http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=170056
Urban decay reversal
All roads need not lead to jams
Posted online: Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 0000 hours IST
THE United Nations Population Fund recently made an interesting observation that contrary to usual expectations, the rate of migration in India to the cities from the villages has fallen far short of projections. Given the conditions of our cities, that is welcome news. Urban India is creaking under the pressure of having to find livelihood and shelter for nearly 300 million people. The only context in which one now talks of Indian cities is the multiplying problems they face. According to an estimate by the urban development ministry, the cities need an investment of over Rs 1,76,000 crore over the next seven years to achieve any semblance of an improvement in living conditions of their inhabitants. If not, the cities will become even more unliveable.
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The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, expected to cost Rs 60,000 crore for 60 cities, has already made the Centre a stakeholder in the future of the cities. This could be extended further. A special-purpose vehicle including officers from state, local and municipal bodies can be tasked to achieve specific milestones of improvements in a span of, say, 10 years. The present humungous level of staff in the municipal departments, with little knowledge of their areas and even lesser motivation, can scarcely be expected to achieve any major degree of success in effecting urban improvement. In addition, the dismal record of municipal bodies in raising funds from the markets show that their finances are too precarious to allow much comfort. Only three local corporations — Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad — have been able to issue bonds for specified improvement projects.
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There also has to be an awareness that the urban sprawl and its attendant risks are spreading much faster than is commonly acknowledged. The appointment of an Urban Commission may therefore be an opportunity to give positive shape to the story of Indian urbanisation.
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Urban decay reversal
All roads need not lead to jams
Posted online: Sunday, July 15, 2007 at 0000 hours IST
THE United Nations Population Fund recently made an interesting observation that contrary to usual expectations, the rate of migration in India to the cities from the villages has fallen far short of projections. Given the conditions of our cities, that is welcome news. Urban India is creaking under the pressure of having to find livelihood and shelter for nearly 300 million people. The only context in which one now talks of Indian cities is the multiplying problems they face. According to an estimate by the urban development ministry, the cities need an investment of over Rs 1,76,000 crore over the next seven years to achieve any semblance of an improvement in living conditions of their inhabitants. If not, the cities will become even more unliveable.
..............
The Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission, expected to cost Rs 60,000 crore for 60 cities, has already made the Centre a stakeholder in the future of the cities. This could be extended further. A special-purpose vehicle including officers from state, local and municipal bodies can be tasked to achieve specific milestones of improvements in a span of, say, 10 years. The present humungous level of staff in the municipal departments, with little knowledge of their areas and even lesser motivation, can scarcely be expected to achieve any major degree of success in effecting urban improvement. In addition, the dismal record of municipal bodies in raising funds from the markets show that their finances are too precarious to allow much comfort. Only three local corporations — Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad — have been able to issue bonds for specified improvement projects.
..............
There also has to be an awareness that the urban sprawl and its attendant risks are spreading much faster than is commonly acknowledged. The appointment of an Urban Commission may therefore be an opportunity to give positive shape to the story of Indian urbanisation.
___________________________________________________________
Now you can scan emails quickly with a reading pane. Get the new Yahoo! Mail. http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/nowyoucan.html