Urban Update April 2023

Quality is just one of our strengths

AIILSG has begun skill development programmes in Rajasthan and Jharkhand. The institute with its 90+ years of experience in the field of capacity building would impart training to youth living in rural areas of these two states to make them employable in various emerging sectorsApparel, Beauty & Wellness, Electronics, Healthcare, IT-ITEs, and Renewable Energy. As per Mou singed, AIILSG will train 16,000 youngsters.

UrbanUpdate

A monthly magazine published by the AIILSG.

Ranjit Chavan

President-AIILSG

Dr Jairaj Phatak

Editor-In-Chief

Director General-AIILSG

Ashok Wankhade

Managing Editor

Abhishek Pandey Editor

Ravi Ranjan Guru Executive Editor

Ayesha Saeed Reporter

Pushpender Singh

Indrani Priyadarshini

Shashank Garg

Trainee Reporters

Arjun Singh

Digital Marketing Associate

Meenakshi Rajput

Art Director

Volume VIII - Issue XII

Printed and published by Ranjit Chavan on behalf of All India Institute of Local Self-Government.

Printed at Artz & Printz, 208, DSIDC Shed, Okhla Industrial Area Phase-I

New Delhi-110020

Published at Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area D-Block Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058

Note: Subscriptions are only invited from municipal corporations, government bodies, academic & research institutions, etc. working in the domain of urban development. We only levy courier and handling charges. We may fully waive-off the charges for municipalities and academic institutions upon receiving such request and approval from our management.

Despite careful selection of sources, no responsibility can be taken for accuracy of the contents. The magazine assumes no liability or responsibility of any kind in connection with the information thereof. The views expressed in the articles are the personal opinions of the contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the All India Institute of Local Self-Government. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is strictly prohibited without written permission from the publisher.

Mail Box

Readers’ comments, criticism and suggestions are welcome. Letters to the Editor can be sent by e-mail, or regular mail. They should include name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address, if available. The subject of the communication should be clearly mentioned, and we reserve the right to edit for sense, style, and space.

Address

Urban Update (All India Institute of Local Self-Government)

Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area, D Block Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058

FOR SUBSCRIPTION AND ADVERTISING RELATED ASSISTANCE, CONTACT

Phone: 011 - 2852 1783/ 5473 (Extn. 37) E-mail: contacturbanupdate@gmail.com

Join

urbanupdate.in

urbanupdatemag

urbanupdatemgzn

urbanupdatemag

urban-update

the views of the European Commission.

The project is funded by the European Union. The project is implemented by the AIILSG. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect

Dr Jairaj Phatak Editor-In-Chief | dg@aiilsg.org

ACS can be a platform for collaboration

The successful organising of the Asian Cities Summit in Delhi earlier this month is a satisfying experience for us all. We thank all delegates, many of whom travelled from distant counties and cities, for their participation. Our thanks also to our partners who worked tirelessly to make the event such a grand success; to the urban local body officials, policy makers and other guests who added valuable insights to the deliberations; to the media personnel; and to numerous others. The Summit showed us how much can be achieved in such events, and these could be indispensable in our quest for sustainable urbanisation.

The Summit and its takeaways present significant opportunities for collaboration and cooperation in addressing the challenges being thrown up in our urban landscape. Several innovative practices in different cities of the world offer learnings in building cleaner and safer cities. One of the metro networks in India, for example, uses the regenerative braking system to generate power from running metro trains. Power thus generated accounts for upto 40 per cent of the total traction energy requirement of the network. One can imagine the big benefits of this reduced power demand through reduction in emission of air pollutants and particulate matter in the thermal power generation process. There are, similarly, a number of initiatives being undertaken in the fields of municipal waste management, clean mobility, urban resilience, etc. The deliberations during the Summit touched upon some of these.

We believe that cities across Asia could set up several networks, each focusing on one key urban priority, say water conservation, clean mobility, affordable housing, etc. so that there are joint efforts in addressing pressing demands and then knowledge sharing on these topics with the wider community. Such initiatives could enable faster and more effective solutions to the pressing urban issues of the day and even enable tackle potential future challenges which cities could face. One such is the looming water crisis. Many cities of the world are already in the midst of it while many more could run out of clean water in the coming few years. Several coastal cities are having to resort to sea water desalination in a big way to augment their water resources. There is thus need to join hands and urgently figure out just, fair, and inclusive ways to manage water supply in our cities including conservation, rational usage, recycling and reuse, and restoring natural water bodies. In all these efforts, the local communities must be kept at the centre and all interventions must actively seek the cooperation and support of the citizens. Events such as the ACS offer a platform for extensive cooperation in such areas.

We at AIILSG are working to enable such wider exchange of views and encourage greater participation of urban experts and other stakeholders to build a sustainable urban future. Urban Update, as part of this effort, is bringing us views and ideas from a large cross section of urbanists while also sharing examples of global initiatives for a better urban future. We will continue our mission with greater zeal and seek inputs from our readers towards this effort.

PIN POINT BUZZ

In Asia-Pacific, pace of urbanisation is faster than the pace of urbanisation in the world

Gajendra Singh Shekhawat Minister for Jal Shakti, Government of India

New areas where we are looking at standards are areas like drones ... Similarly we are working on standards for EVs and the charging infra of EVs

Piyush Goyal Minister of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

António Guterres Secretary-General, United Nations @antonioguterres

The climate crisis demands honesty. We know what to do, when to do it, and why. But for too long we have looked the other way. We must act on science, facts and truth. We must act now

Bernadia Tjandradewi Secretary General UCLG ASPAC @BernadiaIrawati

We emphasized the obligation of States and local authorities to refrain from, and protect against, forced evictions from homes and land

Roads and bridges serve as the lifeblood of a nation, keeping it vibrant, moving forward, progressing, and alive. We are advancing the country’s highways through projects such as Greenfield Corridors and Multi-lane Expressways, while also adopting modern technologies and sustainable practices

Urban TRIVIA

Bill Gates Co-chair, Bill and Melinda Gates foundation @BillGates

To end Polio, we must immunize the world’s most vulnerable children—especially those who have not been vaccinated before. Protecting ‘zero-dose’ children against paralysis with polio vaccines like nOPV2 will help usher in a healthier future for us all

Urban Village - an oxymoron?

Urban villages in Delhi are protected habitation land exempt from building bye-laws due to their ‘abadi’ status, which were not meant to be used for living. They were earlier referred to as ‘Lal Dora’ used only for non-agricultural purposes. It was first referred to as urban Village in Delhi Master Plan in 1961

Nitin Gadkari Minister of Road Transport & Highways, Government of India

Role of Best Practice Dialogue in promoting Women Entrepreneurship

Jharkhand is one of the most backward states in India with a high level of illiteracy especially among women and girls, due to which they are unable to create opportunities for themselves to chart their path towards growth and development. Also, a majority of the rural population depends on agriculture. Starting their own enterprise comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Women establishing and running their own business comes with added responsibilities and obstacles. The Girl Power Project is focusing on building self-esteem and capacity among these women through counseling, skills training, and mentoring support through the entire journey of self-development and growth. This includes support in making decisions, capacity building, and work opportunities as well as overcoming barriers. The project will involve partners from within the state with innovative models and best practices to build capacities and knowledge of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) by engaging them with social enterprises focusing on women and girls. Also, it will provide skills and competencies for strengthening Self Help Groups (SHGs) and creating social enterprises for empowering women.

During the baseline survey of the Girl Power Project in selected districts of Jharkhand, it was visible that there were a lot of obstacles that existing women entrepreneurs had to face on a daily basis in operating their enterprises. The project focuses on market-led enterprise-building, which is identifying gaps in already functioning value chains so that one knows where the maximum margins can be made to benefit the

informally employed poor, create quality entrepreneurs for growing the business, laying emphasis on serving a variety of market segments and women with varying levels of capacities and social constraints. Women encounter significant challenges in the marketing of goods and services. Lack of awareness of new products in the urban market, as well as technical skills in business administration are major obstructions. Not only this, but the remote location from the market has resulted in increased transportation costs. However, rural markets have been growing much faster than the urban sector, resulting in overall social development and a balanced economy. The rural market has more potential than the urban market for consumer durables and services. A series of forums under the Girl Power Project are being conducted to support and promote knowledge sharing by experienced experts of the nodal institutions on various subjects. Best Practice Dialogues of experienced invitees will create forums for sharing best practices and engage in knowledge sharing and promote diversity on various topics related to women empowerment, skill building and social entrepreneurship promotion. The purpose of the forum is to enable participants to not only share best practices but also act as a sounding board to issues and concerns faced by the state in implementation of all its activities. Participants of the forum will be smaller group of government officials, CSO representatives, experts and academicians. The presenters are being asked to give their presentation and provide feedback on the same to the women beneficiaries so that they become better entrepreneurs.

TEAM GIRL POWER PROJECT

In the series of best practice dialogues conducted under Girl Power Project, the dialogue on ‘Opportunities for Women Entrepreneurs for Income Generation through Production Technology & Value Addition of Lac’ received rave reviews and was much liked by the audience. The speaker Dr B K Dwivedi is a well renowned agricultural scientist who is the Director, Bioved Research Institute of Agriculture & Technology, a research wing of Bioved Research Society, Allahabad; he is also the recipient of 20 national and international awards.

WHAT THE EXPERTS SHARED ABOUT LAC CULTIVATION Why Lac Cultivation?

Lac is a natural resinous substance of profound economic importance in India. It is the only resin from animal origin lending itself to diverse applications, for example, as a protective and decorative coating in the form of thin films, adhesives and plastics. Lac plays an important role in the economy of the country. 3-4 million tribal people who constitute the socioeconomically weakest link of Indian population earn a good subsidiary income from its cultivation.

The Lac insects thrive on the sap of certain plants called lac hosts. Host plants are Palas, Ber, Kusum, Peepal, Akaasmani, Galwang, Flemingia and Gular. Two strains of the lac insects are recognized in India, the ‘rangeeni’ and ‘kusumi’. Each strain completes its life cycle twice a year.

♦ A good source of livelihood resource for poor farmers

♦ Assured source of income during drought years

♦ Requires meager inputs (like water,

pesticides etc)

♦ Most suitably grown on marginal and degraded land

♦ No competition with other horticultural, agricultural crops for land and farm operation

♦ Does not harm host tree health neither other flora nor fauna

♦ Avoids migration of rural population to urban areas

♦ Increases opportunities for women for better occupation and returns

USES OF LAC

Because of its unique combination of properties, Lac finds a wide variety of application in paint, electrical, automobile, cosmetic, adhesive, leather, wood finishing and other industries. Lac has long been in use both for decorative and lacquers of various kinds and insulating varnishes. It is usually used as a first coating on wood to fill the pores and also applied to seal knots likely to exude resin and disfigure or spoil finished paint work. It is used in manufacturing of glazed paper, printing and water proofing inks, Lac bangles, dry mounting tissue paper, dental plates and optical frames. It is also used as a coat for metal ware to prevent tarnishing and for finishing various products such as playing cards, oil cloth and linoleum and for preserving archeological and zoological specimen. In electrical industry, Lac is used as coating of insulator, coating of spark plugs, cement of sockets of electrical lamp, anti-tracking insulating etc. In pharmaceutical industry, Lac is used in coating of tablets, microencapsulation of vitamins and coating of medicines. Lac dye is used in dying of wool and silk, soft drink formulation, pill coating, confectionary and

chocolate coating. Lac wax has wide variety of uses in manufacturing shoe polishes, tailor’s chalk, lipstick, crayons (for writing in glass).

Mechanisation

There is scope of mechanisation such as small dying machines and stamping machines ranging from `10,000 to `15,000. For production of marketable products, there can be equipments which ensure that the products meet the market standards.

Expected Cost Benefit Analysis

From one tree, the estimated worth of Lac produced is `4,000 to `5,000. If a farmer cultivates Lac in 10 trees, then they can have an assured income in addition to other livelihood generation activities.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In the context of Jharkhand, Lac cultivating women farmers can enhance their income by turning into entrepreneurs in the following activities:

Lac Cultivation

Promoting the Lac cultivation on a larger scale by filling the knowledge gap through capacity building and exposure visits. If a producer doesn’t have host trees, they can also grow fast growing host trees.

Lac Nursery

At village level some of the women farmers can go for being nursery entrepreneurs, wherein they can supply the Lac insects for cultivation in their own village as well as nearby villages.

Lac Value Addition

Individual Entrepreneur or Entrepreneur groups can be made focusing on value addition products. Possible linkages can be made through identifying the vendors for selling the produce as well as value added products. Promotions can be done of these products through various platforms with the help of Girl Power Project for marketing purpose.

AIILSG organised a sanitary inspectors training program under project IEC (Information, Education and Communication) at Amravati Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra

AIILSG arranged an educational tour for the officials from Himachal Pradesh to Hyderabad and conducted a meeting with N Satyanarayana, Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration Department, and other state officials

AIILSG organised a two-day training program on Energy Conservation Building Code (ECBC) Rules and Compliance Procedure in Kannur, Kerala in April

Haryana govt gearing up for heatwaves

Finland becomes World’s happiest country

The Government of Haryana is gearing up the state machinery to tackle any possible event of heat waves. As per Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, the state government is working to ensure the supply of clean drinking water, along with ensuring that there is enough water for irrigation on a priority basis. Therefore, the concerned state department should ensure there is enough water available and it is being used properly along with preparing standard operating procedures (SOPs) for field officials.

MCD to renovate 169 community halls

The unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) announced that the urban local body will be renovating around 169 community centres in line with the direction of Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi. Delhi Mayor has asked the officials to ensure that the public gets easy access to better facilities at these community centres. There are a total of 296 community centres, 94 senior citizen recreation centres, 52 physical/gyms, 15 swimming pools, five sports complexes, one working women’s hostel and Mahila Haat which are administered by the Delhi civic body. Mayor Oberoi asked ULB officials from the community service department to renovate 169 community centres in the nation on a priority basis.

NEW DELHI: The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network published the annual World Happiness Report on March 20, 2023. Finland tops the list as the happiest country in the world for the sixth consecutive year due to high scores in factors, including GDP per capita, social support, freedom, healthy life expectancy, generosity, and low corruption. The report was released on the International Day of Happiness and is based on global survey data collected from more than 150 countries. According to the survey, the least happy countries are Afghanistan and Lebanon with average life evaluations more than five points lower (on a scale from 0 to 10) than the ten happiest countries.

The report ranked India at 126 out of 146 countries. Neighbouring nations like China, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh ranked 64th, 78th, 108th, 112th, and 118th respectively. Even war-torn countries like Ukraine (72nd) and Russia (92nd) secured better ranks than India. The report stated that despite the war, these two countries did not take a hit on happiness, wellness, and benevolence. India however, climbed up nine positions from last year. The report also stated that India, including the United States, Brazil, Egypt, France, Indonesia, and Mexico has the highest number of lonely people.

Among the emerging economies and developing countries, Lebanon recorded the highest usage of social media platforms (85 per cent) and India ranked the lowest (31 per cent) in the same category. This has indicated a lower interaction among the citizens of the country which has dipped the happiness quotient.

Rajasthan to get 19 new districts after 15 years

JAIPUR, Rajasthan: Chief Minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot announced the formation of 19 new districts including a newly carved one following the reshaping of the existing Jodhpur and Jaipur districts. Sikar, Banswara, and Pali will be the three new administrative divisions added to the list of existing seven divisions. The number of districts has gone up to 50, making Rajasthan the third state after Uttar Pradesh (71) and Madhya Pradesh (53) with the highest number of districts in the country.

The district of Jaipur has been divided into four new districts namely, Jaipur North, Jaipur South, Dudu and Kotputli-Behror. The district of Jodhpur has been reshaped into three districts-Jodhpur East, Jodhpur West and Phalodi. One of the main reasons behind the downsizing of these huge districts was because of the deteriorating law and order. Although there wasn’t any popular demand for the creation of Jaipur North and South or Jodhpur East and West as separate districts. The district of Ajmer has also

been divided into Ajmer, Kekri and Beawar districts. The demand for a separate Beawar district is 40 years old. A demand for a separate district named Balotra from Barmer was pending too.

The new 19 districts are Anoopgarh, which was part of Ganganagar; Balotra (Barmer); Beawar (Ajmer); Kekri (Ajmer); Deeg (Bharatpur); DeedwanaKuchaman (Nagaur); Dudu (Jaipur); Gangapur City (Sawai Madhopur); Jaipur North; Jaipur South; Jodhpur East; Jodhpur West; Kotputli-Behror (Jaipur-Alwar); Khertal (Alwar); Neem ka Thana (Sikar); Phalodi (Jodhpur); Salumber (Udaipur); Sanchore (Jalore); and Shahpura (Bhilwara).

NGT raps UP government over pollution

in Hindon River

LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has heavily criticised authorities in Uttar Pradesh for unregulated industrial and sewage pollution in the Hindon River. NGT highlighted that the Government of Uttar Pradesh has failed to adhere to previous order of the environmental court. NGT was presiding over a petition asking for stringent action against polluters and cleaning of the Hindon River. The petitioner argued that even though categorical directions were there, yet the authorities haven’t taken any concrete action, thereby flouting their constitutional obligation.

NGT bench directed to deploy field monitoring teams to take note of realtime situation on the ground. The order of the environmental court reads, “The Committee may meet within one week and will be free to function online or offline, undertake visits to the sites and interact with concerned authorities and stakeholders. Remedial action will involve assessment of compensation against erring industries for past violations equal to 10 per cent turnover but not lower than the assessed cost of restoration, closure of units which are continuing to cause pollution, prosecution of the owners of the industries under the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, following due process of law.” The bench has also asked the authorities to submit a report of action taken concerning all the aspects before June 30, 2023.

22 Smart Cities to be completed by April

NEW DELHI: 22 Smart Cities under the Government of India’s ambitious urban development scheme, ‘Smart Cities Mission,’ will complete all projects by April 2023. Out of 100 cities across the country, these 22 Smart Cities aim to promote cities that provide a clean and sustainable environment and decent quality of life through ‘smart solutions’. Bhopal, Agra, Varanasi, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Chennai, Erode, Ranchi, Salem, Udaipur, Surat, Visakhapatnam, Ahmedabad, Kakinada, Pune, Vellore, PimpriChinchwad, Madurai, Amaravati, Tiruchirappalli, and Thanjavur are

the 22 smart cities to be completed next month. A senior official of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, said that the remaining 78 selected cities under the mission will be completed in the next three-four months.

He also mentioned that work has been progressing steadily and features like smart transportation systems, state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology, and renewable energy solutions will be installed. “We will complete 22 smart cities by March as projects in these cities are in the final stages. In the next three-four months, we will be completing the project works of the remaining cities,” he said. Kaushal Kishore, Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India, informed the Rajya Sabha that as on January 27, 2023, out of 7,804 projects amounting to `1,81,322 crore for which work orders have been issued in the 100 Smart Cities, 5,246 projects worth `98,796 crore have been completed. The central government has released `36,447 crore for the mission wherein `32,095 crore (88 per cent) has been already spent.

Neiphu Rio breaks record; CM for fifth term

After a convincing win in the state election 2023, the Chief Minister of Nagaland Neiphiu Rio is set to break the record of veteran leader S C Jamir with his fifth term to assume office as the Chief Minister. His party, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), and its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secured 33 seats in the 60-member Nagaland assembly. History was also scripted when the state elected its first women legislators in its 60 years of statehood. Hekhani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo kruse of the ruling NDPP defeated the MLAs of Western Angami and Dimapur –III respectively.

Over 11K Pourakarmikas to be regularised

M Shivanna, Chairman of the State Safai Karmchari Commission, said that around 11,133 direct payment Pourakarmikas working for the urban local bodies (ULBs) in Karnataka will be regularised in the first phase. Later in the second phase, 12,867 Pourakarmikas will be regularised. Also, the officials have been asked to conduct mandatory health checkups of the Pourakarmikas and provide them with safety kits as they often face health issues due to the nature of their work. He further informed that spots have been identified to build rest houses for Pourakarmikas, and some of them were also sent on a study tour to Gujarat and Singapore.

Chamaraj asks CSO to convey citizen’s demands to local council

Modi reviews preparedness for upcoming heatwave season

Katyayini Chamaraj from Civic Bangalore spoke at the launch of ‘We the People’ - a new civil society organisation, where she said that ward committees are not able to function in the municipal areas and Area Sabhas have also not been constituted.

Chamaraj said that Civil Society Organisations (CSO) should work to convey people’s demands to the concerned local government. Their primary role is to advocate for people’s work, and if necessary and unavoidable, issues can also be taken to the court. Experts during the launch highlighted the importance of participation of citizens for the effective working of the democratic system in the country.

Margao Municipality has not renewed lease of over 500 shops

Margao Municipality is losing a significant amount of revenue as the local body has failed to renew the lease of more than 500 of its shops which expired over 30 years ago. Due to this, shopkeepers and traders in the area of the urban local body (ULB) are getting away with paying meagre amounts ranging between `100 and `350 as monthly rent. Some of the traders have gone a step ahead and leased the property to second and third parties and the ULB still hasn’t taken any action against them. Rajendra Azgaonkar, President of the Gandhi Market Traders Association, said that they are ready to work with the civic body to resolve the issue.

NEW DELHI: As the summer season is just around the corner and hot weather conditions are likely to sweep across the country, the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi chaired a high-level meeting to review heatwave and monsoon preparations by the local body authorities, medical professionals and disaster response teams. Modi advised the states and the union territories to prepare action plans to deal with persisting high temperatures and directed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to prepare daily weather forecasts in a manner to understand its predictions and is easier to interpret and disseminate. Radio stations and television channels are among the other media outlets instructed to spend a few minutes daily to explain the weather forecast so that citizens can take necessary precautions.

He also highlighted the need for detailed fire audits of all hospitals and said mock fire drills to be conducted by firefighters in all the hospitals. He also pointed out the need for preparations and coordinated efforts to deal with forest fires.Instructions were given to the Food Corporation of India to ensure optimal storage of grains and that separate awareness material should be provided for different stakeholders on dealing with warmer than usual weather. The center has also set up a panel to monitor the impact of the rise in temperature on the wheat crop.

India reported the warmest February this year since 1877 and the country could experience extreme weather conditions in April and May, as reported by IMD.

UP: Govt to exempt

EV buyers from

paying tax, registration fees

LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh: With an aim to promote electric vehicles (EVs) in the state, the Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to give exemption to EV buyers from paying road tax and registration fees for three years starting from October 14, 2022, as per the official statement issued on Friday. The exemption will be valid for five years starting from when EV is manufactured in Uttar Pradesh. In line with this decision, RTOs in all the districts have been directed to comply with and implement the government directives with immediate effect.

As per the revised notification issued by L Venkateshwarlu, Principal Secretary, under the Uttar Pradesh Electric Vehicle Manufacturing and Mobility Policy 2022, a 100 per cent exemption will be given on the EVs sold and registered between October 14, 2022, and October 13, 2025. Additionally, in the fourth and fifth year of the notified period of exemption

outlined in the Electric Vehicle Policy, which is between October 14, 2025, and October 13 2027, a 100 per cent rebate will be given on EVs manufactured, sold and registered in the state. This move will benefit 3,997 EV owners in Agra who have been charged road tax and registration fees. Till date, around 11,340 EVs are registered with the Agra Divisional Transport Office (RTO), of which 3,997 are EVs, including 437 are e-rickshaws, and 30 are cars. The rest are the two-wheelers which have been bought before October 14, 2022.

Delhi LG VK Saxena approves Delhi Draft Master Plan 2041

NEW DELHI: The Lieutenant Governor (LG) of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena approved the draft Master Plan 2041 for Delhi in a meeting of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Delhi LG, also the chairman of the DDA, took some major decisions, including the relaxation in the guidelines regarding identification of female beneficiaries of insitu rehabilitation under the ‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan’ programme.

LG informed about key elements of the draft plan, including inclusiveness, environmental sustainability, green economy, infrastructure including housing for all, innovative solutions such as Transit Oriented Development (TOD) hubs, land pooling, green area development and rejuvenation and regeneration of the capital city. Later the Master Plan prepared by DDA and a statutory document facilitating Delhi’s development by assessing the present condition and guiding the desired development will be forwarded to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India for the final approval and notification of the same.

The draft plan has been formulated after extensive citizens and stakeholder engagement, including government departments, local bodies, RWAs, traders, market associations, NGOs, Professionals, experts and individuals.

The draft plan pursues three goals, including making Delhi an environmentally sustainable city to provide a healthy environment to the citizen, resilient to the after-effects of climate change and disasters, to develop a future-ready city that provides quality, affordable and safe living environments with efficient services and green mobility; and to make Delhi a dynamic place for economic, creative and cultural development.

soon

AMRITSAR: Upper Bari Doab Canal (UBDC) has been restored as a picnic spot under the central government’s ambitions Smart City project. The newly restored heritage site is expected to get inaugurated by Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Minister for Urban Local Bodies, Government of Punjab. The authorities have spent around `5 crore on this project and three acre of land has been developed for this purpose. Century old trees have been preserved during the restoration of colonial era hydropower plant.

During the British rule in India,

when Punjab was being governed by the Henry Lawrence in 1849, water from Ravi was distributed with the help of a system of canals built in the foothills of Madhopur. These canal help in the irrigation of land in Gurdaspur, Amritsar and Lahore district of the erstwhile undivided Punjab. But now these 3,119 km long canals contunes to provide water to Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Batala and Amritsar areas in Punjab.

Later in the 1930, British government built a hydropower plant on the Bari Dob canal for which turbines and machinery was brought from Switzerland and England. The plant supplied power to the city of Amritsar. Restoration work on the plant was done with aim to commemorate the legacy of the industrial city of Amritsar. The restoration project was undertaken by Amritsar Smart City Limited under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

Lakhimpur sets example by treating 70,000 MT legacy waste

Under the Government of India’s flagship initiative, Swachh Bharat Mission, North Lakhimpur and North Lakhimpur Municipal Board (NLMB) have become the first town and the first urban-level body in Assam to treat 70,000 metric tons of legacy waste. According to the civic body, it was only possible with the implementation of an effective project called ‘Rehabilitation of Legacy Waste and Regular Generating Waste in North Lakhimpur Municipal Board.’ This project managed to clean over 16 bighas of dumping ground land and helped to protect the town from further pollution.

ULB elections to be held in Nagaland after 2 decades

Nagaland State Election Commission announced on March 9, to conduct elections for 39 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state after almost two decades. The election commission has said that ULB elections would take place on May 16, in which 33 per cent of seats will be reserved for women candidates. The Nagaland cabinet headed by Chief Minister Neiphu Rio held a meeting where they discussed the possibility of holding ULB elections in May along with providing 33 per cent reservation for women candidates as per the directive of the Supreme Court of India.

UBDC heritage site restoration completed; may get inaugurated

LIQUID 3: AN ALTERNATIVE TO TREES?

With decreasing spaces for planting trees in urban areas to reduce air pollution, Serbian scientists, Danica Stojiljkovic and Ivan Spasojevic came up with Liquid 3 that uses the power of microalgae to bind carbon dioxide and to produce oxygen and biomass through photosynthesis. Technically termed as urban photo- bioreactor, it is capable of replacing two 10-year- old trees or a 200 square-meter of lawn with installing just one of them. Liquid 3 was awarded one of the 11 best innovative and climate-smart solutions by the Climate Smart Urban Development project, created by the UNDP.

UN report: India should brace for severe water scarcity by 2050

Kerala team to study Odisha’s sewage management plan

NEW DELHI: A flagship report published by the United Nations, titled, ‘United Nations World Water Development Report 2023: partnerships and cooperation for water’ highlights that the global urban population encountering water scarcity is all set to increase from 933 million in 2016 to 1.72.4 billion in 2050.

The report published ahead of the UN Water Conference, mentions that around 80 per cent of the people living under water stress live in Asia, with a major chunk in northeast China, India

and Pakistan. Report notes that the global urban population facing water scarcity is all set to increase from 933 million (one-third of global urban population) in 2016 to 1.7-2.4 billion people (one-third to nearly half of the global urban population) in 2050, with India projected to be the most severely affected.”

Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said, “There is an urgent need to establish strong international mechanisms to prevent the global water crisis from spiralling out of control.”

The report further revealed that around two billion people don’t have access to safe drinking water, and 3.6 billion do not have safely managed sanitation services.

Kerala: New property tax to increase revenue by 5%

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala:

M B Rajesh, Minister for Local Self-Government, Government of Kerala, has revealed the decision to issue construction permits for small buildings up to 300 sq. meters in corporations and municipalities on the same day. These permits will be issued based on self-certified applications, which can be submitted online with the affidavit of the licensee or any other empanelled engineers.

He also said that new property tax rates will apply to buildings which will begin construction next year. The Department of Local Self Government

will soon fix the new rates, after which property tax rate will increase by 5 per cent and the new rates will be applicable from April 1. Minister informed that the government is giving exemptions to buildings used for owner’s occupancy and are upto 60 sq. meters, but this will now apply to flats. The department has also decided to undertake a mission to identify unauthorised constructions and modifications made in buildings. It is being said that if the owner is found guilty of illegal construction, he would have to pay a tax three times of the amount. However, the exemption has been given to residences upto 1,500 sq.ft.

However, government will issue permits to smaller buildings with inspections, regarding which minister Rajesh said, “The department aims to avoid unnecessary inspection and the time lag for a permit”.

A team of 21 officials, including elected representatives and functionaries from Kozhikode and Palakad urban local bodies (ULBs) in Kerala, visited Odisha on a three-day exposure visit to study the best practices adopted by the Government of Odisha for better sewage and septage management, solid waste management, drinking water supply, city beautification and heritage management in the capital city Bhubaneswar, Puri and Cuttack. The team of delegates from Kerala includes Beena Philip, Mayor, Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, Priya Ajayan, Chairperson, Palakkad Municipality and Babu Ambat, Executive Director, Centre for Environment and Development.

Odisha govt to upgrade roads in urban areas

The Govt of Odisha has decided that all kutcha and water-bound macadam (WBM) roads in urban areas of the state will be upgraded into paver roads. All Kutcha and WBM lanes and streets will be repaired and renovated into paver roads. Kutcha roads will be the first to undergo the renovation process. WBM roads will be taken up for renovation after achieving substantial progress on Kutcha roads. To ensure transparency and smooth implementation of this project, G Mathivathanan, Secretary of Department of Housing and Urban Development (H&UD), has asked to submit geo-coordinates of the identified and validated Kutcha and WBM roads.

Please fill this form in CApITAL LeTTerS

Name

Organisation

Designation

Address

City

E-mail Cheque/DD/MO No

For Rupees

Pin Code

Drawn on Dated

In favour of ‘ALL INDIA INSTITUTE OF LOCAL SELF-GOvERNMENT’ is enclosed.

Mail this form along with your Cheque/DD to the following address

All India Institute of Local Self-Government

Mobile

State (specify bank)

Sardar Patel Bhavan, 22-23, Institutional Area, D Block, Pankha Road, Janakpuri, Delhi-110058

You can pay Subscription charges through National Electronic Funds Transfer (NEFT). Details for NEFT transfer are: Axis Bank Limited

A/C Name: All India Institute of Local Self-Government

A/C No: 207010100182768

IFSC: UTIB0000207

For any query, please contact our Subscription Department Phone No.: 011-2852 1783 / 5473 (Extn. 37) Or e-mail at contacturbanupdate@gmail.com

Please e-mail your details (Name, Address, duration of subscription, transaction no.) to contacturbanupdate@gmail.com for initiating subscription after the NEFT transfer.

Terms and Conditions

• Subscriptions are only invited from municipal corporations, government bodies, academic & research institutions, etc. working in the domain of urban development. We only charge courier and handling charges. We may fully wave-off the charges for municipalities and academic institutions upon receiving such request and approval from our management.• Allow one week for processing of your subscription

• All disputes shall be subject to Delhi jurisdiction only

CAG tables audit report of ULBs in Rajasthan Assembly

JAIPUR, Rajasthan: Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) tabled four audit reports, including an audit report of ULBs, highlighting the shortcomings of various departments in the State Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan. CAG report highlights the faulty implementation of the Deendayal Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna by the power distribution companies (DISCOMs) and of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) by the Department of Urban Development and other urban bodies in the state. Audit conducted by the CAG aims to observe the measures taken by the state government against illegal mining. The report highlights that there is an urgent need to strengthen government machinery to prevent any such incidences in the future. The report further adds that the department did not employ readily available technologies and data, such as remote sensing data and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to identify and stop illegal mining in Rajasthan. By employing remote sensing data and GIS techniques in 122 cases revealed that illegal mining in 34 per cent of the leased mines are spread across 83.25 hectares. The department inspected around 14 mining leases highlighted in the audit and found that 13.37 lakh metric tonnes of minerals worth `1 bn 11 crore were mined illegally because the department did not use modern technology and inspection of the mines. The department also failed to properly use the ‘DMGOMS’ application created to monitor mining activities and collected a demand of `71 crore and a penalty of `14 crore.

PMRDA to consult local bodies before finalising development plan

planning committee had vacancies when the development plan was being discussed. Therefore, the court asked the Department of Urban Development, Government of Maharashtra, PMRDA Planning Committee and PMRDA to submit the draft plan to the court before the finalisation.

Odisha launches OSIF 2.0

The second version of the Odisha Sustainable Development Goals Indicator Framework (OSIF 2.0) was launched by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik. The Chief Minister mentioned that the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is the way forward to develop sustainablyby integrating economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. With the aim to achieve Agenda 2030 of sustainable goals, the Department of Planning and Convergence has come out with OSIF-2.0 and has 293 unique indicators in addition to 18 repeat indicators of the previous frame work, having a total of 311 indicators in health, poverty alleviation, gender equality, education, employment generation and other sectors.

J&K to get road infra equivalent to America

PUNE, Maharashtra: Maharashtra

High Court has directed the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to consult relevant local self-government bodies before taking a final call on the draft development plan. The High Court direction comes after a PIL objected to the PMRDA plan, stating the exclusion of local bodies. PMRDA prepared the Draft development plan back in July 2021 and called in the objections.

In the PIL filed by Vasant Bhise, Sukhdev Tapkir, and Deepali Hulawle, the court highlighted that the PMRDA

The PIL argued that the development plan cannot be finalised due to vacancies in the planning committee. However, the court has allowed the interim work, including preparation of report regarding the suggestions and objections, but the plan has to be presented before the local selfgovernment bodies for their approval.

As the PMRDA does not have a planning committee, a 30 members committee consisting of office bearers from the local self-government bodies, was constituted. The Court’s order is expected to pave the way for the inclusion of local bodies in the preparation stage of the development plan.

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, stated that the government is working to make roads of Jammu and Kashmir similar to American roads in the next three to four years. While addressing a press briefing, the minister stated that a four-lane Greenfield Expressway will be completed which will connect Katra to Delhi. This expressway will be 670 kilometers from Delhi to Vaishno Devi Dham, costing `37,524 crores, and will be completed by December 2023. On his two-day journey to the Union Territory, Gadkari visited Asia’s largest tunnel, Zojila Tunnel to inspect ongoing work. He said that once the tunnel is completed, tourism will increase, boosting employment opportunities in Jammu and Kashmir.

PM urges on building modern urban system

Chhattisgarh to give `2,500 monthly unemployment allowance

While addressing a post budget webinar on Urban Planning Development and Sanitation, Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi pitches for the development of infrastructure and modernisation of old urban systems. He mentioned that the country is developing at a rapid pace and several new cities are going to be essential for the future. He said, “In such a scenario there are two main aspects of urban development in India: development of new cities and modernization of old systems in old cities.” He added that `15,000 crore has been allocated for the year 2023-24 which will mark a new beginning of planned and systematic urbanization in the country.

Delhi govt to provide relief on conversion, parking charges

Arvind Kejriwal led Government of Delhi is exploring the option to provide relief from conversion and parking charges imposed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal talked with around 500 shop owners whose shops were sealed at Local Shopping Centres (LSC) due to non-payment of conversion charges and parking fees. Conversion charges are to be paid by all property owners once the status of their property changes from residential to commercial. Kejriwal said a solution would be found about this and directed Saurabh Bhardwaj, Minister for Urban Development, Government of Delhi, and Delhi Mayor Shelly Oberoi to resolve this issue as soon as possible.

RAIPUR, Chhattisgarh: The Government of Chhattisgarh tabled the annual budget worth `1,21,500 crore for the year 2023-24 on Monday, March 5. The new budget includes a provision for providing `2,500 per month as unemployment allowances to educated and unemployed youth in the state. The government has earmarked `250 crore for the monthly unemployment benefit scheme. The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, also in charge of the finance portfolio, spoke in the assembly and said, “A new scheme to give allowance to the unemployed will be launched. Under the scheme, unemployed youth aged 18 to 35 years who passed class 12, and with an annual family income of less than `2.50 lakh, will be given an allowance of `2,500 per month.”

The government is also planning to raise the monthly pension allowance provided to the destitute, disabled, elderly, widows, and abandoned women under the Social Security

Pension Scheme. The pension amount has been raised from `350 to `500.

The government is also planning to increase the salary of the Anganwadi workers and sahayikas (assistants) from `6,500 to `10,000 and `3,250 to `5,000, respectively. Salaries of mini-Anganwadi workers will also be increased to `7,500 from `4,500. Similar increments have been proposed in the state budget for village Kotwars (based on the size of the area where they serve), gram patels, home guard personnel, cooks under the mid-day meal scheme and sanitation workers in government schools.

UP: Digitalisation of all urban citizen services through SUDM-UP

LUCKNOW, Uttar Pradesh: The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has asked the Urban Development Department to get the State Urban Digital Mission (SUDMUP) operational for citizen-centric governance in the state.

The state government has given its approval for setting up the SUDM-UP to provide online services to the urban population which will be supervised by the Digital Mission Director. Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary of SUDM said, “SUDM is going to be parastatal agency owned by UP government, and on the lines of national mission, would focus on enhancing the ease of living for the urban citizens by facilitating online delivery of municipal services.”

The Yogi government is prioritising E-governance, reflecting Prime

Minister of India, Narendra Modi’s vision of ‘minimum government and maximum governance.’

AK Sharma, Minister of Urban Development, Government of Uttar Pradesh mentioned that along with depositing house tax and water tax, its citizens will avail the facility of obtaining birth and death certificates through online services. To cater to 760 urban local bodies and about five crore population, the SUDM-UP will work as the implementation agency to incorporate best urban practices by using IT, ITES and state-of-the-art digital technologies.

This digital initiative will first be applied in 17 Municipal Corporations and in the urban local bodies situated within the headquarters of the 18 administrative divisions.

PM inaugurates Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway project worth `8,408 cr

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister of India

Narendra Modi inaugurated the 118 km Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway project in Maddur at the cost of `8,408 crore. The officials stated that it will cut the travel time between the two cities from three hours to only 75 minutes.

After addressing the occasion, PM Modi stated, “In the last few days, the images of the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway have gone viral on social media. Youth are taking immense pride in witnessing the growth of our nation. All these projects will open up the pathways of prosperity and development.” Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road transport and highways, Government of India, mentioned that a Ring Road worth `17,000 crore is to

be constructed in Bengaluru which will help in direct travel to Mysuru and will also help in attracting more tourists.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the four–lane highway between Mysuru and Kushalnagar. The cost of this project is around `4,130 crore which will play an important role in boosting the connectivity between Bengaluru and Kushalnagar and shortening travel time by 2.5 hours.

Modi inaugurated various projects of Hubbali-Dharwad smart city worth `520 crore, laid the foundation stone of the Jayadeva Hospital and Research Centre which will be developed at the cost of `250 crore, and Dharwad Multi Village Water Supply Scheme worth `1,040 crore. The Tupparihalla Flood Damage Control Project, which aims to mitigate damage caused by floods, will be developed at the cost of `150 crore.

The Prime minister marked his sixth visit to the state this year and laid the foundation stone for projects worth `16,000 crore in the poll bound state.

J&K govt adds 102 more services under PSGA

JAMMU: The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has added 102 more services of over a dozen departments under the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act (PSGA), 2011. A notification issued by Sanjeev Verma, Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD) reads, “In exercise of the powers conferred by section 4 read with section 8 of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Services Guarantee Act, 2011 (Act No. IX of 2011), the government hereby notifies these services, timelines and the designated officers and Appellate Authorities for the departments.” The list of services added under the PSGA includes two services each from the Department of Revenue

and Department of Science and Technology; one service each from Department of Agriculture Production, Department of Rural Development and Department of Panchayati Raj; three services each from Department of Food Civil Supply, Department of Health and Medical Education and Consumer Affairs; five services of Department of School Education, Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Jammu and Kashmir; six services Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUDD), Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Mission Youth Scheme and Scholarship Scheme run by Finance Department respectively; 10 services of Department of Social Welfare and 44 services of Department of Transport.

Gadkari announces infra projects for Nagaland

Nitin Gadkari, Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, recently announced over the social media platform Twitter, that the government has taken infrastructure development projects in Nagaland. The projects include the construction of a 14.71 km long highway from Dimapur to Kohima with an estimated cost of `339.55 crore (package II). Gadkari mentioned that the primary objective of this project is to improve connectivity among commercial centers with the state capital, enabling faster transportation of goods and services. He said that the construction will take place adhering to strict timelines and uncompromising standards of quality.

UP govt to set up STP in cities with one Lakh population

The state Government of Uttar Pradesh is planning to set up Sewage Treatment Plants (STP) in cities with a population of one lakh and above. Recently, the state government approved the City Sanitation Action Plan in 160 urban bodies of the state which aimed at providing relief to its citizens from sewage issues. The estimated budget for the project will be included in the plan and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared along with it. A list of core sanitation zones of the state is also being prepared to focus on strengthening sewer lines and sewage treatment facilities in highly populated areas.

Kerala: CM Pinarayi launches

India’s first water budget

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Kerala: Chief Minister of Kerala Pinarayi Vijayan said that Kerala has become the first state in the country to launch a water budget by calculating the availability and consumption of water in the state. The water budget includes how much water can be received by an area based on the consumption pattern of its population.

The water budget, prepared by the Haritha Kerala Mission with people’s participation, is arguably the first-ofits-kind initiative at the local body level in the country. CM Vijayan will release the water budget for 94 local bodies that fall under 15 block panchayats that have been selected in the first phase. The water budget has been formulated by a committee of representatives from the State Water Resource Department and information technology experts with the support of the Centre for Water Resource Development and Management (CWRDM).

He said that recent studies have pointed that there will be an increase in water scarcity in the state due to which he stated that its important to have projects based on water consumption

levels to ensure sufficient availability of water. He further added that the water budget considers the amount of water that a particular region will get over a period of time and maps this against the water consumption based on population numbers. Even as the State has as many as forty four rivers, backwaters, lakes, ponds and streams, many regions have been facing acute water scarcity in the summer months, due to the after-effects of climate change and global warming.

The water budget is also aimed at creating awareness among the public about water conservation. Vijayan said, “Studies indicate that water availability is decreasing in Kerala. Therefore, it is necessary to devise programmes to ensure water storage and calculate water consumption.” Vijayan has ordered all the local bodies to complete the steps that has been laid out in the budget within the given time frame and that the programmes should be prepared only after consultation with the local populations.

15 block panchayats and 94 gram panchayats have prepared the water budget in the first phase. It is expected

that other panchayats will complete this exercise in time bound manner. Vijayan also said that local bodies’ participation should also be ensured in such a way so we could use the summer rains for agriculture and irrigation.

The CM also inaugurated the rehabilitation project of the Western Ghats drainage networks as part of the first phase of the Ini Njan Ozhukatte’ (Let me flow now) campaign in the capital city Thiruvananthapuram. He said that with the initial phases of this campaign, hundreds of water sources were revived through the hard work of more than one and a half lakh volunteers. Water sources in nine districts spread over 230 gram panchayats will be mapped using satellite images. The local bodies will take up activites to revive the sources before the onset of monsoon, once the surveys are completed.

The Chief Minister released the water budget by handing over a copy to Sarada Muraleedharan, Additional Chief Secretary, Local Self Government Department. Roshy Augustine, Minister of Water Resources, presided over the function.

Bhupender Yadav calls for coordinated action in implementing NCAP

NEW DELHI: Bhupender Yadav, Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC), Government of India stressed the importance of coordinated efforts from the central and state government and union territory administration, urban local bodies (ULBs) and State Pollution Control Board in the implementation of the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

The central minister was speaking at the meeting of the National Apex Committee under National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Yadav applauded the efforts of 95 cities, which have improved air quality and 20 other cities, which have met the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) in 2021-22. He spoke at length on the significance of the Airshed approach in the Indo-Gangetic Plains and called for regional cooperation to tackle the issue of air pollution. He also talked about the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative launched by the Prime Minister of India for a citizencentric approach for protection and conservation of environment. On August 15, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured that the government is fully committed to ensuring that citizens of the country have access to clean air. The PM also highlighted the intent and commitment to improving air quality through a holistic approach in other cities.

The Ministry informed that around `8,915 crore have been earmarked to enhance air quality improvement measures in 131 cities to achieve predetermined annual air pollution reduction targets, and the allocated fund is to be used between 2019-20 and 2022-23.

NCAP, a national-level strategy that outlines actions to reduce air pollution at the city and regional levels in India, was launched on January 10, 2019. NCAP aims to cut air pollution with

the help of all stakeholders and will be implemented in 131 non-attainment cities along with other million-plus cities. National, state, and city-level action plans will be formulated in all 131 cities spread across 24 cities under NCAP programme.

The prescribed set of targets under NCAP programme includes a 40 per cent reduction of Particulate Matter (PM10) levels or achievement of national level standards (60 microgram/cubic meter) by 2025-26. Apart from that, states and UTs have been asked to mobilise resources in line with various schemes introduced for improving air quality in the country by the Government of India.

The state governments of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh also highlighted their progress under their Clean Air Action Plans and other exercises under the NCAP programme.

States have been directed to hold regular meetings of all committees, including Steering Committees, State Level Monitoring and Implementation Committees and City Implementation Committees to ensure effective implementation of NCAP. On the other

hand, cities have been asked to upload their action plans and progress reports on the PRANA portal.

Meeting of the National Apex Committee under the CoChairmanship of Bhupender Yadav and Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, was held to review the implementation of NCAP.

Representatives of eight central ministries, including the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Power, Ministry of Heavy Industries, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Department of Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare were present in the meeting. Representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Chairman of State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB), Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas, Chief Secretaries, Additional Chief Secretaries/ Principal Secretaries, and 131 city municipal commissioners also participated in the meeting.

PM stresses use of technology for disaster risk reduction

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi emphasised encouraging the use of advance technology for disaster risk reduction. PM was addressing a two-day session of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) 2023, aimed at making India disaster resilient by 2030. The session took place on March 10.

PM highlighted that we need to focus on recognition and reform for better disaster management. He said, “We have to develop models of housing or town planning at the local level. We need to encourage the use of advanced technology in these sectors.”

He mentioned that following the earthquake in Turkiye and Syria, the world has acknowledged and appreciated the role of India’s disaster management efforts. He added, “We will have to strengthen the disaster management governance in urban

local bodies. Urban local bodies will react only when disaster strikes – this will not work anymore. We will have to institutionalise planning and we will have to review local planning. For the construction of buildings and new infrastructure projects, we will have to draft new guidelines keeping in mind disaster management. There is a need for overhauling the entire system.”

The two-day session was jointly organised by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) in collaboration with National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM). The theme of the session, “Building Local Resilience in a Changing Climate”, is in line with the 10-point agenda outlined by Prime Minister to build local-level capacities in the rapidly changing scenario due to

climate change.

This was the third edition of the event, and was aimed at helping the government make the country disaster resilient by 2030 under the Vision-2047 strategy of the Prime Minister. The first and second edition was held in 2013 and 2017.

During the event, awardees of Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskar, Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) and the Lunglei Fire Station, Mizoram, were also felicitated by the Prime Minster.

Apart from that, an exhibition showcasing innovative tools, technologies and ideas for disaster risk reduction was also inaugurated by the PM.

NPDRR is a multi-stakeholder initiative of the Government of India for dialogue, sharing of experience, ideas, views and action-oriented research and exploration opportunities in the Disaster Risk Reduction sector. NPDRR is chaired by the Minister of Home Affairs, Government of India. This two-day session saw the participation of over 1,000 delegates consisting of ministers from the Government of India, ministers of Disaster Management from Indian states, Parliamentarians, Heads of the Local Self-Government, specialised agencies working in the field of disaster management, academicians, private sector organisations, media and other civil society organisations.

An exclusive ministerial session chaired by Central Home Minister was also organised during the event, in which ministers from the central government, state government and UT administration came together to discuss how they could contribute to strengthening disaster risk reduction at various levels in our country.

This two-day conclave was held after 19 pre-events where disaster risk management issues, including the ones related to heatwaves, coastal hazards and leadership of women in disaster risk reduction, were discussed. These pre-events took place over the last two months all over the country.

High Seas Treaty: Historic agreement to protect international waters

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations member states have finally come to an agreement on a legal framework to protect the world’s oceans. After 15 years of discussions on the legally binding pact to conserve and ensure the sustainable use of ocean biodiversity, this international treaty, known as the High Seas Treaty is seen as a crucial component in bringing 30 per cent of the world’s land and sea under protection by the end of the decade, a target known as “30 by 30”. The treaty saw the light only after Rena Lee, the Conference President, took to the floor of the UN headquarters in New York and worked for two days through the night without leaving the conference room along with the delegates, in order to get the deal done.

This treaty will provide a legal framework for establishing vast Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which will cover almost two-thirds of the ocean that lies outside the national boundaries to protect against the loss of wildlife and share the genetic resources of the high seas.

It is also decided that a Conference of the Parties (CoP) will periodically meet and enable member states to be held accountable on related issues.

The High Ambition Coalition - which includes the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, and China were the key players in negotiating

the deal. Virginijus Sinkevicius, the European Commissioner for the Environment, Ocean and Fisheries, described the agreement as a “Historic moment for the ocean”. He said, “With the agreement on the UN High Seas Treaty, we take a crucial step forward to preserve the marine life and biodiversity that are essential for us and the generations to come”. He further added, “It is also a proof of strengthened multilateral cooperation with our partners and a major asset to implement our COP15 goal for 30 per cent ocean protection. I am very proud of our outcome.”

Michael Imran Kanu, the head of the African Group and Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN for Legal Affairs of Sierra Leone mentioned that the treaty was “robust and ambitious”. He also mentioned that an initial upfront fund would be set up and both monetary and non-monetary benefits would be shared under the treaty. It was a major accomplishment that an agreement could be achieved among 193 countries, but conservationists claim that there is still much room for improvement.

In particular, nations agreed that existing agencies currently in charge of regulating activities such as fisheries, shipping, and deep-sea mining could do so indefinitely without having to

carry out the environmental impact assessments laid down by the treaty.

One of the key challenges faced by both developing nations and developed countries was discussing how to share marine genetic resources (MGR) with fairness and their eventual profits. Due to their potential use in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, MGR, which are made up of the genetic material of bacteria, corals, krill, seaweed, and deep-sea marine sponges, are gaining more scientific and commercial attention.

In an attempt to build trust between the developed and developing countries, the European Union pledged $42 million to facilitate the ratification of the treaty and its early implementation.

Monica Medina, the United States Assistant Secretary for Oceans, International Environment and Scientific Affairs, said “We leave here with the ability to create protected areas in the high seas and achieve the ambitious goal of conserving 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030. And the time to start is now.” Rebecca Hubbard, Director of the High Seas Alliance, said “Following a two-week-long roller coaster of a ride of negotiations and superhero efforts in the last 48 hours, governments reached an agreement on key issues that will advance protection and better management of marine biodiversity in the high seas.”

Study: Heatwaves in India to become more severe

In India, heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense as a result of climate change, with over 90 per cent of the country being in the “very cautious” or “danger zone” of their effects, according to a recent study. The study, which was carried out by Ramit Debnath and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, also demonstrated that Delhi is particularly vulnerable to the effects of extreme heatwaves, despite the fact that this is not currently taken into account in its most recent state action plan for climate change.

It was asserted that heatwaves are more of a hurdle in India’s progress towards meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) than previously thought and that the criteria employed for present assessments might not fully account for the effects of heatwaves linked to climate change.

According to a research written by scientists Kamaljit Ray, SS Ray, RK Giri, and AP Dimri, as well as M Rajeevan, a former secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, more than 17,000 lives were lost in India due to heatwaves over the course of 50 years.

According to a report published in 2021, the nation experienced 706 heatwave occurrences between 1971 and 2019.

One of the biggest heatwave-related death toll in country’s history occurred on Sunday during a Maharashtra government awards ceremony in Navi Mumbai, where 13 people died from heatstroke. Researchers at the University of Cambridge undertook an analytical study of the nation’s heat index along with its climate vulnerability index in order to gauge India’s climate vulnerability and the potential impact of climate change on SDG progress.

The heat index (HI), which considers both temperature and humidity, is a gauge of how hot it feels to the human body. The climatic vulnerability index (CVI) is a composite index that analyses the effects of heatwaves by

taking into account socioeconomic, livelihood, and biophysical factors.

To determine severity levels, the researchers used a publicly accessible dataset on state-level climate vulnerability indicators from the National Data and Analytics Platform of the government.

They then contrasted India’s progress towards the SDGs over a 20-year period (2001–2021) with deaths caused by extreme weather during that same period.States that were categorized as “low” in CVI rankings were found to be in “danger” HI categories, indicating that heatwaves put more people at extreme climate risk across India than estimated by CVI.

States with “poor” CVI rankings were discovered to be in “danger” HI categories, showing that heatwaves put more people in India at risk from harsh climate than CVI had predicted.

The authors came to the conclusion that the use of CVI may significantly understate the true impact of climate change on heat and recommended that India reevaluate its climate vulnerabilities in order to achieve the SDGs.

They cautioned that if India does not promptly address the effects of heatwaves, progress towards reaching

sustainable development goals may be slowed.

The study also noted that HI estimations are not currently included in the heat action plans created and implemented in accordance with the Delhi government’s vulnerability assessment which is concerning, given that even Delhi’s “low” climatevulnerable areas are at high risk of heat-related disasters.

A heatwave is declared when a station’s highest temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius along the coast, and 30 degrees Celsius in mountainous areas, and the difference from normal is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius.

India had the warmest February since records have been kept, which was in the year 2023. Yet March’s above-average precipitation helped to keep temperatures in control.

It was the third warmest and driest March in 121 years in 2022. The thirdwarmest April in the nation since 1901 also occurred in this year.

According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, if this trend continues, by 2030 the nation might lose 2.5 per cent to 4.50 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually.

South

Summit 2023

Inclusive & Resilient Cities

Focuses on innovative solutions, collaborative efforts for building resilient urban future

The Summit and Mayors’ Forum was organised by All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) at Hotel Aloft in Aerocity, New Delhi from 5-7 April, 2023. Over 400 delegates from more than 25 countries attended the Summit

The 6th Asian Cities Summit and Mayors’ Forum was organised by All India Institute of Local Self-Government (AIILSG) at Hotel Aloft in Aerocity, New Delhi during 5-7 April, 2023. Over 400 delegates from more than 25 countries attended the Summit.

The inauguration of the 6th Asian Cities Summit was done by Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on April 6, 2023. After the lamp lighting ceremony, he gave an enlightening speech on the importance of responsible and sustainable urbanisation in India and Asia at large.

Tcities inclusive and climate-resilient. Shekhawat also launched the Urban75 Book written by Indian urbanists tracing the history of cities and urban policy in Independent India. The book is edited by AIILSG’s President Ranjit S Chavan and Abhishek Pandey, Editor of Urban Update. He praised the efforts of AIILSG to bring together local government leaders by providing a platform for knowledge sharing and mutual learning. He also spoke about the importance of women’s involvement in public life. “If women take on any challenge, they can overcome it more successfully.”

Speaking on the summit’s theme ‘Resilient Cities and Inclusive Growth’ he said, “The challenge in Asia is the gap between the pace and capacity for urbanisation.” He also expressed his hope and wished that with behavioural change in the people, we can overcome great challenges.

Rajkishor Modi, Vice President of AIILSG delivered the Welcome Address. Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG, spoke about the institute’s work in local governance and municipal capacity building. Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor of the institute, said that the Team Urban Update

Shekhawat addressed the Mayors of Indian and Asian cities gathered at the Summit to discuss ways to make

(Centre) Shri Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Minister of Jal Shakti, GOI lighting the lamp at the 6th Asian Cities Summit flanked by (L to R) Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG; Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA; Rajkishor Modi, Vice President, AIILSG; Vijaya Rahatkar, Former Mayor, Aurangabad and Jairaj Phatak, DG, AIILSG

role of women mayors is important in building inclusive and gender-sensitive cities. Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) delivered the keynote address and said that building smart cities is not glamorous, but a messy job and needs grit and courage. Dr Bernadia, Secretary General of the UCLG ASPAC, highlighted that building resilient cities to tackle the evolving urban challenges was necessary.

All the country representatives shared their views on urbanisation in their respective regions as well as Asia. It was truly an Asian perspective. Dr SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law and Justice, spoke at length about the significance of the role of mayors in city building. He underlined that mayors can create history and contribute significantly to the development of a city.

Speakers at the summit underlined that Asia will see rapid urbanisation in the coming years. The cities need to be well prepared to handle the issues emerging from these challenges and strengthen urban local governance systems to make cities resilient.

TECHNICAL SESSION 1: COLLECTIVE URBAN RESPONSE TO EVOLVING CITIES

As cities evolve and face new challenges, it is essential to have a collective urban response that involves multiple stakeholders, including government, citizens, and private organizations. A collective response ensures that the city’s development is sustainable, inclusive, and meets the needs of all its citizens. The first session saw an eminent panel of speakers discuss the importance of urbanisation of Asian cities, emerging urban crises, and the measures needed to be implemented in order to create inclusive, sustainable and resilient cities.

“We have moved from the opinion that cities are meant only for economic growth, have to be competent, and should be bankable. [..] Now, what we need is that our cities need to be sustainable, inclusive and resilient,” Om Prakash Mathur, Non- resident Senior Fellow Global Cities Institute University of Toronto, said.

Highlighting the long- and short-term urban crises, Neeraj Mandloi, Principal Secretary, Urban Development, Government of Madhya Pradesh, mentioned that short term crises are often handled, but it is the long-term crises that are left to the city authorities, or the parastatals which often lead to a huge capacity crisis, like urban planning, environmental challenges, and transport issues.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges for cities which had a devastating impact on the economy and livelihoods of its citizens. The pandemic also highlighted the existing inequalities within cities, with marginalized communities often being hit the hardest. The unavailability of beds and proper medicines had immensely affected the healthcare systems, with hospitals and healthcare workers struggling to keep up with the demand for treatment. Speaking about the post-pandemic effect in the cities, Omar Siddique, a Senior Urbanist mentioned, “The world is facing a series of multiple and interlinked crises

and it’s the perfect storm testing our current development paradigm, from health crises, recession to climate and biodiversity collapse.”

TECHNICAL SESSION 2: EU SUPPORT TO CLIMATE SMART & INCLUSIVE URBANISATION IN INDIA

The moderator for the session Laurent Le Danois, Team Leader - Cooperation Delegation of the European Union to India and Bhutan said that the world is facing many global problems today. The aim of this session is to find local solutions to those global problems.

Ishey Namgyal, President, Leh Municipal Corporation talked about the small union territory and how its tackling problems like climate change. Water is the resource that is facing the primary brunt of global warming. Nearly 90 per cent of the villages depend upon glacial water for agriculture, but as we all know glaciers are fast disappearing. Leh signed an MoU with the Greek municipalities of Farkadona, Trikala and Meteora in 2016 under the European Union International Urban Cooperation (IUC) programme to cooperate with Leh on sustainable urban issues. As part of the programme, officers from Leh visited these Greek cities and learned about water management, waste management and other sanitation issues. So, in Leh only segregated waste is collected now and then it’s taken to the waste management plant.

Shashi Ranjan, Municipal Commissioner, Ranchi said that the city is only a 20 years old state capital. With the support of International Urban and Regional Cooperation (IURC) and cooperation of Regio-Emilia in Italy, Ranchi is working on a non-motorised vehicle transportation system. This involves developing safe public bicycle systems and routes. Following Regio Emilia, they’re also developing bicycle sharing systems. This is extremely important in the current scenario of climate change.

Naim Keruwala, Programme

ARTICLE

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

1. Rajkishor Modi, Vice President, AIILSG; Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG & Ravi Ranjan Guru, Deputy Director Genral, AIILSG felicitated Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti

2. Delegates attending the inaugural session

3. (L to R) Anshuman, Associate Director, TERI; Naim Keruwala, Programme Director, NIUA; Shashi Ranjan (IAS), Municipal Commissioner, Ranchi Municipal Corp; Laurent le Danois, Team Leader, Cooperation Section, Delegation of the EU to India and Bhutan; Ishey Namgyal, President, Municipal Committee, Leh; Jai Kumar Gaurav, Senior Advisor, GIZ; Pankaj Sinha, Senior Investment Officer, IFC

4. Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Minister for Jal Shakti, speaking during the inaugural session of the Summit

5. (L to R) Raj Kishor Modi, VP, AIILSG; Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG; Hemanthi Goonasekera, CEO, FSLGA; Piero Remitti, Co-Managing Director, GCoM Secretariat, Sudhir Krishna, (IAS), Former Secretary, MoUD; Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd.) Director Genral, AIILSG; Kiritkumar J Parmar, Mayor, Amdavad Municipal Corp; Ashok Kumar Byanju, President, UCLG

ASPAC, Dr BernadiaIrawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG-ASPAC; S K Singh, IAS (Retd), Member, Real Estate Regulatory Tribunal, Bihar

6. Participants of Technical Session 6 ‘Preserving Urban Heritage & Strengthening Local identity’

7. Dr Uday Bhonde, Senior Program Specialist, NIUA speaking at Parallel Session 2 ‘Conservation Challenges for Bio-Diversity inIndian Cities’

8. Participants of Technical Session 4 themed ‘Safe, Sustainable and Inclusive Mobility’

9. Dr Kalpana Arora, Director, M/S Nextgen Greens Pvt Ltd speaking at the Parallel Session 4 ‘Climate-Resilient Cities- Action on Climate Change’

10. Dr Beena Philip, Mayor of Kozhikode District speaking at the Mayors’ Forum

11. Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG , Sunayna Prakash Agarwal, Independent Director, Ministry of Chemical & Fertilizers, Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG, Dr Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG-ASPAC, while felicitating Satish Upadhyay, Vice Chairman, NDMC

12. The organising team of 6th Asian Cities Summit after successfully organising the event

South Asian Mayors discuss burning issues of cities

SOUTH ASIAN MAYOR’S FORUM, (SAMF) organised as part of the 6th Asian Cities Summit, began with a brief introduction of speakers by Abhishek Pandey, Editor of Urban Update. Ashok Kumar, President of UCLG ASPAC, was first in the line of speakers to address the gathering, during which he focused on the importance of collaboration, coordination and experience sharing. He also spoke briefly about the local bodies in the Himalayan country, Nepal. Later Dr Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG ASPAC, spoke about the importance of U20 communiqué especially when this time India will be hosting the 2023 edition of the G20 Summit in September in New Delhi. She also shed light on some of the previous U20 Summits and their communiqués, which were later submitted and included in the G20 document.

Hemanthi Goonasekra, FSLGA, stressed that challenges before the local governments in South Asia might be similar, but each government deals with them in their unique way. The methodology adopted by one local government could be replicated in

other places. She also talked about the role of technology in making our cities smart and sustainable.

Ravi Ranjan Guru, DDG, AIILSG, provided a brief introduction about the All India Institute of Local SelfGovernment and some of the initiatives run by the organisation. He talked about Maharashtra Mayor’s Forum, Gujarat Mayor’s Forum and Urban Dialogue etc.

Later Dr Jairaj Phatak, IAS (Retd), DG, AIILSG, shared his experience and briefly talked about the power struggle between Mayors and Commissioners. He emphasised that articulation of public grievances could be better done by an elected representative, and Mayors have to learn the ethos of administration and should understand the limitation of budget.

Followed by Dr Jairaj Phatak, Piero Roberto Remitti, Co-managing Director of Global Covenant of Mayors, talked about the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) and the role played by the coalition in enhancing the capacity of cities not just in Asia but in the world to become climate resilient.

Dr Sudhir Krishna, IAS (Retd), Former Secretary, MoUD, the keynote speaker in the Forum, talked about how

cities around the globe are now copying the same pattern of development, which destroys the identity of a city which used to create a sense of belonging for the citizens. He also talked about the governance models and said that all civic bodies should get the same treatment irrespective of their size or their budget’s size.

S K Singh, IAS (Retd), Member, Real Estate Regulatory Tribunal Bihar, was last to take his place at the podium. During his address, he talked about how the local body head has very little say in the local governance, and the feedback about the performance of the local government comes from the Chief Minister of that state and not from the local heads. He also said that states focus on the centralisation of power, when it comes to the local bodies, but the focus should be on the decentralisation of power.

Finally, Kiritkumar J Parmar, Mayor of Ahmedabad, which holds the chair of U20 this year, talked about how discussions over the six identity areas are being held all over the country. He also stressed the need to shift to electric transport and phase out fossil fuel vehicles.

Mayors from Indian and South Asian cities posing after the SAMF

Director – CITIIS, National Institute of Urban Affairs. City Investments to Innovate, Integrate and Sustain focuses on all three levels – national, state and local. The programme was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs in 2018 and is financed through a 100 million Euro loan from the French development agency AFD and 6 million Euro technical assistance grant from the European Union which makes it possible to disseminate learnings to municipalities. Through the project there are many initiatives taken up by NIUA in many cities like Bhubaneswar, Surat, and Chennai.

Dr Anshuman, Associate Director, Water Resources & Forestry Division, TERI spoke about the project Pavitra Ganga functioning in two locations. It is a consortium of partners across Europe and India which is funded by EU and the Govt of India. In India, out of the total waste water generated, only 27 per cent is treated, rest of it goes into the water bodies. It is however possible to improve wastewater management through the use of better technology and thereby mitigate GHG emissions.

Jai Kumar Gaurav, Senior Advisor, GIZ India spoke about the organisation’s programme being implemented in India - ‘Waste Solutions for a circular economy in India’ which is partly funded by EU. The goal of the project is to be able to support 4,500 tons per day of municipal solid waste.

Pankaj Sinha, Senior Investment Officer, International Finance Corporation (IFC) spoke about leveraging private sector in rejuvenating urban transport infrastructure. Explaining why we need private finance in urban sector, he said PPP model is a potential method to attract investment in the urban sector and solve some of the issues.

TECHNICAL SESSION 3: URBAN TRANSFORMATIONOPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

Urban transformation epitomises the narrative of providing opportunities for accelerating a change in the local

and global diaspora in its movement towards sustainability. Therefore, AIILSG organised a session on India’s Urban Transformation: Opportunities and Challenges, wherein eminent personalities shared their views.

In the session, Shekhar Singh, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor highlighted some of the challenges and issues that municipalities have to address, such as the high expectation of people, conflict between the needs of different social classes and balance between development and environment. On the other hand, Pushyamitra Bhargav, Mayor, Indore told the audience how with the help of Janbhagidari (people’s participation) the city has emerged as cleanest city in India for the last six consecutive years. He also highlighted how the city is leapfrogging in scientific waste management. Similarly, Junaid Azim Mattu, Mayor, Srinagar talked about how the participation of local bodies in the policy making process could ensure the success of programs like the Swachh Bharat Mission.

Dr Sanjay Kolte, IAS, CEO, Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd deliberated upon some of the initiatives for sustainable urban transformation of Pune city, including the introduction of smart e-buses, street lighting (LED) and installing PV cells in all buildings of Pune Municipal Corporation. Dr Debjani Ghosh explained the work of the National Urban Learning Platform (NULP), a knowledge-sharing network involving urban officials, academicians and researchers.

SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law and Justice, Government of India briefly talked about the Asian Cities Summit and later spoke about the initiatives and schemes of the government, such as the Smart City Mission, AMRUT, and PM Awas Yojana, to improve the ease of living for citizens along with the progress that India has made towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.

TECHNICAL SESSION

MOBILITY

Safe, sustainable, and inclusive mobility refers to the concept of providing transportation options that are safe, environment friendly, and accessible to all members of society, including those with disabilities and economically disadvantaged sections of society. Abhishek Saxena, Public Policy Expert, International Forum for Environment, Sustainable and Technology (iFOREST), chaired this session. He spoke at length about Electric mobility and its role in making a sustainable impact in the environment. “Two –three years back, people used to ask whether EVs are going to happen. Do we really need them? And now questions have completely turned to how soon are we going to have them? What are the policy decisions that we need to take? Why aren’t you doing more?” Highlighting the importance of greater focus on monitoring mobility, Shubhankar Mohapatra, Commissioner, Rourkela Smart City Limited, pointed out that cities need to focus more on safe and secure transportation for everyone. He also talked about the problems faced by the small-medium cities of India in bringing changes in urban mobility and the usage of inclusive mobility for the betterment of the environment and to promote sustainability. “The best about cycling is that its clean, calm, cuts costs and it breaks barriers.”

Parul Agarwal, Country Director, UN-HABITAT, addressed the safety concerns faced by the vulnerable groups due to lack of proper public transportation. She stated, “In many cities, transportation is unsustainable, it’s not safe, inefficient, inaccessible and also unaffordable. We need to put our efforts to make transportation safer and secure to all groups of the society.”

Talking about low carbon mobility in cities, Amit Bhatt, Managing Director of the International Council for Clean Transportation, highlighted the fact that all kinds of vehicles have some kind of impact on the environment and that it is for us to figure out ways to reduce their impacts on the environment. “If we are really looking

4: SAFE, SUSTAINABLE, AND INCLUSIVE

at the Paris Agreement, net-zero, climate sustainability, we have to reduce emissions from the transport sector, especially from the developing economy.” Rahul Tiwari, Professor at National Institute of Technology, Bhopal, threw light on how having a better transport system has a huge impact on the vulnerable class of the society. He focused on how in most of the families, women still depend on the male for their travel needs. “A change in mindset is requiredinclusive, equitable society for both men and women.”While discussing the strategies for inclusion and sustainable mobility, Gaurav Bhatiani, Director of Energy and Environment of RTI International-India suggested that the taxes that are being collected from the vehicles should be invested in electric buses. “Why can’t a part of these taxes be used for funding electric buses [..] in a way we already have high carbon taxes but none of those carbon taxes or taxes on petrol and diesel are used to decarbonize.”

TECHNICAL SESSION 5: URBAN WATER SECURITY AND MANAGEMENT

As urban water security and management are critical issues for cities around the world, the session saw experts discussing the importance of sustainable use of water, initiatives to be taken for long term impact and the technology in urban water management. As the global population continues to grow and climate change impacts have become more severe, cities are facing increasing challenges in providing safe, reliable, and affordable water services to their residents.

In this session, panelists discussed and presented some of the ways for effective water management, involving a range of strategies, sustainable water sourcing, efficient distribution systems, and effective wastewater treatment. Major focus was also on the importance of water quality and the importance of safe management of water supply. “When we talk about children, their growth can only happen if there aren’t

any cases of water-borne diseases. Water quality plays an important role here. And also, contaminated water can only be prevented by safe management of water supply,” said Manish Wasuja, WASH specialist.

The experts stressed on the importance of PPP (Public-Private Partnership) funding which can encourage private-sector investment in urban sanitation, thereby promoting innovation and efficiency in the sector. The involvement of a partnership can bring in new technologies, business models, and management practices that can help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urban sanitation services. PPP funding also plays a crucial role in promoting long-term sustainability in urban sanitation. It includes activities such as wastewater treatment, solid waste management, and sewage disposal, which are essential for maintaining public health and preserving the environment.

The panel also mentioned that cities must consider the social and economic impacts of their water management decisions, particularly for low-income and marginalized communities. Ensuring urban water security requires a comprehensive and integrated approach that considers both the immediate needs of residents and the long-term sustainability of urban water systems.

TECHNICAL SESSION 6: PRESERVING URBAN HERITAGE & STRENGTHENING LOCAL IDENTITY

Considering the intense pace of urbanisation and redevelopment in Asia, there emerges a need to give special attention to the preservation of urban heritage to maintain the local identity of cities and preserve their history.

The session ‘Preserving Urban Heritage & Strengthening Local Identity’ discussed the close association of Culture, Monuments and Local Identity. Apart from that, the session also talked about some of the key initiatives, including HRIDAY, aimed at

preserving the rich cultural heritage of our country. The session also depicted how cities could be redesigned to become citizen and pedestrian-friendly. It showed how cities could create green spaces in the middle of concrete jungles with the help of some brilliant examples from the eastern city of Seoul, like Seoul Plaza, Seoullo 7017 and Sejong-daero’s ‘Pedestrian Forest Path’. The panel discussion also highlighted that monuments and heritage buildings could not be preserved without the active participation of citizens. The panel also highlighted how a simple move such as providing drinkable tap water to all households could drastically cut plastic bottle pollution in Puri. On one hand the ‘Drink from Tap’ scheme ensures the availability of drinking water to the citizens, but on the other hand, it also cuts down plastic bottle pollution. Initiatives also lead to skill development and employment generation, thus boosting the local economy.

The panel of speakers included Praveen Chaudhary, IAS, U20 City Sherpa and Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation; Dr Vibhuti Sachdev, Director, Unitedworld Institute of Design, G D Goenka University; Kyungah Chung, Secondee from Seoul Metropolitan Government; Dr Shikha Jain, Director, Development & Research Organisation for Nature, Arts & Heritage (DRONAH); Sangeeta Bais, Director, DHAROHAR; Dr Mukesh Kanaskar, Director International Center of EQUI-T, AIILSG; Sriparna Iyer, Senior Vice President (Urban Development) IPE Global; and Dr Arunava Das Gupta, Professor, Department of Urban Design, SPA Delhi.

The three-day conference concluded with a valedictory session where closing remarks were offered by Dr. Jairaj Phatak, DG, AIILSG; RR Guru, DDG, AIILSG; Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG ASPAC and Satish Upadhyay, Vice Chairman, NDMC. A declaration was prepared and was adopted after a democratic and open discussion.

The 3rd Women Leadership Workshop (WLW) was held on April 5, 2023, at Hotel Aloft in Aerocity, New Delhi. The workshop brought together women from diverse backgrounds, industries, and career stages to engage in dynamic and interactive discussions around issues of women in leadership positions in society. Led by experienced professionals in the field of politics, bureaucracy, academia, etc, the workshop was full of diverse and engaging perspectives on women leadership

Ayesha Saeed Reporter, Urban Update

Indrani Priyadarshini Trainee Reporter, Urban Update

SHOW OF WOMEN POWER AT 3rd Women Leadership Workshop

The inaugural session was about introducing the concept of the Women’s Leadership Workshop 2023 and discussing its essence. After the felicitation of dignitaries, Hansa Patel, Executive Advisor, AIILSG, addressed the gathering, followed by Ravi Ranjan Guru, Deputy Director General, AIILSG. They welcomed the delegates and spoke about the Workshop’s history. It was a knowledge-sharing platform where the countries learned from each other; for instance, Ashok Kumar Byanju, President of UCLG ASPAC, said that there’s a law in Nepal for a mandatory 33 per cent reservation for women in the

TParliament ensuring representation of women in politics. Dr Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi, Secretary General, UCLG ASPAC, spoke about an important aspect of gender equality that we often forget: the inclusivity of men. Women empowerment can only be achieved with the support and understanding of men. Vijaya Rahatkar, former mayor of Aurangabad and former Chairperson of the State Women Commission of Maharashtra was the chief guest. She spoke about India’s age-old practice of taking the name of its goddesses first. She also highlighted India’s achievements in creating self-help groups, which are women collectives at the grassroot level.

SESSION 1: WOMEN, POWER, AND LEADERSHIP

The first session of the Women Leadership Workshop saw an eminent panel of speakers. The session discussed importance of women in leadership roles and their day-to-day challenges.

Rina Shah, former mayor of Bhavnagar, chaired the session. She said, “Women always try to balance work (professional life) and home (personal life), and try to manage both to their best. So, we can say that women are the best managers.”

Karuna Gopal, Founder and President of the Foundation for Futuristic Cities, highlighted that if world leaders focused more on women empowerment than other development goals, the world would have become a better place and achieved all the goals.

Kalanidhi Devkota, Executive Director of the Municipal Association of Nepal talked about how Nepal has succeeded in protecting the rights of the local governments and ensured that women get quota in all three tiers of government. “We now have 22 executive rights of local governments written in the constitution which is perhaps the biggest achievement in the whole South Asia […] At the local level we have secured 40 per cent women participation, from Mayors to ward councillors and Chairperson.”

Rosy Senanayake, Mayor of Colombo, Sri Lanka, stated that Sri Lanka has a 9394 per cent female literacy rate. In terms of maternal mortality, because of a good primary healthcare system, Sri Lanka have secured 72nd position in terms of the achievement of SDGs. However, this is not the whole picture. Even though women’s contribution to the GDP is high, women are mostly engaged in low-paid labour-oriented jobs. “They are not engaged in the decision-making realm,” she said. Participation of women in politics is also low. In the national assembly, women participation hasn’t gone beyond six per cent while at the provincial level, it is two per cent. In 2015, it was made mandatory for the local councils to have 25 per cent women.

Dr Beena Phillip, mayor of Kozhikode, pointed out women are called ‘the second sex’ in everyday language perhaps because they have always been considered inferior to men. Giving examples from different religions of the world, she showed that this is an age-old belief. She said that both women and men both have to go beyond the barrier

of gender in order to achieve gender equality. Women need to have trust in their own capabilities and not try to imitate men.

Sulochna Das, the Mayor of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation said that her city Bhubaneswar is on the path of development and climate resilience, since is it prone to disasters. And this has been made possible only because of including women in the development process. “No one wants to see a woman in power,” she said. One has to be from a reputed family, or have good education and connections for a woman to make it in politics. In the 115 ULBs in Orissa, there is 50 per cent reservation for women, but the participation of women is 80 per cent.

SESSION 2: IMPORTANCE OF QUOTA FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS

Session two discussed whether there should be quota for women in politics. Hemanthi Goonasekera, CEO of the Federation of Sri Lankan Local Govt Authorities (FSLGA), moderated the session and introduced the theme and described why it is pertinent. Male to Female Ratio in the world is 50-50, but only a limited number of women are heads of states or speakers in the Parliament. However, at the local level, the representation of women in politics is one-third. And that is because of the reservation of seats for women. Reservation in politics is vital because women prioritise issues differently than men. One gender cannot possibly represent our society’s different perspectives and opinions. For instance, in the Philippines, according to Stephany Uy- Tan, City Councillor, Catbalogan City, Philippines, most leaders prioritise infrastructure. But when she became the first female village mayor, she prioritised women’s empowerment and ensured the representation of women.

Whether the quota system has proved useful in bringing more women into politics, Prof Sneha Palnitkar said that because of the 74th amendment, many women entered politics. Political parties wouldn’t have voluntarily brought about this change. Since women don’t

usually tend to aspire to politics, the quota system really helped the climb the ladder to leadership positions.

SESSION 3: WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND WELLNESS

This session was about the inspirational and successful entrepreneurial journey of women. The panellists were from various walks of life and spoke about the challenges of having an entrepreneurial life and their successful journey. The session was chaired by Preeti Singh Mundra, Deputy Director of NEREDCO. She emphasised having events of this kind to recognise the barriers and challenges women face and find ways to empower and uplift women in society.

The first speaker of the session, Dr Ananta Raghuvanshi, mentioned that entrepreneurial life is quite challenging, but this only allows women to have economic freedom, which is a way to live independently and not lead a boring life. “Normal is boring, right? Challenging is quite exciting and especially in the field of entrepreneurship and handling business.”

Challenges for the newer generation of entrepreneurs remain the same with very little improvement, said Aakriti Rawal, CEO of House of Chikankari. She also spoke about how millennials and Gen Z need purposeful entrepreneurial journeys and focus on building more prominent brands.

On the other hand, Madhulika Bajpai, Associate Professor, University of Delhi, highlighted the biases that women face in their everyday life and how women should take a stand against them. “A male boss can be boss, but a female boss can be bossy, which shows that we see the world through a gendered lens.”

Madeline Arlene, former Mayor of Iriga City, Philippines, stated that five per cent of her country’s budget goes to the gender and development and upliftment of women.

The last speaker Hina Shafi Bhat mentioned how the state of Jammu and Kashmir has developed over the years, and the new generations are working towards being financially independent by choosing the entrepreneurial life.

Ranjit S Chavan President, AIILSG

Asian Cities - Beacon of hope in ever-changing world

Amayors, municipal leaders, urban planners, policymakers, and experts across Asia to discuss strategies for building sustainable and resilient cities. Held in the national capital of India, the summit provided a platform for participants to exchange ideas and best practices and explore innovative approaches to addressing the challenges facing urban areas in the region. I could not attend the Summit in person due to unavoidable reasons, but I remain updated, thanks to technology.

Cities will have a vital role to play in building a sustainable, resilient, and inclusive world. Many cities, not only India but also countries worldwide, face various challenges in their quest to build better places to live for all. AIILSG brought the leaders of these cities together in a bid to ensure that joint efforts must be employed to confront common obstacles. The incredible response that was received at the Summit held in Delhi stands as proof that the region can emerge more robust and the future of Asian cities shines with a radiant hope

Asia is undoubtedly the most populous continent in the world, but the urbanisation growth in the region rate has been slower than in many other developed regions. As the world’s most populous continent with over 4.6 billion people, Asia has witnessed a rapid increase in urbanisation in the last couple of decades, and the trend is expected to continue in the coming years.

By 2050, it is projected that 64 per cent of Asia’s population will live in cities. About 1.2 billion people will be added to Asian cities. According to UN-Habitat, one billion urban residents may face multiple high or extreme hazards in the region by 2030. While the proportion of those living in slum conditions has fallen, over half a billion slum dwellers still live in the region. Most cities in Asia-Pacific struggle to manage solid waste in a cost-effective and environmentally responsible way, mainly relying on open dumping and uncontrolled landfilling.

The 6th Asian Cities Summit, organised by the All India Institute of Local Self Government (AIILSG), brought together mayors, deputy

The summit focused on a range of key themes, including urban planning and design, climate change mitigation and adaptation, infrastructure development, urban transformation in India, water management, public transport, and delivery of civic services. One of the summit’s main goals was to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among cities in Asia, with a particular emphasis on learning from each other’s successes and failures.

Several high-profile speakers addressed the summit, including Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Union Cabinet Minister, Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India; SP Singh Baghel, Minister of State for Law and Justice, GoI; Kunal Kumar, Joint Secretary, MoHUA, and Mission Director, Smart Cities Mission; Hitesh Vaidya, Director, NIUA; and Satish Upadhyay, Vice President of New Delhi Municipal Council. Their insights and experiences provided valuable guidance to the summit’s participants, helping to shape the discussions and debates.

Participants shared examples of successful urban projects and initiatives implemented in their cities throughout the summit. These included sustainable

South

Summit 2023

Inclusive & Resilient Cities

One of the important outcomes was understanding the need to embrace innovation and new technologies in urban development and governance mechanisms. From smart cities to digital governance platforms, technology is increasingly seen as a key enabler of sustainable and resilient urban development. However, such technologies must be designed and implemented in a way that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of local communities

transport systems, green building codes, waste management solutions, and innovative public service delivery models. Such initiatives help make cities more sustainable and resilient and create opportunities for economic growth and social development.

One of the key takeaways from the summit was the importance of involving local communities in urban planning and decision-making. Several speakers emphasised the need for participatory approaches that engage citizens, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders in shaping the future of their cities. This leads to more inclusive and equitable outcomes and builds trust and social cohesion within communities. One of the important outcomes was understanding the need to embrace innovation and new technologies in urban development and governance mechanisms. From smart cities to digital governance platforms, technology is increasingly seen as a key enabler of sustainable and resilient urban development. However, such technologies must be designed and implemented in a way that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of local communities. However, such technologies must be designed and implemented in a way that is responsive

to the needs and aspirations of local communities.

Finally, the summit highlighted the urgent need for cities in Asia to address the challenges of climate change. With the region being one of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, cities must take proactive steps to reduce their carbon footprints and build resilience to climate-related hazards. This includes investing in renewable energy, green infrastructure, and climate-resilient urban planning. In a separate article in this edition, the editorial team has put up the summarised version of the discussions in an article. The detailed outcome report will be released soon and shared with the delegates, speakers and relevant government institutions.

The was a resounding success, providing a valuable platform for municipal leaders and urban practitioners from across Asia to share experiences, learn from each other, and build new partnerships. The discussions and debates that took place during the summit were insightful and inspiring and will undoubtedly help to shape the future of sustainable and resilient urban development in the region.

The next summit will be of special importance as it will take place in 2025, and the institute will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The centenary celebration is an extraordinary moment in the life of any institute. Our team has already begun preparing for the series of events and activities the institute plans to organise to commemorate the efforts of the institute’s founders and venerate its legacy over a century. I am sure the relations and collaborations forged at this summit will pave the way for a grand event next time. Meanwhile, there are many activities which will be carried out during the course of two years as agreed upon by many organisations and cities. It was also endorsed in the Summit for enhancing the engagement of member cities of the South Asian Mayors Forum. I am sure all these initiatives will forge a more decisive role for local government institutions in making Asia the most liveable continent.

A World in Peril: Escalating Threat of Climate-Induced Disasters

Climate-induced hazard is not a new phenomenon anymore. Each year thousands die and billions of dollars are lost due to disasters. In 2021 alone, the Emergency Event Database recorded over 400 natural hazards which affected 101 million people and left 10,492 dead. Asia was the most affected continent with 40 per cent share of all global disasters, 49 per cent of total deaths and two-thirds of the affected people. World economies suffered a loss of over $250 billion this year. It has been widely acknowledged that with increasing global temperature frequency of these disasters is on the rise. Policies adopted by both developing and developed countries are not sufficient to cut down global emissions, primarily responsible for global warming

COMPILED BY Team Urban Update

7

10000

8000

6000

4000

Deaths by Climate Disasters 4143 1876 1044 128 0

2000

10442 8684 77 1059 0

12000 Flood Storm Extreme Temp Wildfires Drought

5185

7

28 8

4 Storms Earthquakes & Tsunamis Drought Wildfires

Number of Deaths 2021 2000-2020 Scenarios GHG emissions in Estimated emissions gap in 2030 (GtCO2e) 2030 (GtCO2e) Median & Range Below 2.0 C Below 1.8 C Below 1.5 C Year 2010 Policies 66 (64–68) NA NA NA Current Policies 58 (52–60) 17 (11–19) 23 (17–25) 25 (19–27) Unconditional NDCs 55 (52–57) 15 (12–16) 21 (17–22) 23 (20–24) Conditional NDCs 52 (49–54) 12 (8–14) 18 (14–20) 20 (16–22)

28 8

4 Storms Earthquakes & Tsunamis Drought Wildfires

Why India needs a national urban policy?

Jyoti Verma Senior Journalist

India is experiencing a relentless rise in urbanisation. It has one of the largest urban systems in the world, with an urban population of around 377 million. But compared to its peer group of emerging nations—China (45 per cent), Indonesia (54 per cent), Mexico (78 per cent), and Brazil (87 per cent)—India has a far lower level of urbanisation. India’s urban population is anticipated to reach 600 million by 2030. Cities and towns are positioned as the focal points of India’s development trajectory. So, the urban sector is crucial to the structural change of the Indian economy and to maintaining the high pace of economic growth in the coming decades

According to the most recent United Nations statistics, India just surpassed China to become the world’s most populous nation with 1.42 billion people, out of which around 0.498 billion live in urban areas.

One of India’s serious challenges since independence has been the ongoing migration of people from their birthplaces, villages, and occupations. The socio-economic developments in this structure show that nearly onethird of the population currently resides in urban areas. According to statistics, more and more people are moving from the village to the city, and as of today, 49.82 crore people live in urban areas. Even though the majority of the population—about 64.61 per cent—still resides in villages, agriculture no longer accounts for more than 15 per cent of the GDP. The standard of living in villages is declining due to a lack of work, basic services, and facilities for health and education. People are leaving villages for cities in quest of a better life because of this. As a result, slums have developed in practically all of the country’s major cities, including its metropolises. Take the nation’s capital, Delhi, as an example. Basic amenities, including public spaces, public transport, social infrastructure, the environment, food, water, health, and infrastructure like roads and electricity, are all badly affected. This city’s population has grown tremendously over the past several decades and will continue to increase as more people move here every day. Its total area is 1483 square kilometres.

Similar is the scenario in almost all the major cities, including the metros.

ADue to this mounting population, cities face challenges in terms of deficits in infrastructure, governance, and sustainability. With rapid urbanisation, these problems are going to aggravate, and can cumulatively pose a challenge to India’s growth trajectory. Hence, a new urban planning strategy has been long overdue.

NEED FOR AN NUP

It is essential for India to outline its urbanisation strategy and emphasise the value and goals of cities. UN Habitat also mandates that all member nations have such a policy. In addition to resolving the existing urban crisis in India, a pertinent policy is urgently needed if urbanisation is to be used effectively to ensure economic growth and deliver prosperity for all. Additionally, in order to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable, it is necessary to focus on areas like inclusive growth, infrastructure finance, and robust urban information systems. Furthermore, in order to streamline development and ensure that all urban missions are brought under a single platform, it is necessary to deal with issues like slum prevention and regularisation, access to healthcare, and environmental sustainability.

The linked problems that affect cities’ expansion require a comprehensive framework that approaches them holistically. The central government must take the lead in sustainable urban development while collaborating closely with state and local authorities. States must take the initiative in order to make cities thriving economic hubs because the majority of issues relating to cities are state subjects. Civic organisations must fully execute the provisions of the 74th Constitutional Amendments Act. Urban policy should help to achieve the objectives of eradicating poverty, unemployment, and underemployment while paying attention to the infrastructure that enables provision of services to citizens.

Overall, urban planning is critical to the development of sustainable, livable, and prosperous cities in India.

AROUND THE WORLD

Globally, about one-third of countries already have a NUP in place. The Indian government’s National Urban Policy Framework 2018 (NUPF) specifies “an integrated and coherent approach towards the future of urban planning in India.” In October 2020, the government released the final version of the NUPF, which envisions “urban areas with distinct identities providing ease of living, responsive governance, a sustainable environment, rapid economic growth, and livelihood

opportunities for citizens” while keeping in mind the national priorities and critical role of urban India.

A LOOK AT NUPF

According to the framework, the main goal of urban planning in India is to prepare cities for the requirements and wants of a constantly expanding population. Second, urban planning must include people-centred development that recognises the various requirements of every resident, particularly the poor, the differently abled, and the disadvantaged. Third, master planning needs to be adaptable to take into account the frequently shifting socio-economic situations in cities and the areas around them. In order to build a more balanced network of cities in the region, spatial and economic planning should also be combined at the regional level. This will guarantee that urbanisation produces the greatest possible economic benefits.

There are two sections of the NUPF. The first section contains ten sutras, or philosophical principles. Based on the set of these sutras and the relevant functional areas, a list of priorities, activities, and outcomes has been developed within this framework. And in the second section, the ten sutras are employed to regulate ten different functional facets of urban space. It is suggested that states use this strategic intent while creating their urban policies. The NUPF acknowledges that urban planning is a state responsibility. But it does not aim to offer a comprehensive, top-down manual on how to design and run Indian towns. The majority of urban subjects are acknowledged to fall under the purview of states or ULBs (Urban Local Bodies), and solutions must be tailored to the local environment. One of the guiding concepts of NUPF 2020 is that it is undesirable to impose a uniform, strictly codified prescription.

In order to reinforce the current economic interdependence (covering raw materials, natural resources, labour, land, logistics, etc.) and take advantage of economies of scale to ensure that the outcomes are inclusive, the cities are required to support a significant portion

of rural areas. The NUPF takes these details into account and aims to improve economic possibilities through a series of interventions at all levels (local, state, and national), which might push India’s economy towards the five trillion dollar mark. These are the interventions:

♦ Developing strategies and long-term physical infrastructure to help boost urban areas’ “economic bases”

♦ Increasing local economic activity by utilising a number of enablers (financing, infrastructure, policy, regulation, institutional support, and governance) to deliver the essential social infrastructure, such as housing, livelihood opportunities in the unofficial sector, and shared service platforms for networking

♦ Supporting mass transit, nonpolluting transportation options, bicycle safety, and pedestrian safety (to create safer and healthier cities)

♦ Improving the financial standing of urban local governments, transferring authority to those in charge, establishing goals based on results, and independently using financial resources

♦ Establish a local, real-time urban information hub that is connected to regional, state, and federal databases for data-driven decision-making

♦ Establish technologies and processes to protect the environment, lessen harmful effects, and enhance urban resilience (including preparedness to handle pandemics).

Therefore, based on the federal framework, the states have been urged to create their own state urban policies, including implementation plans. And the central government has committed to provide help with the development of such state projects. In light of urban initiatives taken by the government, we can say that the government of India has greatly strengthened its engagement with cities during the past 10 years.

Now that the government has begun moving in this direction, the new urban planning strategy may soon be put into practice.

[The views expressed are the author’s own. They do not purport to reflect the views of Urban Update.]

“Cities are showing their greatest ambitions and willingness to defy climate change”

Cities have been greatly impacted by climate change, but many are taking action to mitigate its effects and adapt to the changing conditions. Tomasz Gawlic, representing the Commission, Director General for Climate Action, spoke at length about cities preparing climate action plans and the ways the Global Covenant of Mayors (GCoM) has been by their side. Abhisek Pandey, Editor of Urban Update, interviewed Tomasz Gawlic on diverse issues concerning cities around the world especially when they are greatly affected by climate change and the role of the European Green Deal in making an impact in Europe and elsewhere.

Tomasz Gawlik, Policy Assistant, European Commission

Tomasz Gawlik at International Press Centre, Brussels during the interview

SO, I WILL START WITH THE FIRST QUESTION. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF TO OUR AUDIENCE AND TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF AND WHAT YOU DO.

Thank you, Abhishek. This is a great opportunity. My name is Tomasz Gawlic. I’m representing the Commission, Director General for Climate Action. There is a unit under which you may find a set of problems that we’re trying to handle; not tackle but to handle. One of those is climate action in urban areas. This encompasses the Global Covenant of Mayors for which I am the focal point in our directorate, as you know since you are a part of the community. But let me give a little background of the initiative. GCoM has been there and grown to be the largest community of the cities, fighting against climate change, adapting to climate change, and also trying to adapt to the new circumstances related to energy security, and energy access. We are an alliance of over 12 and a half thousand cities across the world that represent more than one billion inhabitants of this beautiful planet and which I’m really proud about. It employs a lot of people working behind the scenes like we do. And I think it creates a great opportunity and also a great community for people that are devoted to climate action in the cities to reflect their dedication on the ground and help the cities as we phrase it ‘pioneering in climate action’. As the cities are the centre of this action, without the cities, we would not achieve our targets and in Europe, we have ambitious targets. We have an increased target of at least 55 per cent reduction of emissions for 2030 and would like to be climate neutral by 2050. We also have other EU adaptation strategies, which are more action-oriented and there are also a number of other city initiatives. I’ll not list them all right now, but let’s maybe focus on GCoM and how GCoM is delivering because it is the largest alliance of cities in the world, it is something that we are proud of.

MY QUESTION TO YOU IS ABOUT THE

EUROPEAN GREEN DEAL WHICH ALL THE 27 EUROPEAN UNIONS HAVE COMMITTED TO TURNING INTO THE FIRST CLIMATE-NEUTRAL CONTINENT BY 2050. SO, WHAT ARE THE KEY COMPONENTS OF THIS DEAL, HOW AMBITIOUS ARE YOU, AND HOW ARE YOU GOING TO DO IT, AS YOU HAVE TO DO THINGS ON THE GROUND AND THERE WILL BE CHALLENGES.

I think, first of all, the most important one is the rule that the polluter pays for the harm that it does to the environment. So we are trying to pinpoint and trying to target the entities that are doing the harm. We tried to hold them accountable. The European green deal is a set of rules and guidelines that are trying to help us navigate through this very complex picture of different entities, and different institutions.

HOW

DIFFICULT OR HOW EASY IS IT TO ACHIEVE THE VISION OF THIS DEAL?

Yes, it’s a very good question because we have a number of experts working on different areas of that fight. I think the ones that we talked the most about are the emissions inventories. So there is, of course, a system of emissions of the socalled ETS (Emission Trading System) that we are trying to disseminate in other parts of the world. We also have put an effort into sharing regulations so that the sectors that are not covered by the emissions trading system, we’re trying to encourage them to contribute to our collective fight. We also have mechanisms that are supposed to help communities go through that change because of this transformation. As we all know, it will not be easy for people for specific groups, and social groups, that there will be jobs that will, for instance, disappear. And we have to support these people. So, for this kind of thing, we also have funds so that we can help them. As you can see, the picture is very diverse. There are a number of pathways; we are trying to help people go through that transformation. And I think we’ve reached the last phase of preparation, the last phase of regulatory formulation. Now we face this; I think the most important stage is

implementation. So we have to put that interaction to reflect that on the ground and this is the task for the coming years but also decades.

THE GLOBAL COVENANT OF MAYORS WAS CREATED MUCH BEFORE THE PARIS AGREEMENT. OVER THE PERIOD OF TIME, WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR EXPERIENCE SINCE YOU ARE HANDLING GCOM AFFAIRS? HOW ARE CITIES RESPONDING AND HOW ARE THE CHANGES HAPPENING ON THE GROUND?

As we said at the beginning, GCoM is a huge alliance and of course, it evolved over time. I think the cities have proven that they can take leadership. They proved that over the last decade and I could say that the majority of the actions were happening in the cities. We learned from the municipalities how to implement these actions. Also, very often the cities have set more ambitious targets than their own countries. I think what is our challenge for the following years is to get this work, very hard work that has been done over the last couple of years. Get this work embedded into a global picture; make every stakeholder, and every actor work together across different levels. I think in very highlevel works, of course, but this would be our path going forward.

GCOM HAS EVOLVED AND NOW IT IS A VERY LARGE ALLIANCE. HOW DO YOU SEE CITIES TAKING THIS FORWARD? WHAT IS YOUR EXPECTATION FROM THEM?

It’s a very difficult question. I mean, I’ve been trying to answer that myself over the last few months. I would be really happy. I would be very happy to see the work done by the cities being recognised. As putting this much effort is not done for nothing. Working for long hours through good and bad days should not go wasted. I would love to be recognised appropriately and make this voice heard on important forums that we hold.

I AM INTRIGUED TO KNOW BECAUSE WE ARE NEW TO THIS SYSTEM. SEE, GCOM IS A VERY BIG ALLIANCE SO WHEN

THIS PROJECT FINISHES WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO GCOM? IF IT DISAPPEARS THEN WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE HARD WORK OF PEOPLE AND FINANCE INVESTED INTO IT. SO MY QUESTION IS HOW ALL OF US TOGETHER CAN MAKE IT SUSTAINABLE?

I agree with you that even the shortest gap in the functioning of this alliance would be very harmful, not only to the cities but specifically to the people that were working for us. And we don’t want to let this effort get wasted. So, I agree with you on that. I think we might look into options on how this initiative can be made self-sustainable. At some point, maybe we should strengthen the platform for communication and I’m thinking out loud right now for the cities to exchange dialogues and communicate with each other. This kind of flow of information will let the spirit of the community for cooperation, which is self-sustaining, and it will work towards the goals. We might take this into consideration and I think the opportunity we’ve had over this week because we’re in Brussels attending the GCoM open house, has been very instrumental for this kind of discussion. For me personally, I’ve had so many ideas and visions for the shape of this initiative, over the last week, I just need to note them down and then digest them a bit. I’ll be happy to inform you further on how it’s going on.

MY SECOND LAST QUESTION IS WHICH OF THE COVENANTS HAS DONE REALLY WELL? I KNOW IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO ASK A PARENT WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVOURITE CHILD BUT STILL, I WOULD LIKE YOU TO DELVE INTO IT A LITTLE BIT.

Of course, this is a difficult question. I think, globally the picture is very diverse and so, you can’t really compare one region to one another. I think we should recognise the linkages that have been made, the local relationships and I think this has been done practically everywhere. We experience, of course, a high turnover of people, not only on the GCoM side but also on the city side. It gets difficult to maintain these relationships over time. And I think

Tomasz Gawlik, Policy Assistant, European Commission

Tomasz Gawlik Policy Assistant European Commission

in this sense, GCoM is a one-of-akind alliance because we’ve been here for a very long time. We are the only community, the only group of cities that have been out there for a number of years and so I think, these relationships have been set up everywhere in the world. But in spite of or against the diversity, we can encounter that you’ve been really a great example for the other regions. The other regions have done well too, of course. If we’re talking about how GCoM can evolve in the future, this could be the legacy and be the heritage that we leave. Whatever the future brings, this should not be wasted for sure.

MY LAST QUESTION IS QUITE GENERAL IN NATURE BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT CITIES ARE FACING MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, WHETHER YOU TALK ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE OR WATER

SECURITY. MANY ARE TALKING ABOUT CITIES FACING ECONOMIC RECESSION VERY SOON. SO, ALL THESE MULTIPLE CHALLENGES, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT OUR CITIES ARE PREPARED, GLOBALLY? DO YOU THINK THAT CITIES WILL COME OUT OF THIS, ESPECIALLY THE PROBLEM OF CLIMATE CHANGE?

I think so. I mean, as we said, cities are the hub for innovations. I’m really hopeful for the cities to bring up the solutions. Of course, again, the picture globally is very diverse. So, I think the challenges that the cities face are different across the world like, for example, comparing coastal cities to the cities further inland. What I think the major hurdle that they will have in moving forward would be to balance the mitigation and adaptation because as we spoke before, the mitigation ambition is already there in cities. They are showing the greatest ambition, and the greatest willingness to defy climate change, but they also have to cope with their daily issues which are more related to adaptation. They have to secure their communities, secure their people, buildings, and even their animals, including their own biodiversity. We should not forget about that. This is a very important element of that picture. I think the solutions will come but we will have to be very mindful about our daily activities. I feel a bit sorry for the municipalities that have to tackle these issues. As I said, cities are showing their greatest ambitions and willingness to defy climate change and we are open to help them. And as we have come here to help them, we are very open to suggestions and discussions on how this initiative might evolve and how we can further support the cities.

ANY MESSAGE FROM YOU TO THE REGIONAL COVENANTS?

Just one message – a simple but important one. Thanks for your continuous work. As I said before, it’s been tremendous, it’s been terrific. And we’re really proud of you. I think you should be proud of yourself too. So, just keep up the good work.

Transcribed by Indrani Priyadarshini

A Deep Dive into India’s Urban Life, Governance

Ahefty, scholarly book on a topic not directly concerned with the author is bound to surprise you. And when it is coming from a practicing politician it is a rarest of a rare surprise in the Indian literature world.

Jairam Ramesh, an opposition MP, has written books on Indira Gandhi, his party’s top leader, as also on environment and rural development but then we must realise he had held those portfolios and knew the topics rather well.

So when I saw Feroze Varun Gandhi’s fat tome at a book store in Bhopal, I was in two minds whether to buy that expensive book or not. Given my deep interest in urban planning for over a decade, I finally decided to drill holes in my pocket. Let me be very frank, I don’t regret it, having read it now from

flap to flap. Gandhi is also a Member of Parliament, like Ramesh, but was not a UD minister in Delhi nor was in parliamentary standing committee on urban affairs. Yet, he has written this magnum opus.

The young politician appears to have done his homework for a very long period, along with his research team, to produce a book of this standard, class and containing range of gamut of knowledge that one hardly finds in other books on this fast emerging and hot topic. Books on urban planning, cities and other aspects of urban life have been, of late, hitting the book stands, with a degree of regularity, but Varun’s book beats them all hands down.

As you read this page after page, you realise that he has gone about his business very professionally. The nine-chapter book is neatly arranged in sub topics. What struck me is the

Abhilash Khandekar Senior Journalist

range of topics he has chosen and has approached his subject from common man’s perspective. Such as he wonders, in the beginning, why glass facades buildings be made in a hot and humid country? He is also agitated by the fact that: Why does Delhi, with most investment and development, continue to face dengue annually? Why the ground water and air is polluted after many years of identifying the problem? These are common concerns but the man on the street cannot ask these questions that dominate his or her lives.

But then the author is not only talking of the present problems. He has taken a very deep dive in India’s history and has, on numerous places, provided references to cities as old as 600-700 years old and few beyond that while taking stock of growing urbanisation in modern era. Truly, his canvas is extremely vast and dealing with multiple issues has made this bulky book a treasure for students of urban planning, politicians, police officers, doctors academia, architects and journalists.

Most books on urban issues that one had read, had been confined to urban planning history and futuristic aspects, some statistics for chosen mega cities and critiques of the present policies etc. But no... this Gandhi scion has included issues like public transport, urban crime, healthcare, affordable housing, urban unemployment and business, water availability and finally, urban financing in the book and has dealt with them with greater details. Its a Herculean task indeed! What is important, he has suggested ‘way forward’ after almost each chapter. So

problem, criticism and solution all go hand in hand.

In the beginning, he has picked up a few cities like Delhi, Kanpur, Moradabad and Patna to deal with their local issues. In Delhi, he has this to say:’ Delhi’s 45% solid waste is not collected by civic bodies; and when landfill catch fires, city’s already noxious air quality drops even lower’. Quoting the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), author says, in 2018, the Delhi water was most contaminated across India. Author terms the capital as the crime capital of the country. He also refers to bad planning when he touches upon the ISBT set up near Sarai Kale Khan and ridicules the prevailing chaos there for passengers.

Delving into history, at another place, author points to an observation of a traveller Francois Martin of Ahmedabad which was perceived to be well-designed. “ ...it still had a confused mass of houses with some made of stone, others of wood, some other of mud and thatch--the city did not seek to pave its roads with stone or bricks...”. This was, of course many centuries ago.

Giving Patna’s example, author says that the Bihar city is declining over the past few decades from a good governed, education hub to a city where air quality, ground water and other facilities have deteriorated. The use of four rivers around the town could not

be harnessed well by city managers and politicians.

The author has taken a very long period of India’s urban history and by giving right references, he has questioned why Indian cities are not aesthetically beautiful, why do they not look like Western cities despite having huge history of creating cities like Mandu, Ujjain, Varanasi, Gwalior, Panipat, Jaunpur--cities that were there since medieval era but no longer the main cities.

Author has used an expression ‘cities remain stuck’ in the sense that they have not been progressing and citizens have to keep suffering. He mentions Bengaluru or Chennai for water woes--scarcity to water logging while picking up glaring and simple points in bad urban governance across India. Curiously, author mentions, in the urban crime section, name of the cleanest city as one where crime graph and especially murders, are on the rise-a common phenomenon.

Public amenities are often given short shrift, he says, and asks how many parks and libraries you have in a five km radius? The entire books revolves around people and how to make them comfortable even as urbanisation speed has been frighteningly on the rise as migration (he has dealt with that too) is picking up due to social and economic causes.

The author has taken a very long period of India’s urban history and by giving right references, he has questioned why Indian cities are not aesthetically beautiful, why do they not look like Western cities despite having huge history of creating cities like Mandu, Ujjain, Varanasi, Gwalior, Panipat, Jaunpur-cities that were there since medieval era but no longer the main cities

He ends his huge wonderful book (reviewing it in wordage limitation would not be a justice to the author, but I can’t really help) stressing the need for safer streets and safer public spaces which will allow women in India to grow confidently. Through his incisive style, Varun has also criticised obliquely the Smart City Mission (which has actually flopped in India), besides emphasising that India has had a huge advantage of having cities for centuries, but the advantage and experience was squandered somewhere down the line by policy makers.

What I found lacking in stark contrast, in this otherwise painstakingly well written book, is a separate chapter on environment, urban biodiversity and climate change impacts on cities. Everywhere the lakes and rivers are shrinking, valuable open spaces are disappearing, trees are being felled mercilessly and large parks are being paved. Varun would have done well to show us a way forward when cities would be hotting up and sports fields or parks would be few and far between. It’s big challenge that the cities have started facing with no solution in sight.

(The author/reviewer is a senior political and environment journalist based in Bhopal with special interest in urban affairs.)

Ashok Wankhade Managing Editor

Can cities beat the heat

Summers have just begun. Heat waves have started to cause discomfort and even distress in some parts of India. The problem is growing more intense and dangerous by the day because of the effects of climate change. In the previous ten years, heat waves were the climate disaster that killed the most people worldwide (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2020). It is a known fact now that urban areas experience higher temperatures than rural areas. This is called the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect. Reduced coverage of naturally cooling vegetation and water bodies, increased use of heat-absorbing and heat-retaining building materials, decreased air circulation from densely built infrastructure, and increased production of anthropogenic heat sources, such as waste heat from vehicles and cooling devices, are all potential contributing factors.

Why are South Asian cities particularly vulnerable to heatwaves? South Asia is largely a warm region with soaring temperatures in the summer. The region has also seen rapid and unplanned urbanisation in the last few years, leading to more and more densely populated areas in cities with decreasing green cover. More air pollution from the unchecked spread of cars and other vehicles and cooling devices like refrigerators and ACs in the cities means more heat-trapping gasses in the atmosphere. Yet no major action plans are implemented to protect or mitigate heatwaves.

A report titled ‘Urban Heat in South Asia: Integrating People and Place in Adapting to Rising Temperatures’ released by the World Bank recently said, “South Asia, home to a quarter of the world’s population, is a region highly vulnerable to the impacts of urban heat. Although the region is accustomed to the heat, rapid urbanisation and climate change are pushing the region’s limits of adaptation with lethal consequences.” As per the data in the study, 3,600 deaths occurred from heat-related causes in Pakistan and India during the 2015 heat waves. Moreover, a record-breaking heat wave affected at least 1 billion people in India and Pakistan in 2022, with some areas of Pakistan seeing temperatures as high as 51°C.

A hopeful picture is painted in the report saying that a lot of urban development is yet to happen in South Asia. This leaves scope to incorporate measures which can help in mitigating the heat. For instance, the buildings can employ passive cooling techniques rather than just creating concrete jungles with air conditioners. When painted a dark colour, roofs can absorb more than 80 per cent of incoming sunlight. A higher UHI impact and hotter interior air temperatures result from converting this solar energy to heat.

It is time cities followed Ahmedabad in this context. It is the first South Asian city to have a comprehensive plan for mitigating heat-health concerns. In the wake of the 2010 heat wave in Ahmedabad, which resulted in 1,344 fatalities, Amdavad Municipal Corporation prepared a heat management plan. A 2018 study showed that over 2,380 deaths have been averted since the implementation of the plan.