APJ Abdul Kalam lists out his dream for Chennai

Chennai: Listing out his dream for the city of Chennai, former president APJ Abdul Kalam on Wednesday said he would like to see smart water grid, usage of biofuel and solar power and separate lanes for pedestrians and cycles come true between 2020 and 2030.

"Whenever I come to Madras, I have a dream. I dream of how Chennai and region around it between 2020 and 2030…a smart water grid, linking lakes and rivers, if there are any. I saw this in Canada," Kalam said, while addressing a function in Chennai.

The strong advocate for creating carbon neutral cities, Kalam said he envisaged a Chennai, whose two and four wheelers used a combination of biofuel and solar panels, which eventually reduced the emission levels. "I have seen abroad and I want here separate lanes for pedestrians and cycles," he said.

Kalam says lesser usage of fossil fuel and more reliance on biofuel would make cities emission free in the long run.

Kalam was in the city to be the chief guest in a series of functions. Continuing to advocate for creation of carbon neutral cities in the country, Kalam said lesser usage of fossil fuel and more reliance on biofuel and solar panels would make cities emission free in the longer run.

"A combination of hydropower movement, water body creation, biofuel and renewable energy combination for automobile and integrated transport planning in cities and whole state coupled with planting of about 100 million trees will definitely enable Tamil Nadu to become a carbon neutral state by 2030," he said.

Holding that no city he visited across the world was even close to his dream city, Kalam said a dream city should have a population of not more than five million, generate its own power through green sources, be a vibrant economy using clean energy, use bio-fuel and insist on rainwater harvesting. He said that cities should have clean transport system, green fuels and eco friendly transport system, smart building, eco zones.

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