Bangalore: Former union urban development secretary M. Ramachanran has said that the Geographical Information System (GIS) application has not been utilised properly and the public response has been poor and emphasis must be given for e-governance and GIS application.
Participating at the launch of the Smart Cities Council– India and workshop on Thursday he said that as a way forward there is a need to emulate best practices from other smart cities. Transport, communication, water and power supply must be improved, he said.
Principal Secretary of urban development department Srinivasachari said Bengaluru has witnessed ‘unchecked and unregulated’ urbanisation.
“India is driven by village force. With the infrastructure taking a back seat we are struggling with basic needs. Bengaluru and Mysore were once a bundle of villages. They have been evolved as a city over the years. It is easy to build a new house; but difficult to renovate an existing one,” he said.
According to a recent study, the city requires an investment of whopping Rs 80,000 crore over the next five years, but is capable of generating Rs 30,000 crore, including the borrowings.
The government has sought a financial assistance of Rs 1,800 crore for the development of Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) from Japan Infrastructure Cooperation Agency (JICA). It is a big stride towards intelligent transport system, he added.
Former chief secretary A Ravindra said, “There is no more urgent task facing India than fixing its cities. We need to mobilise all possible resources, talent, technology and finance to improve the quality of life of our urban residents.”
