If the face of cities changes, 50% of the population can get a better life – Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

Pune : Today, 50% of Maharashtra’s population lives in 500 cities, while the remaining population lives in 40,000 villages. If we can change the face of cities, we can provide a better life to 50% of the population. For this, a deliberation like ‘Pune Urban Dialogue’ is necessary, stated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

He was speaking at the inauguration of the ‘Pune Urban Dialogue – Challenges and Solutions’ program jointly organized at Yashada by Yashada, Barve Charitable Trust, International Center, and Pune Municipal Corporation. On this occasion, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant (Dada) Patil, Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal, MLAs Bhimrao Tapkir, Vijay Shivtare, Bapusaheb Pathare, Hemant Rasane, former Chief Secretary Dr. Nitin Karir, Divisional Commissioner Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Yashada Director General Niranjan Sudhanshu, Pune Municipal Commissioner Dr. Rajendra Bhosale, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Shekhar Singh, and senior officials from various departments were present.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said that the entire development plan of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority is being canceled, and first a road network is to be created and town planning schemes utilized. Today, while creating a new city or township as future Pune through PMRDA, large roads are necessary. Also, urban transport is a key issue and a Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority is being created. Public transport should aim to provide travel connectivity till the final destination.

In Mumbai, a single ticket covers suburban railways, metro, monorail, and even water taxis. Any individual will be able to plan a journey with transport modes available within 200 meters and options to the destination. In the first phase, this will be implemented in Mumbai in the next six months and later across the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

In the coming period, mapping of routes will be done and for that, an agreement is being signed with Google. This will help simulate signals and manage traffic. In Pune, efforts are underway to strengthen the transport system by connecting PMPML bus service with the metro. Feeder services for the metro are necessary, and efforts are on in that direction. For this, the Pune Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (PUMTA) has been formed.

In the past, for the first time ever, 17 regional plans were created in the first phase by the government. Development plans were made for Mumbai, Pune Municipal Corporation, Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, etc. While making these plans, development was kept in sight, hence no disputes arose. In the process of urbanization, many municipal councils and nagar panchayats have been created. With proper planning and investment in such places, we have the opportunity to bring an easy lifestyle to citizens in expanding boundaries.

Chief Minister Fadnavis said that cities in the country today appear deteriorated. People from rural areas come to cities for education, healthcare, jobs, opportunities, and entertainment. In such a situation, if housing is not provided, slums develop, river streams get encroached. Due to urban expansion, issues like solid waste, sewage, and drinking water emerge and cities go out of management, becoming unsustainable and unlivable – this realization hits suddenly.

In Maharashtra, considering the growing urbanization, only two or three cities have been newly created (greenfield). But in other existing cities, providing new facilities is necessary and a challenge. The urban plan we make should be implementable. There must be an execution framework, a funding structure, and the will to implement it, the Chief Minister said.

He added that the topic of urban governance taken up in this dialogue is important for Maharashtra. Today, even the smallest nagar panchayats can be well-governed using technology. Hence, a rethinking and restructuring of urban governance is necessary. Due to changes in the environment, sudden large-scale disasters occur; deliberation on disaster management is important. Though this dialogue is centered in Pune, it will serve as a guiding light for the whole state. The Chief Minister expressed confidence that the issues brought out through the discussion will be converted into a roadmap and efforts will be made for implementation.

Paying tribute on the 111th birth anniversary of S. G. Barve, the Chief Minister said Barve, Pune’s first administrator, was a visionary officer who thought of town planning even when there was little focus on it during the early urbanization era. Many important documents prepared by him are still relevant today, he said, praising Barve’s contribution.

Effective implementation of development plans is essential for providing basic amenities to citizens – Minister of State for Urban Development Madhuri Misal

The state government has approved development plans. In the coming time, the remaining development plans will also be approved. While preparing urban development plans, factors like sanitation, water supply, transport, environment, pollution, sewerage, solid waste management, drainage, and slum rehabilitation are included. Effective implementation of approved development plans is essential for providing citizens with basic infrastructure. In the future, the concept of ‘urban designing’ should also be included in these plans. To develop clean and beautiful cities, attention must be paid to preventing encroachments, unauthorized constructions, and advertising hoardings. For this, local representatives, administration, and citizens must work in coordination.

Under the 100-day initiative guided by the Chief Minister, the Urban Development Department has planned various tasks. These tasks must be completed on time, and obstacles overcome, so that various projects can be implemented and citizens can be provided with amenities, Minister Misal said.

In his introductory speech, Dr. Karir said the purpose of this seminar is to deliberate on urban issues arising from rapid urbanization and find their solutions. The aim is also to discuss the benefits of urbanization, its economics, growing population, and the pressure on infrastructure while improving the quality of life of citizens.

S. G. Barve was Pune’s former administrator and municipal commissioner. He is honored as a distinguished civil servant. He made significant contributions as a member of the Planning Commission, especially through reports on housing and administrative reforms.

At the event, Chief Minister Fadnavis unveiled the website of the S. G. Barve Trust. At the beginning of the event, homage was paid to the tourists who died in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. Municipal Commissioner Dr. Bhosale gave the vote of thanks.