The Hindu 13.06.2010
‘Develop sustainable model for metropolitan governance'
Staff Correspondent
| People's opinion should be taken while framing development plans: ITPI chief |
‘Every second person in the country will be living in urban areas by 2051'
Vice-Chancellor stresses the need for conserving the heritage of Mysore
MYSORE: B.A. Coutinho, Metropolitan Commissioner, Bangalore Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (BMRDA), has stressed the need for developing a sustainable model for metropolitan governance in the country.
Mr. Coutinho was speaking after inaugurating the south zone conference on “Metropolitan governance, heritage conservation and education” here on Saturday.
Conservation
Experts on metropolitan governance, town planning and heritage conservation attended the conference organised jointly by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), New Delhi, and the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Mysore.
Mr. Coutinho said urbanisation was happening at a rapid pace and a time might come when there would be no demarcation between urban and rural areas.
He also explained various models adopted for town planning in the country. D.S. Mesharam, President of the Institute of Town Planners, India, said every second person in the country would be living in urban areas by 2051. At present, nearly 28 per cent of the country's population was living in urban areas, he said.
The question that arises following the growth of metropolitan towns was “how to make them sustainable?” he said.
“Are we straining the metropolitan towns? Are we overusing the resources meant for our future generations owing to urbanisation? Such questions crop up when we talk about metropolitan governance,” Mr. Mesharam noted.
He lamented that people's opinion was not being taken while framing development plans or master plans for urban India. It was important to take people into confidence for developing sustainable and viable models, he said.
Technically worded
Mr. Mesharam said that people were unable to understand technically worded building bylaws framed by town planners. Being accountable to the people, town planners should write the laws in a simpler language.
He called upon town planners to focus on the provisions of 74th Constitution Amendment Act while discussing issues pertaining to metropolitan governance.
Mr. Mesharam felt that a holistic view was necessary while developing models for heritage conservation. Harmony between the old and new structures was most essential, he said.
V.G. Talawar, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore, who presided over the function, stressed the need for conserving the heritage of Mysore.
Aniyan Mathew, Vice-President, ITPI; Pradeep Kapoor, Secretary-General, ITPI; B. Mahendra, National Council member, ITPI; K.V. Aiyanna, IDS Director; and Krishne Gowda, professor, IDS, Mysore, were among those present.
Minister for Higher Education Arvind Limbavali, who was supposed to inaugurate the conference, could not make it to the programme.
Delegates from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and other States participated in the conference.
Lectures
Experts gave lectures during the technical sessions on metropolitan governance and heritage conservation, natural areas and education.
The organisers told the conference that the UN-HABITAT had launched a global campaign on urban governance to support development of sustainable human settlements in an urbanising world with increasing focus on urban governance.
