Friday, October 06, 2006
Unplanned Growth Will Kill Indian Cities: Experts
By Brij Khandelwal
Agra: Indian cities, facing the onslaught of unprecedented urbanization, will collapse unless town planners review their policies and evolve a model compatible with Indian ethos, say experts.
“The haphazard growth of cities, bypassing of environmental laws and existing master plans by the private sector-driven land development industry has precipitated a crisis in the overall habitat scenario in the country," Agra Rural Development Association president Vinay Paliwal told a seminar.
The seminar to mark World Habitat Day was organized jointly by the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Citizens' Council, Agra Forum of Concerned Citizens and several NGOs.
Indian cities were bursting at the seams as large-scale migration from the rural hinterland had caused the virtual collapse of existing infrastructure, said P.K. Jain, convener of Joint Action Committee here.
Heritage Conservation Society president Surenda Sharma said: "As 70% of India's population lives in rural areas, villages need to be urbanized by expanding civic amenities and improving living conditions. Otherwise, the mass exodus from rural hinterland to urban centers will continue unabated."
Quoting ancient Indian texts including Kautilya's treatises, former Agra University registrar M.G. Gupta lamented that today's town planners had messed up the urban scene with their lopsided approach to urbanization, which was variously being redefined and reinvented by all kinds of interest groups.
Krishna Kumar said there was no coordination between private players and state agencies, adding that land use patterns were being changed to suit vested interests. The 'green lungs' of many cities had disappeared due to land grabbers.
R.C. Sharma, a noted historian, said: "Urban planning should integrate programmes for improving life in the slums and providing them basic amenities. Modern town-planning strategies have nothing to offer to the slums except demolitions and shifting."
(brij.khandelwal@mediabharti.com)
Agra: Indian cities, facing the onslaught of unprecedented urbanization, will collapse unless town planners review their policies and evolve a model compatible with Indian ethos, say experts.
“The haphazard growth of cities, bypassing of environmental laws and existing master plans by the private sector-driven land development industry has precipitated a crisis in the overall habitat scenario in the country," Agra Rural Development Association president Vinay Paliwal told a seminar.
The seminar to mark World Habitat Day was organized jointly by the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Citizens' Council, Agra Forum of Concerned Citizens and several NGOs.
Indian cities were bursting at the seams as large-scale migration from the rural hinterland had caused the virtual collapse of existing infrastructure, said P.K. Jain, convener of Joint Action Committee here.
Heritage Conservation Society president Surenda Sharma said: "As 70% of India's population lives in rural areas, villages need to be urbanized by expanding civic amenities and improving living conditions. Otherwise, the mass exodus from rural hinterland to urban centers will continue unabated."
Quoting ancient Indian texts including Kautilya's treatises, former Agra University registrar M.G. Gupta lamented that today's town planners had messed up the urban scene with their lopsided approach to urbanization, which was variously being redefined and reinvented by all kinds of interest groups.
Krishna Kumar said there was no coordination between private players and state agencies, adding that land use patterns were being changed to suit vested interests. The 'green lungs' of many cities had disappeared due to land grabbers.
R.C. Sharma, a noted historian, said: "Urban planning should integrate programmes for improving life in the slums and providing them basic amenities. Modern town-planning strategies have nothing to offer to the slums except demolitions and shifting."
(brij.khandelwal@mediabharti.com)
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