To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus... | UPSC 2014 GS1 PYQ

MAINS 2014

GS1

10 marks

To what extent has the urban planning and culture of the Indus Valley Civilization provided inputs to the present day urbanization? Discuss.

WRITE IN

7 min

150 words

What the examiner wants

Discuss how far Harappan urban planning and culture inform present-day urbanisation.

DiscussExplain the different sides of the issue, use evidence, and finish with a balanced view.

1Planning inputs: grid layout, citadel and lower town zoning, standardised burnt bricks (1:4:2 ratio), covered drains and soak pits, wells in houses≈30 words
2Water lessons: Dholavira reservoirs and rainwater harvesting, Lothal dockyard≈30 words
3Culture: public spaces (Great Bath), standard weights and measures, civic discipline without visible monuments to rulers≈30 words
4Limits: modern cities face scale, migration, slums; Harappan practices not directly inherited; inputs are lessons rather than continuity≈30 words

Open in about 20 words and close in about 20.

Harappan planning featuresTheir relevance to drainage, water, zoning todayLimits of the comparisonConclusion with Smart Cities/AMRUT link

Describing the Indus cities without linking each feature to a present urban problem
Overclaiming direct continuity to modern Indian cities

Table: Harappan feature → modern problem → modern scheme (e.g. drains → urban flooding → AMRUT)

ExampleDholavira was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, noted for its elaborate water conservation system of reservoirs.UNESCO, 2021
SchemeSmart Cities Mission (2015) covering 100 cities, and AMRUT (2015) for water and sewerage, address the same concerns Harappans planned for.Government of India, 2015

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