Practicing Success
In 1836, in Calcutta why did the Britishers ban the construction of thatched roofs and make it mandatory to construct tiled roofs? |
To reduce deforestation To reduce frequent fires in the city To increase the income of the potters All of the above |
To reduce frequent fires in the city |
The correct answer is Option 2 - To reduce frequent fires in the city In its drive to make the Indian areas of Calcutta cleaner, the Lottery committee removed many huts and displaced the labouring poor, who were now pushed to the outskirts of Calcutta. The threat of epidemics gave a further impetus to town planning in the next few decades. Cholera started spreading from 1817 and in 1896 plague made its appearance. The cause of these diseases had not yet been established firmly by medical science. The government proceeded on the basis of the accepted theory of the time: that there was a direct correlation between living conditions and the spread of disease. Such views were supported by prominent Indian merchants in the city, such as Dwarkanath Tagore and Rustomjee Cowasjee, who felt that Calcutta needed to be made more healthy. Densely built-up areas were seen as unsanitary since they obstructed direct sunlight and circulation of air. That was why working people’s huts or “bustis” became the target of demolition. The poor in the city – workers, hawkers, artisans, porters and the unemployed – were once again forced to move to distant parts of the city. Frequent fires also led to stricter building regulations – for instance, thatched huts were banned in 1836 and tiled roofs made mandatory. |