The Hindu 11.12.2013
State Govt. urged to improve infrastructure in Coimbatore
Union Development Ministry has asked the State
Government to improve the infrastructure facilities in Coimbatore as the
city has been rated ahead of Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kolkota, Noida,
Gurgoan and many other cities as a business destination, in a survey by
Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM).
The
survey, quoted by the Ministry of Urban Development, has said that the
city had scored 119.84 out of 160 points and performed well on water
index, human capital, availability of helping hands and its ability to
attract talent.
Parameters
The
parameters the GIREM had chosen are human capital, energy, water,
mobility or transport, environment, health and safety, schools and
colleges, housing, healthcare, ability to attract talent, climate,
office space availability, malls and multiplexes, helping hand
availability, infrastructure for helping hand, city culture and
getaways.
The MoUD has used the survey findings to
ask the State Government to capitalise on the achievements and improve
on areas where the cities are found wanting.
In his
letter, Sudhir Krishna, Secretary, Urban Development, has asked
secretaries of state governments to use the various policies and schemes
steered by the Ministry such as the urban and regional development,
planning formulation and implementation guidelines and guidelines for
sustainable urban infrastructure to improve the cities ranking on other
parameters.
Other cities
He
has also asked the states’ secretaries to encourage other cities to
follow the same and improve their rankings as preferred business
destinations.
Sources in the Coimbatore Corporation
said that they would work on bettering office space availability,
facilitating creation of malls and providing infrastructure for the
helping hands — areas where the city had scored below average.
The
survey has found energy and mobility services to be poor in the city
and suggested that unless there were improvements on those two fronts,
the city would find it difficult to sustain its position among the top
10 business destinations in the Country.
Higher rank
The
cities that have fared better than Coimbatore are Bangalore, Chennai,
Mumbai, Pune, Indore and Bhubaneshwar. Bangalore has scored 129.56 and
Chennai 127.84.
Coimbatore Corporation officials say they will work on bettering office space availability.