PLANNING OF A SUSTAINABLE MILITARY STATION AT JAIPUR

Abstract

Indian army, one of the largest in the world, is spread across the country both in peace and field locations. Some units are deployed on the border and other field duties whereas other units are stationed at peace stations where they do training and rest and recoup. Officers and men also get a chance to stay with their families for a period of two to three years before they are re-deployed on field duties on rotation basis with other units. In addition to these fighting units, there are administrative HQs which are static in nature. A military station usually has the combination of both static administrative HQs and mobile fighting units. These units are involved in a number of activities like administration, training, recreational and social activities, and education of children etc. which require a large number of social and physical infrastructure. Thus we can say that the military stations are full fledged urban centres with a fixed population. The British had introduced the concept of cantonments which was basically aimed at developing only a pocket of the town being used by the Army and some pockets of civilian areas usually called Civil Lines. For the urban governance of these cantonments, Cantonment Boards were formed which looked after the creation and maintenance of various types of infrastructure and the implementation of various rules and regulations. However, post independence the concept of cantonments has been replaced by the creation of military stations which differ from the cantonments basically in the governance style where military stations are planned, developed and maintained by Military Engineering Services (MES). Moreover, military stations do not have any civilian pockets inside them.