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Viksit Bharat impossible without affordable housing, public healthcare: Ex-SC judge Oka
Former Supreme Court judge said the “Idea of India” includes ensuring every citizen’s right to clean air, a pollution-free environment, and the government has “utterly failed” to meet this obligation
New Delhi: The idea of “Viksit Bharat” cannot truly succeed unless it is supported by the availability of affordable housing, accessible medical care, and reasonably priced education, former Supreme Court (SC) judge A.S. Oka said on Saturday.
Speaking at the Trialogue on “Sustainable Development and the Idea of India Therein,” organised by the Justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi Foundation, he said that development is not limited to building large flyovers, expansive roads, airports, or other grand infrastructure projects.
He added that there is a fundamental flaw in how the government and various agencies currently conceptualise development.
“There can’t be a Viksit Bharat, where in our cities we are not providing affordable accommodation. Where is the question of Viksit Bharat? Go to any city. We are not creating affordable accommodation at all. So, when we talk about idea of India, and we talk about Viksit Bharat, someday we’ll have to think about one thing: that in the last 25 years, have we created affordable housing in our cities where a good person, one person, you know, lower middle class, can afford and occupy that housing in bigger cities?” he said.
“Have we created public hospitals? Viksit Bharat is not only about constructing huge flyovers, huge roads, airports and other infrastructure,” he added.
The former judge said that the “Idea of India” includes ensuring every citizen’s right to clean air and a pollution-free environment, and the government has “utterly failed” to meet this obligation. “The idea of India also includes the right of citizens to breathe fresh air and live in a pollution-free environment. The government is collectively responsible for conserving and protecting. Do you find the government or governmental agencies really thinking of protecting the environment? It is perhaps left to the environmentalists and the courts to do it,” he said.
Addressing the event, former Delhi high court (HC) judge Najmi Waziri urged citizens to take responsibility for protecting the environment.
Waziri said that the institutions entrusted with this duty under the Constitution have failed to fulfil it. “There is no one to take care of the environment. No angel would come to take care of the environment; whatever needs to be done needs to be done by the citizens. Systems that are supposed to deliver are not delivering. Systems are not responding. India is not for the rich; it’s for everyone, and everyone has a right to live,” he added.
