the Neighborhood
Civil Lines
Roorkee
CP 6036
Community Dynamics and Engagement
Master’s City and Regional Planning
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia
History and Context
Hardwar's historical tapestry weaves through time, with its origins dating back to 2000 B.C., evidenced by saffron-colored earthen pots from the Indus Valley civilization. Ancient texts like the Skandpurana refer to it as Gangadwar, Haridwar, Kapila, and Mayapuri, while Kankhal, mentioned by the renowned Sanskrit poet Kalidas in Meghdootam, has evolved into a suburb of Hardwar. Even the famous Chinese traveler Huen Tsang noted it as Mo-U-Lo.
This area was once a part of the ancient Kosala in the 6th century B.C., later becoming part of the Magadh empire under the Nandas and Mauryas.
The sacred Har-ki-Pauri pool, intricately linked with the Ganga Canal's birth at Roorkee, resonates with cultural significance.
It, further, was an important strategic army base during colonisation and power struggle. In 1847, the James Thomason College of Engineering emerged, a crucible for engineering and surveying.
Married quarters in Roorkee Cantonment - 1853
Bengal Seppars were based here.
In 1851, the Solani Aqueduct Railway was built by Cautley in Roorkee to transport construction materials for an aqueduct over the Solani River. The construction of this aqueduct, and the specialization required, necessitated building of a Civil Engineer’s Institute known as James Thomson College.
British-era reforms: Roorkee had a strategic location, and the British administration focused on modernizing India's infrastructure. Roorkee witnessed British-implemented revenue settlements that aimed to streamline taxation and land revenue systems to standardize collection methods, heavily impacting the agricultural economy and the socio-economic structure.
Roorkee's role in the 1857 freedom struggle imprinted its identity. The Bengal Native Infantry stationed at Roorkee mutinied in May 1857. The rebellion spread swiftly across Northern India, and Roorkee became a significant center of resistance. Further, the reformist Arya Samaj movement and Gurukul Kangri further molded the region.
James Thomason College of Civil Engineering
Civil Lines was originally established as a supplement to the cantonment area. It was formed there due to the establishment of James Thomson College of Roorkee. It established with it the major market of the city, that spans majorly across select main streets centrally accessible for the Institute members, residents, and Cantonment.
The neighborhood observed a major highway road connecting the city to Haridwar.
Different people from all around the neighborhoods came here for varied purposes. The city’s entertainment zone was here! Shopping, theatres, walk along the canal. So, the land prices began to go up. People wanted to live here. It was adjacent to IIT too. More expensive independent homes began to come up, primarily of business owners and retired professors. Today, availability of land, it’s prices, and congestion is a major issue!
Stakeholders
A mosaic of stakeholders shapes the local fabric, categorized into both permanent and floating populations.
Wednesday informal market
Wednesday informal market
Informal Fruit market near Reliance Mart
Informal Fruit market near Reliance Mart
Haridwar road
Haridwar road
Rustic House
Rustic House
Century Gate Junction
Century Gate Junction
Boat Club
Boat Club
Main Market road
Main Market road
Boat Club road
Boat Club road
Earth House
Earth House
Fruit market
Fruit market
Neelam Cinema
Neelam Cinema
Niti Nagar
Niti Nagar
Primarily Housing
Himgiri Apartments
Himgiri Apartments
Among the permanent residents are families of shop owners, academicians, academic staff, and office workers. The families of professors, encompassing retired, emeritus, and serving faculty, contribute significantly to the intellectual and cultural tapestry of the community.
The presence of families of domestic help and informal thela owners adds to the diverse socio-economic strata, they do not tend to live in the neighborhood though, except if they are living with a wealthy family. They travel from neighboring areas for work. Small and medium-sized shop owners, thela operators, and service sector owners and workers also form part of the permanent stakeholder group. The workers and thela operators live away and travel for work. Further, on the floating side, the transient student population, along with visiting professors and temporary workers, injects vitality into the neighborhood.
Permanent Population
Service Sector main workers
Service Sector main workers
Helpers in the service sector
Business Owners
Shopkeepers
Hawkers,
e-rickshaw drivers
Retired Professors
Professors in the neighborhood
Students from campus
Floating Population
Restaurant and hotel owners and staff, healthcare professionals from hospitals and dental clinics, and transportation providers such as e-rickshaws and manual rickshaws constitute integral components of both the permanent and floating populations, fostering the multifaceted vibrancy of Civil Lines.
The academic institutions play a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics of Civil Lines. Professors and the student population engage with the neighborhood through their academic affiliation. Our presence influences localized businesses and services, creating seasonal fluctuations in demand. The relationship between the institutions and the neighborhood is symbiotic. The economy is hence reliant on temporary accommodations, food services, and localized retail. Conversely, the neighborhood provides a supportive environment for these transient groups, offering necessary amenities and catering to our needs.
The socio-economic strata diversify further with the presence of domestic help, thela operators, and service sector workers who predominantly commute from nearby areas. Their engagement within the neighborhood is limited to work-related activities, reflecting a dispersed residential pattern while contributing significantly to the local economy. Yet, the symbiosis between these stakeholders and the neighborhood is rooted in economic interdependence. The neighborhood provides a hub for employment opportunities, drawing these individuals to contribute to the service sector and localized businesses. Their absence from permanent residence aligns with a commuting work culture, which bolsters the economic activities without substantially impacting the residential fabric of the neighborhood.
Further, there is a stronghold of politics and religion for the people here. The current ruling party is BJP with its same MLA for the area since 15 years. The area does have an undercurrent of active politics.
You would have also noticed, that Roorkee is a stop for the Kawads during Shivratri festival, on the way to the religious Ganga spots in Haridwar. The religion and politics are quite intermixed.
I heard that the MLA is going to buy another major plot in the main market and refurbish it for commercial purposes.
He already owns the largest sweet shop and the largest restaurant in the area. The unequal spread of resources never ceases to stump me.
The neighborhood was built as an auxiliary to the institute (Indian Institute of Technology, then established as James Thomson College). So, it is no surprise that the college has played such a vital role in the economy and social dynamics of this neighborhood. The college brought it on the modern national map for common people. Most development that is happening is due to the presence of this “most prestigious college for Civil Engineering” in some direct or indirect way, if you think about it.
Government body: Roorkee Municipal Corporation
Municipality was created in 1868, now it is a Municipal Corporation.
Politics
Government type: Mayor - Council
Political Functionaries
Joint Magistrate
MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly)
Municipal Corporation (ULB)
Pradeep Batra is the current MLA of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly from the Roorkee constituency in Haridwar district.
Strong Political Base
Major commercial owner
Local Governments
Rural
Urban
Traditional Local Bodies
Municipal Corporations
Panchayats
District
Intermediate
Village Pesa
Contemporary Issues
Since I shifted out from the campus, I still don’t really feel that outside from it. IIT owns so many chunks in the neighborhood. There is the Himgiri Student housing Apartment complex, housing areas for Professors such as Niti Nagar, the Boat Club, and even a lot of service units. In fact, the boundary wall for the institute only came up around 2008!
The campus is so much safer than here! I can feel the difference completely. There are stretches in the neighborhood that have no streetlights! In fact, a professor’s daughter was catcalled recently in the stretch near Rustic house. Except for the main highway road, most streets have pretty poor lighting.
Safety and Gendering of spaces
Rustic House
Rustic House
Haridwar road
Haridwar road
Himgiri Apartment....
Boat Club...
Neeti Nagar...
Rustic house street...
Haridwar road...
Parul and I most frequently visit the ! what a beautiful stretch of road. Shops, hawkers, pedestrians. The beauty of it is actually in the high density of pedestrians. During the day, when it is less people, the road feels dangerous with fast paced transports in that narrow stretch of the street.
They, in fact, restrict cars and heavy vehicular movement on the stretch from 5pm onwards. So, it is only two wheelers, cycles and pedestrians. There is police reinforcing it too.Reminds me of the Rahagiri movement in C.P. Delhi, and Dwarks, New Delhi!
Traffic speed with low density
Main market road...
Century Gate junction is a risky place even with high pedestrian density. So many vehicles, people, small shops. Parking is a huge issue too. Where does a person park around here?!
I disagree, completely. It is such an organic junction, functions for everyone’s needs perfectly. It is such controlled chaos. Why do people wish to park their cars right at the market or this junction? It does not any changing.
There are high chances of accidents. You are just romanticising it. And I am not saying park in the market, but their has to be an assigned parking! There are a lot more people, from outside the neighborhood who come here too.
Have you ever seen an accident happen though? It is perfect as it is. There isinformal assigned parking near earth house for this stretch!
Lack of availability of land, lack of buildings to support the population, congestion and lack of parking are the major issues of this junction, and in fact the entire Civil Lines neighborhood.
One specific issue here is encroachment. These hawkers and thelas need to be removed from here to decongest the place. There needs to be more specialized zoning, where these thelas are moved to specific areas based on their function.
This issue of congestion and load on the streets also lead to the issue of poor drainage! The drainage system is ancient and unavailable to take the current load. It is the same for the older infrastructure like the roads.
Congestion and Lack of parking
Is it enough?! It is not.
Everyone has extremely varying experiences and perceptions of the junction at Century Gate. While some like the chaos, some would prefer more organisation. Some do not feel the need for parking, some do. Some feel that thelas and hawkers are encroaching in the space, some feel that they activate the area and provide character to the place.
Century Gate Junction...
Century Gate Junction...
Drainage is such an issue during the rainy season. This August was terrible.
Some of our friends, who live in the apartment complexes towards the other end of the neighborhood, could not even get out of their houses. Everything was flooded. They could not even go to the college.
In our area too, the water, upto my mid-knee. We were worried about it getting into my car. It was terrible for the people who lived on ground floors. There is a shop basement for storage on ground floor for us. They went through some losses.
Poor Drainage and Flooding
Towards Vikas Nagar...
Jadugar Road...
And the waste is collected in the big bins that accumulate over days on the streets. There needs to be a more efficient system for garbage collection.
Along with drainage, there is also the issue of waste collection and disposal. No one segregates their waste! Why is that not a thing yet?
Poor Waste disposal
You know, there is door to door garbage collection. The same truck that comes to collect the waste from hose trash bins on the street, also stops in front of houses to collect garbage for door-to-door collection. You just don’t know about it because you are always sleepingin the morning!
Don’t you recognise that loud morning truck music?
Oops, hahaha! I guess I need to wake up on time to know this. I shall start doing this now. I did not know that.
But as she said, waste disposal is an issue. All the waste collected is disposed in a large landfill in the outskirts. And all the waste is mixed, not segregated.
Composition of waste in Roorkee
1 Dumping site for entire Roorkee city, 3km from the city
Community bins
Municipal vehicles to transport waste
The present system of MSW management in Roorkee city is not qualifying the standards as set by MSW (Solid Waste Management) Rule, 2016 - compliance criteria for, segregation, collection, storage, transportation, processing and disposal of municipal wastes.
Planning Recommendations
Issues
Safety and Gendering of Spaces
Traffic speed with low density
Congestion and lack of parking
Poor drainage and Flooding
Poor waste disposal
Safety and Gendering of Spaces
Collaborate with HRDA (Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority) to install additional streetlights in poorly lit areas - in the ventricular network of housing and streets frequented, especially around Rustic House and other identified dark stretches. This would improve visibility and deter anti-social activities.
Increase Street Lighting
Work with local law enforcement to increase patrols in poorly lit or perceived unsafe areas. Engage in community policing initiatives to build trust and create a safer environment.
Community Policing
Conduct safety audits in collaboration with residents, identifying areas of concern and implementing targeted interventions, such as better lighting, security cameras, and emergency call boxes.
Safety Audits
Organize workshops and awareness campaigns on safety, self-defense, and gender sensitivity to create a more informed and vigilant community.
Community Engagement
Implement additional traffic calming measures during the day, such as speed bumps or road markings, to regulate vehicle speed in the narrow stretches.
Traffic speed with low pedestrian density
Traffic Calming Measures
Expanded Vehicle Restrictions
Consider expanding the time frame for restricting cars and heavy vehicular movement on the main market stretch to enhance pedestrian safety.
The stretch opposite Himgiri has speed bumps, and that has led to a lot of great changes in the area. But since the street is comparatively towards the interiors, the major roads would benefit more from speed bumps.
Congestion and lack of parking
Zoning and Decongestion
Reevaluate and redesign congested areas, specially the Century Gate junction, considering the introduction of specialized zones for hawkers and thelas. This may involve relocating certain activities to designated areas to reduce congestion.
I
II
III
Identification of streets that have capacity for parking, in proximity to the markets.
Identification and zoning of areas that can have markets/concentration of informal shops/hawkers/thelas.
Speed bumps around Century Gate Junction, in the main market stretch, and Haridwar road on the stretch between Century Gate to Rustic House street.
Current
I
- Post Office road: parking for main market
- Earth House road: parking for Century Gate Junction
- Prem Mandir Shopping center parking
II
- Fruit market street stretches along the Ganga Canal, informal fruit market near Reliance Mart, Wednesday weekly market along Ganga Canal
- Street Food Zone
- Food thelas along the Neelam Cinema Junction to IIT-R Main Gate (Gate no. #1)
III
- Speed Bumps on the road with Neelam Cinema and Himgiri Apartments
- Speed bumps on the Haridwar road along IIT-R boundary from Main gate (Gate no. #1)
Suggestions
I
- Planned parking opposite Prem Mandir Shopping center
- Planned parking further from Earth House, in the stretch towards IIT-R gates closed for vehicular access
II
- Fruit and vegetable hawkers and thelas on the Neelam Cinema stretch street
- Maybe: Stretch along Haridwar road from IIT-R Main Gate (Gate no. #1) to Century Gate Junction, opposite Neeti Nagar houses
- Maybe: stretch along Boat club road junction, along the canal.
III
- Speed Bumps at Century Gate Junction
- Speed bumps along the Main market road stretch
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Poor waste disposal
Launch awareness campaigns promoting waste segregation at the source. Provide residents with information on the benefits and methods of proper waste disposal.
Segregation at source
Waste Segregation Initiatives
Collection by authorities
Transportation and Management
Drives and Awareness
Enhance communication about the existing door-to-door garbage collection system to ensure residents are aware of the service. Improve scheduling and outreach to maximize participation.
Door-to-Door Collection Optimization
Collaborate with municipal authorities to upgrade the waste disposal system, ensuring compliance with MSW (Solid Waste Management) Rule, 2016. Establish facilities for waste segregation, recycling, and environmentally responsible disposal.
Municipal Waste Management Upgrade
Engage residents in community clean-up drives, promoting a sense of responsibility and pride in maintaining a clean neighborhood.
Community Involvement
There need to be established systems for segregation of waste at source, for which there is a system to collect, and treat is separately based on the type of trash.
I did not know about the door to door collection, there sure are more people like me!
We can also have more drive like the ones during Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, that are led by college and the authorities. There is a need to bring the issue of litter into people’s mins too.
Further, better systems that adhere to MSW Rule need to be set in place.
Resources
Access the Interviews...
Expert interview:
Professor Rajesh Chandra
Residential and commercial property holder in the neighborhood, a part of the business circuit, since 1969. He taught as a professor of Architectural Design and Urban and Regional Planning at Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee for decades. He is now retired from the Institute and settled in this neighborhood - Civil Lines - post-retirement.
Video of interview redacted
Interview #2
Parul and Atul Anand Jha
They are PhD scholars at IIT Roorkee, who moved to the university for education. They have shifted out from campus to the neighborhood of Civil Lines since their wedding.
Video of interview redacted
Alternate research method:
Systematic Literature Review
Database
| Keywords/thread
| Results found
| Relevant papers
| Papers used due to availability
|
Scholar
| “Civil Lines”, “Roorkee”
| 258
| 7
| 6
|
Scopus
| TITLE-ABS-KEY ( "Roorkee" AND "civil lines" )
| 0
| 0
| 0
|
Scopus
| TITLE-ABS-KEY ( "Roorkee" AND "planning" )
| 32
| 9
| 6
|
Total
|
| 290
| 16
| 13
|
The literature review was conducted prior to the qualitative data (interviews), in order to understand the history and context of the neighborhood, the dynamics of the stakeholders, and the issues faced by them. It helped inform me of the context to have better questions and flow, and later form recommendations in line with their feasibility and context.
Images were sourced from the papers listed above.
Some images were sourced from google street views.
Special Thanks to Ashutosh Verma (Scholar: IIT-R) and Netrika Rathore (Project Intern: IIT-R) for photos!
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Headrick, Daniel R. 1988. The Tentacles of Progress: Technology Transfer in the Age of Imperialism, 1850–1940. New York: Oxford University Press.
Iyer, Abhishek Venkitaraman. 2013. “Analysis of Physical Infrastructure of Roorkee Town.” Manipal. https://www.scribd.com/document/126104266/Analysis-of-Physical-Infrastructure-of-Roorkee-Town#.
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Mondal, M. S., Garg, R. D., Pandey, V., & Kappas, M. (2021). Route alignment planning for a new highway between two cities using Geoinformatics techniques. Egyptian Journal of Remote Sensing and Space Science, 24(3P2), 595–607. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrs.2021.05.003
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Vishwakarma, R. K., Joshi, H., & Goonetilleke, A. (2023). Sustainability Evaluation of the Stormwater Drainage System in Six Indian Cities. Sustainability, 15(20), 14906. https://doi.org/10.3390/su152014906
Thank You!