Coimbatore: Mayors and officials of three major city corporations in the country on Tuesday sought evolving development plans considering the diverse geography, season and topography of the region, for its successful implementation.
Addressing a one day seminar on "Climate resilient action: accelarating urban investments and finance in India" here, S Chauhan, Mayor, Shimla Muncipal Corporation said with diverse cultures, seasons prevailing in different cities and region, it would not be fair to compare new corporations to older ones, like Shimla, which is 150 year old.
There must be two types of plan, one for the cities and corporations with more than 100 years and other one for newer generation, so that the effect of climate change could be tackled well, Chauhan said.
RA Rajeev, Commissioner, Thane Muncipal Commissioner, said most of the proposals for the JNNURM was prepared in a hurry to get immediate approval.
At least it should have been shaped in an integrated and holistic way considering the long term need for the infrastructure, at least till 2050, he said.
MA Azeem, Commissioner, Vijayawada Municipal Commissioner, said majority of the corporations was good in preparing proposals, but very poor in implementing them for want of finances. Because there was a mismatch between receipts and expenditure, he claimed.
In his opening remarks, City Corporation Mayor S M Velusamy said while solid waste management proved to be a challenging task in India, the city has endeavoured to segregte the 800 metric tonnes of garbage being collected daily and disposing them of by adopting scientific methods thereby converting 20 per cent of the garbage into manure without affecting the environmental ecology.
The seminar was organised by Cities Development Initiative for Asia, Rockfeller Foundation and ICLEI, the local Governments for Sustainability.
PTI
