Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the two main aspects of urban development in India were the development of new cities and modernisation of old urban systems.
He lamented that few planned cities had been built in the country since Independence.
“Had 75 new and major planned cities been built in the last 75 years since Independence, the picture of India today would have been totally different,” the Prime Minister said while addressing a post-Budget webinar on Urban Planning Development and Sanitation.
Mr. Modi said that in the 21st century, India was developing at a rapid pace and several new cities were going to be essential for the future. “In such a scenario there are two main aspects of urban development in India. Development of new cities and modernisation of old systems in old cities”.
The Budgetary allocation of ₹15,000 crore for this year will mark a new beginning of planned and systematic urbanisation in the country and it will gain momentum, he said.
Observing that the poor planning of cities or the lack of proper implementation after planning can create major challenges in development, Mr. Modi said that be it transport planning, urban infrastructure planning or water management, it was necessary to work in a very focused way in all these areas.
All State governments and urban local bodies must always remember one thing; they will be able to contribute to the development of the country only when they develop planned urban areas, the Prime Minister said.
He urged urban planners to think of more innovative ideas such as the GIS-based master planning, development of different types of planning tools, efficient human resources or capacity building.
The Prime Minister said that the new cities built by India should be garbage-free, water-secure, and climate resilient and for this, there was a need to increase the investment in urban infrastructure and planning in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
“Be it architecture, zero discharge model, net positivity of energy, efficiency in land use, transit corridors or use of AI in public services, this is the time to set new parameters for our future cities,” he added.
He highlighted the need to plan for transport, proper waste disposal and clean drinking water for better urban centres.
