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`Get people involved in urban development'
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An advisory body can suggest legal instruments to decongest the city and ensure that water bodies are well maintained
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K. Ramanujam, State chairman, Tamil Nadu Builders' Association of India. — Photo: R. Ragu
This builder supports a healthy regulatory framework. But he wants the government to update urban development laws and rules to suit the ground situation to meet the increasing public demand for affordable housing and infrastructure. K. Ramanujam, State chairman of the Builders Association of India (BAI), spoke to K. Ramachandran, on managing Chennai's dynamic urban scenario.
Mr. Ramanujam goes back to the 1960s when Anna Nagar was being conceived. Chennai's residents were offered land at Rs. 5,000 a ground.
Unable to pay the amount, some allottees returned their share to the Housing Board.
"The situation has changed completely and today there is a clamour for housing. Land is no longer available in the city limits," says Mr. Ramanujam. The people of Chennai made the development possible. People's aspirations have driven the growth of knowledge cityor industrial townships around the metropolis.
In contrast, government development agencies continue to focus on duplicating George Town.
As a result, T. Nagar, Triplicane or Mylapore are turning to be as congested as George Town, he said. There is a need to expand as townships and popularise the concept of Greater Chennai.
When R. Venkataraman (who later became President) implemented the railway electrification project between Madras and Villupuram, the idea was to extend the city's growth down south. But it has not happened to the required extent, says Mr. Ramanujam.
"First let's have a plan for Greater Chennai. I think there is scope for going 60 km south and in the southeast, since in the north are industrial townships and in the east is the sea. But in doing so green belts should not be touched at any rate by developers.
They should be left alone for reducing pollutingand helping in groundwater recharge.
The BAI State president says the government must identify land, create highwaysand crossroads.
Even these, Mr. Ramanujam feels, should be planned and conceived by an apex advisory body above the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA).
The advisory body, he suggests, could be set up on the model of one functioning in Bangalore, which has public and industry representatives, such as Infosys (N.R) Narayana Murthy, as members.
The advisory body can suggest legal instruments to decongest the city and ensure that water bodies are well maintained.
The government can then move in to build big and smaller roads and ensure that developments take place 300 or 400 meters away from main roads.
But why an advisory body with private citizens?
"Because it is people who make the city. We have experienced architect and town planners who can help with the effort," he said.
Mr. Ramanujam has taken up seriously the education of workers.
We always aspire to create a building that looks like those in Washington or Houston. But we need more such buildings, not one or two. There is a huge amount of money lying with governments for training workers.
"What we need today is to retrain those who handle the `kolru' (implement used for laying bricks and cement), the painter and the carpenter in using modern technology. In fact, companies such as L & T are training their workers. The idea is that these trained personnel can become sub-contractors," says Mr. Ramanujam.
He has plans to create a Tamil Nadu BAI Research and Training wing that will take up workers training in a big way.
"We plan to train trainers with the support of Anna University. The trainers' trainers can then spread the skills in districts," he says.
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
|
