ABSTRACT
Long-standing shortfalls in civic amenities — water, electricity, transport — suddenly acquired the status of ticking time-bombs and the race to defuse them became a mission to prevent cities collapsing on themselves. The poor vendor, rickshaw-puller, homeless person is condemned to perpetual harassment and insecurity. The fact that the prior ownership of property has now become a precondition for being recognised as a legitimate member of the public is also evident in the treatment of urban issues by the judiciary and the media whose construction of the ‘public interest’ increasingly excludes the concerns of the poorer sections of the public. The need to demonstrate that all ‘stakeholders’ are included in the consultation generates a demand for those non-governmental organisations who are willing to participate on terms specified and who will not ask awkward questions. The neoliberal notion of public participation comes into contention with its more democratic version which is anchored in the terrain of electoral politics and popular protest.
