vedas do not sanction this. At any rate, after several decades of Varna reservation for the lowest social strata comprising certain classes constitutionally enshrined as 'scheduled castes' and 'scheduled tribes', and otherwise open competition to all people irrespective of any criteria other than merit and aptitude, there is no justification for the political parties to demand extend reservation of educational admission and job opportunities to more classes ('other backward castes').

It is pointed out that more opportunities in keeping with the uncontrolled growth in population, in all spheres of economic activity as well as education, will be the only right answer and not reservation. However, since proportional representation is the basis of modern democracy as it is practised, these anti-reservationists point out, this, in India, has led to its most abominable abuse, resulting in a democracy which is of and by Indians but against their own interests, since a disunited country oblivious of equality of opportunity because of prohibitive reservation levels, can never compete successfully in the global context, nor achieve much in its own management of internal economy.

The abuse of political power to demand reservation for all other than the so-called 'forward ' communities is, according to the contesters, just a vote bank politics to woo the majority represented by the beneficiary communities to cast their votes in their favour. Since, however, there are no opponents among political parties to educational and job reservations, in view of their universal vote bank politics, such reservation in themselves cannot favour any particular parties at the elections.

In response to the government's assurances that seats will be increased in the institutes so that the general category students don't get affected, another point raised against reservation is that most of the seats reserved for SC/ST candidates remain empty and hence any more reservation is a waste of resources. A major concern among them is also the fact that implementing reservation in institutes of higher education would be difficult unless the quality of faculty in them is diluted. They back this point by the fact that all IITs and IIMs are facing shortage of faculty and hence increasing the seats will lead to deterioration of education.

For Reservation

The most important argument in favour of reservation is basically economic in nature. If there is discrimination and exclusion prevailing in any of the institutions, whether industry, educational institutions, it has a negative impact on the economic growth. In the absence of equal opportunity, a sizeable section of the society remains either unemployed or underemployed. The burden will be taken by a minuscule economic agents accessing opportunity to the mentioned institutions. Reservation as a form of positive discrimination should be welcomed for the national interest. But this shouldn't mean reducing the opportunity for the general categories. Government should try to accommodate all by creating more number of educational institutions. Some people consider the additional procedures for admission into the IITs as unnecessary and counter-productive. The opposition to the policy of reservation (through the preparatory course), and favouring direct admission is based on the following arguments:

In the past, a large number of seats remained vacant. According to some estimates, only 10% of SC/ST seats were filled due to lack of qualified candidates. However, since 2010 hardly any reserved seats are left unfilled as enough candidates qualify on merit.

Candidates who did not have the basic minimum marks but were on the borderline were offered admission after spending on year studying preparatory course. They wasted a year as well as felt traumatised due to this preparatory course. In 2012, for the first time there was no need to have a preparatory batch since enough candidates qualified within the reduced parameters.

On the philosophy behind the process of reservation itself, the people in favour of reservation feel that reservation is necessary to undo and counter the 'evils' of centuries of caste system that prevailed in the country. Reservation proponents also contend that merit as it is defined today is something that is achieved with the help of cramming, tutoring, constant guidance, quality schooling and knowledge of English and poor Dalits, poor MBC's lack most of these.

Conclusion

Before I put forward my views here is a recent article which needs to be read before we draw a conclusion from the same.

In IITs, qualifying score goes down so that ST student count can go up

Hemali Chhapia,TNN | Jun 13, 2015, 06.51 AM IST

MUMBAI: A shortfall in the count of scheduled tribe students has forced the Indian Institutes of Technology to re-engineer the qualifying score to join the tech colleges. The aggregate marks are down from 177 (35%) to 124 or 24.5% of 504. Similarly, the cut-offs for each subject have been revised from 10% to 7%. Downsizing of qualifying marks has taken place across the board. The minimum percentage of marks in each subject is 6.30 for OBC students and 3.5 for SC/ST candidates.

For the first time, ever since the Joint Entrance Exam has been redesigned as a two-tier qualifying test, the minimum cut-off score has been reduced by 30 per cent. Only those students who score the minimum required marks for both aggregate cut-off list and subject wise cut-off will make it to the rank list. With this revision, the IITs have now managed to push in a few more ST candidates than the total seats reserved for them, thus working to ensure that not many slots go unfilled.

"There weren't enough ST students who had qualified. Although we now have more ST students than the seats, not everyone may take admission. They may not be happy with the IIT or the stream allotted. But we surely now have enough ST candidates who have qualified this year," said a JEE chairman.

On June 3, the tech schools had declared a higher cut-off. But on Friday evening, they had a change of heart and the downgrade took place after compiling the performance of all candidates. Authorities realized that there weren't as many students who made the cut. There are 10,006 seats across the IITs this year; there are 750 seats for ST candidates.

"We have revised the marks based on the performance of all those who took the JEE (advanced)," said the organizing chairman of JEE 2015. Last week, the IITs had uploaded the scanned copies of the ORS answer booklet and 150 candidates had challenged their scores. On Saturday, the IITs will upload the fresh scores, before declaring the result on June 25.

The above article mentions that the IITs would be reducing the percentage of merit for ST students to occupy the empty seats. Doesn’t it mean that the quality and level of education is being compromised just because the seats are being left empty. Cant the empty seats be opened to the general quota so that the quality is not compromised. More than 1 lakh students appear the IIT JEE and a mere 6000 of them qualify. If you see the stats it means only 6% of the total people appearing actually get the admission. Is it fair to people who do not belong to any quota.

On what basis is the percentage of quota being determined. As stated earlier the quota percentage had been derived on the census data of 1931. Majority of who would not even be alive in today’s date. We need to rethink on the proportions as a only 50.5% of the seats are open for the general class where as there are more deserving candidates. Few years back the IIT also had an NRI quota of 2% but that was removed as the level of students were not upto the mark. If such a step can be taken for another quota why can’t we rethink the same for the SC, ST, OBC quota as well. Politicians will always play their politics card but we as a nation will have to think in what direction we need to take our country.  

In a country like India we have to think about the economic backward class but at what cost. Are we ready to let go the best that we have. In fact the schooling education shall be strengthened first before we take such steps for our premium institutes. The schools which the people come from are of a low standard and opening doors for them in such highly regarded institutes is a risky sign. We boast about our IITs and IIMs but are they the same what it was a few years back. Is there a need to make them autonomous? Is too much political intervention hampering the quality and standard of education in India? We can have reservation for them but for that we need a complete new survey which justifies their population to the number of students admitting. By just lowering the standard would not be wise. If equality is to be maintained it needs to be justified on the basis and ground reality.

I am not against reservation but I feel there is a need to debate and question the basis of reservation. An SC/ST/OBC or any reservation category person can apply to a general quota as well but a general category person can never be admitted on a reserved seat. Don’t we need to think again and decide what steps are to be taken so that the general people do not suffer? If the level of candidates for the reserved seats is not upto mark then cant those extra seats open to the general quota instead of lowering the standard. Equality must be maintained but justice should prevail.

Recommendations for the Indian Construction Industry

India lacks professionals with such developed skills and a sole representative organization of the construction industry. Currently the industrial organization and the institutional organization run parallel without any relation. The institutional organization acts as a supplier on the demand of the industrial organization but there is no organization to bridge the gap between the two. As a result the quality of professionals and the quality of education has not improved as there has been no input from the industrial organization to the educational organizations. It is very vital for the industry to have an organization which represents the built environment of India including institutions and professional bodies so that they can work together for the benefit of the industry and the gap between the two organizations could be narrowed. Questions have been raised in the past and have been on the rise on the quality of teaching and the falling standard of education in the institutions. The need to review the policies must be examined thoroughly so that the Indian construction industry can grow (Argyris and Schon, 1996).

From the data analyzed and Henry Ford’s academy model it can be seen that individuals do learn more from seeing and doing the activities (Ford, 1926). In the construction industry it is necessary to know how things are being done so that theory and practice could be related to each other. It is necessary that the institutional organization realize that the learning style of all individuals is not the same (explained in section 2.2.2); having a mix of workshops, guest lectures, conferences and introducing interactive tools for learning would not only enhance the teaching standards but also incorporate learning styles of all individuals as described by Kolb (1984).

India being a country comprising of 29 states and 7 union territories has different political parties having an influence in different states. This results in the functioning of many organizations within all sectors. The role of the central government must be to establish some organizations on a national level so that it is accepted across India. Currently the CIDC which is the representative of industrial organization is established by the political parties of only 16 states, it has not yet been accepted nationally. However the institutional heads i.e. the AICTE is the head of technical education across all states and is responsible for educating individuals and approving the course all across India. This results in the organization representing India as a whole from an institutional front but not from an industrial front. The government must create an organization for the industry which needs to be nationally accepted so that the industry and institutional organizations can work together for the benefit of the whole sector.

The individual organizations responsible for the teaching of technical education within the AICTE (ex. COA) must be given the independence to interact with the industry and review the teaching techniques. Because of the rapid growth the industry is undergoing the implementation of modern technology has been on the rise. A review of teaching standards must be done every few years so that the students are taught with respect to the updated technology being implemented in the industry. They are prepared for the profession and the role which they would be a part of. Exposing them to the way the industry functions and increasing the tenure of training for individuals must also be reviewed. The sub organizations must also take responsibility of professionals who they give out licenses to practice and introduce CPD training for them as well so that they continue to grow and evolve within the system. The system and the professionals in the industry would grow together and this would lead to a learning environment and a learning construction industry.

Currently there are various research organizations for the construction industry in India which hold workshops for professionals as well as students. These organizations however work independently and have no coordination among each other. Some organizations do collaborate with a few institutes but all institutions may not be involved in such workshops. This results in a non uniform growth of students as institutions which are financially stable may afford such workshops but others may lack such resources to carry out these activities. The industry must come together and set up a head of research organizations which is responsible for such activities for better coordination and collaboration. This will result in these events being conducted across various venues at various times giving individuals more opportunity to participate. There will result in a uniform growth across the country.

The government must focus on building a team for the construction industry in order to evolve the system as a whole. It is necessary that they have a shared vision with that of the industry so that the output is beneficial for a sector which is very important to India. The team must involve of individuals from all sectors which act as a leader and represents all organizations. The role of this team would be the same as the CIC in the UK construction industry. This would then accomplish the characteristics which a learning organization needs (as discussed in section 2.2).

The dissertation takes into consideration the functioning of the UK construction industry and discusses the success of such a system. If the institution and industry work together then it will not only benefit individuals but also society. The construction sector is one of the major sectors which impact all individuals irrespective of them being a part or not. The construction sector effects the environment as well as the people living in it and hence the importance of it cannot be ignored. Benefit to the construction industry will not only have an impact in the society and the system but would also have economic benefits, but for that to happen it is necessary that all sectors of the construction industry work together as a single organization.

The above set of recommendations would help the construction industry grow and evolve over a period of time. These set of recommendations have been put forward after reviewing the literature and having understood the scenario by interviewing professionals within the industry. These recommendations may not be the only solution for the benefit of the industry but is aimed at focusing on the need to build a relationship between the industry and the institutes. The development of professionals after institutional education has an impact post education as well and this dissertation focuses on the overall benefit of the industry by the introduction of learning post education.

The Fake Mistake // Times of India (Jan 11, 2015)

The article listed below talks about the replica made by the Tourism Department of the Ajanta and Ellora Caves. I had visited the caves a year back and had also visited the tourist center. There is no doubt that the tourist center is built beautifully and has all the necessary amenities which a public building must have. The cave replicas have been built remarkably well and it gives a sense of you having a look at the actual caves which have actually lost the charm which it had a decade back.

I was amazed to see such stuff but after reading the article many thoughts triggered in my head. As a layman I would just think the cost to build such a structure to boost tourism and on the other hand list out things in which we could upgrade the existing infrastructure. Seeing the amount that would be spent yearly for the maintenance of the fake would it not be wise to spend that much on the real caves and maintain those. The government at the end of the day can argue that the caves are not accessible for the disabled and the center was built to make it accessible for all sections but seeing the numbers present at the center i felt pity. Seeing the amount of money spend on a structure which is not even being visited by tourists is a complete waste of the tax payers money.

A fake is a fake and it makes no sense to build something which is just a couple of km away from the original. Had some thought been put and the structure built somewhere else this structure would have still made sense. The structure is built just next to the replicas and as a result the people visiting the centers are much less because the ones who visit Ajanta and Ellora visit it to see the caves and not the center. If it had been built in Aurangabad itself it would have boosted tourism further and also created a place for the people to display their art. 

Thought needs to be put when proposals are being put forward by the government and we as citizens must participate actively in such initiatives. Lastly we can at least write a letter to the ministry regarding our thoughts on the proposal. It may be ignored it may be considered but we shall not lose hoe. One day some or the other government will pay heed to its voters request.

Times of India artcile "The Fake Mistake"

Syed Rizwanullah | Jan 11, 2015, 06.01 AM IST

Some years ago, the Maharashtra Tourism Department Corporation (MTDC) had a brainwave - build replicas of Ajanta and Ellora to reduce crowding at the real heritage structures. Now, Rs 125 crore and two years later, the amateurish thermocol fakes hardly draw visitors and are a huge drain on the exchequer. 

The irony is that the MTDC spends Rs 10 crore for the upkeep of these white elephants while the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) spends Rs 1 crore on the original Unesco world heritage sites. 

Built at a cost of Rs 125 crore, the two replicas - Ajanta Visitors Centre and Ellora Visitors Centre - were meant to allow curious tourists a closer look at the treasures inside. Ajanta contains fabulous murals while Ellora is home to India's greatest collection of Hindu sculptures. Officials now admit that footfalls at the replicas barely cross double digit numbers on any given day. Now compare this to the original caves. "An average of 2,500 people visit Ajanta caves and about 5,000 visit Ellora caves each day during the tourist season,'' says Madan Singh Chouhan, superintending archeologist, Aurangabad circle, ASI. 

There are good reasons for this lack of tourist interest. For one, the replicas look nothing like the real thing. "I thought it was a factory when I saw it from a distance. It is really ugly and out of sync with the landscape," says Ashoke Sarkar, senior professor with BITS, Pilani, who visited the caves recently. 

Second, the fake structures are built very close to the caves — the Ajanta replica is 4km away from the original and the Ellora duplicate a mere 500 metres away. "Why should tourists from distant places visit a duplicate cave?'' asks Amol Basole, secretary of the Aurangabad Tourist Guides Association. "It would have been better if the replicas were set up in Aurangabad or another metro.'' 

The low footfalls mean that there is hardly any revenue generated to meet the maintenance cost. "We have given the maintenance contract for the visitor centres for Rs 6 crore. Then there is the additional monthly expenditure of Rs 10 to 15 lakh on electricity and other utilities,'' says Pandurang Kulkarni, senior regional manager, MTDC. 

Experts say there is a bigger worry — there is extensive use of thermocol, an inflammable material, in the replicas. A layer of thermocol, fitted in wire meshes and layered with Ferro cement, has been set on the concrete base of the visitor centres. The idea was to recreate the rough look of a cave wall. Thermocol has been used to create walls, pillars and ceilings and various figurines. 

"espite its advantages, polystyrene is brittle and flammable. It could also attract rats,'' says Prof Ram Mane of the department of chemistry, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University. Satish Soni, joint managing director, MTDC, defends the use of thermocol. He also asserts that it was not the only material used to build the replicas. 

The pioneers of the Ajanta Ellora Development Plan say they had conceptualized something very different. "The replicas have nothing to do with the original plan, which was simple and stayed close to the old style," says Dev Mehta, former managing director of MTDC and the brain behind the plan. 

State INTACH co-convener, Mukund Bhogale, says the interpretation centre was a good concept. "But the replicas are a disappointment. The way they were executed, the way material like thermocol was extensively used, it doesnt give a good feel or experience to a tourist.'' 

One of the reasons why the replica seemed like a good idea was that visitors to the caves were never allowed to get too close to the priceless and fragile art works inside or photograph them. But visitors to the replicas too are asked to stay away from the installations. 

Kishor Nikam, a photographer, shot more than 2.5 lakh images of the original painted caves for the replicas. These were then printed on sandpaper canvas and meticulously pasted on the concrete walls. Nikam defends the MTDC's decision to not allow photography inside the replicas because flash light could cause his images to fade in 10 to 15 years. But he too concedes that his work would have had better exposure if it was displayed some distance away from the old caves.