Kerala - Kochi   

Urban planning needs foresight: Bhatia

Staff Reporter

KOCHI: Urban planning and regional planning are facing a series of complex problems that have to be tackled with prowess, Governor R.L. Bhatia has said.

Inaugurating the 55th National Town and Country Planners' Congress here on Tuesday, Mr. Bhatia said there was a number of local issues that needed immediate and positive intervention.

Development would become meaningful only when it involved economic, scientific and artistic aspects, he said. It was in this area the experience and expertise of senior planners and seasoned professionals should be utilised for better results, he said.

Organised by the Institute of Town Planners, India (ITPI), there were about 200 delegates from across the country participating in the two-day congress with a focus on ``Reforms in Town and Country Planning Legislation.'' D.S. Meshram, president, ITPI, said that participation of people who had stakes in the planning process was vital. People would begin to see planning policies as their own, making implementation a likely possibility. There was a rapid economic growth since the last decade and it had become important to build core infrastructure like road networks, mass rapid transit systems and modernising ports and airports, he said. The Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was a major Government initiative for the cities to upgrade infrastructure.

At the meeting, Pradeep Kapoor, secretary general, ITPI, welcomed the gathering. Aniyan Mathew, vice-president, ITPI, read out the messages for the congress and Eapen Varghese, Chief Town Planner, proposed a vote of thanks.

K.J. Sohan, chairman, standing committee, Kochi Corporation, V.D. Satheesan, MLA, and T.K. Jose, Secretary, Department of Local Self-Government, participated in the various sessions organised on the occasion.

The themes taken up were ``Reforms in Town and Country Planning Legislation, Emerging town and Country Planning Processes and Making Cities Safer.''

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