*URBAN JUNGLE NEEDS FUNDS *
*The Centre and states' spending on urban development is grossly inadequate
to deal with rapid urbanisation and unprecedented population pressure on
cities, a report has warned. The Centre spends just 0.25 % of its total
expenditure on urban development and the states 1.73 % says the report
brought out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
The Centre's total expenditure on urban development in the last five years
has not been more than Rs.5,900 crore. *
*Governments have not thought of building new cities and in existing cities
slums are allowed to come up resulting in "many problems of human
dimensions". Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai face serious problems due to
inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure. Other big cities like Bangalore,
Hyderabad and Ahmedabad face shortage of drinking water, bad sanitation and
power crisis, the report says. *
*"Building skycrapers in the suburban towns of Gurgaon, Noida and Pune in
the vicinity of Delhi and Mumbai would not suffice. These hubs of new
economy would require good roads, hospitals, local transport, metro rail
links, schools, colleges and above all an efficient communication system". *
*The report says the National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) which plans to
spend Rs.1 lakh crore in the next seven years, is an ambitious programme,
but it is not clear where the funds would come from. States have to increase
their capital expenditure by at least three times from the Rs.3,981 crore
provided in the 2005-06 budget, if NURM targets have to be achieved. *
*The study recommends that all cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh
must compulsorily have a Master Plan, which must be enforced "rigorously and
ruthlessly" so that unplanned growth of slums and encroachments by
commercial establishments in checked. *
*Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi edition, Thursday, December 22, 2006 *
*The Centre and states' spending on urban development is grossly inadequate
to deal with rapid urbanisation and unprecedented population pressure on
cities, a report has warned. The Centre spends just 0.25 % of its total
expenditure on urban development and the states 1.73 % says the report
brought out by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India.
The Centre's total expenditure on urban development in the last five years
has not been more than Rs.5,900 crore. *
*Governments have not thought of building new cities and in existing cities
slums are allowed to come up resulting in "many problems of human
dimensions". Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai face serious problems due to
inadequate and dilapidated infrastructure. Other big cities like Bangalore,
Hyderabad and Ahmedabad face shortage of drinking water, bad sanitation and
power crisis, the report says. *
*"Building skycrapers in the suburban towns of Gurgaon, Noida and Pune in
the vicinity of Delhi and Mumbai would not suffice. These hubs of new
economy would require good roads, hospitals, local transport, metro rail
links, schools, colleges and above all an efficient communication system". *
*The report says the National Urban Renewal Mission (NURM) which plans to
spend Rs.1 lakh crore in the next seven years, is an ambitious programme,
but it is not clear where the funds would come from. States have to increase
their capital expenditure by at least three times from the Rs.3,981 crore
provided in the 2005-06 budget, if NURM targets have to be achieved. *
*The study recommends that all cities with populations exceeding 10 lakh
must compulsorily have a Master Plan, which must be enforced "rigorously and
ruthlessly" so that unplanned growth of slums and encroachments by
commercial establishments in checked. *
*Source: Hindustan Times, Delhi edition, Thursday, December 22, 2006 *