Selja advocates need to set up town-planning institutions
PTI | 02:11 AM,Nov 18,2011Mysore, Nov 17 (PTI) Rueing that the urban local bodies were being managed by "amateurs," Union Housing and Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja today stressed the need for setting up institutions imparting education in town planning and urbanisation. "There are no such institutions in India that impart education addressing problems related to town planning and urbanisation," she said addressing the India Urban Conference 2011 here. Town planning institutions would churn out experts who could address town-planning and urban-related problems professionally, Selja said. Urban local bodies were being managed by "amatuers" and there was a need for professionals to take over to solve burgeoning urban and town-planning problems, she said. Selja also stressed the need for overhauling the property tax system as she said the collections suggested many were evading paying property tax. The minister stressed the need for Centre-State cooperation for making India slum-free. "The Central government wants to make India slum-free through Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY). The programme envisages Central support to States that are willing to assign property rights to slum dwellers," she said. Stressing the need to find ways to make cities more inclusive, she said urbanisation of cities was creating a wedge between the rich and the poor. "There is a dire need to address the issues of faulty urban land policy and urban planning models responsible for mushrooming of slums," Selja said, adding current land policies would need "drastic changes" to address the interests of the urban poor. The States need to re-look at the policies of making land and living space available to the masses in cities, especially the poor at a much faster rate than the pace of urban population growth, Selja said. PTI BDN ARP ARP 11180015
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.
Disclaimer: Network18 Media & Investments Limited is proposing, subject to market conditions and other considerations, an offer of its equity shares on rights basis and has filed a Draft Letter of Offer with the Securities and Exchange Board of India. The Draft Letter of Offer is available on the website of SEBI at