Having attributes similar to Shanghai and Bangkok, Kochi must augment them through a well-planned modernisation drive, for which funds could be mobilised through municipal/city bonds, Keshav Varma, Chairman of the High-Level Committee on Urban Planning of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), said here on Monday.
Addressing the media at Bodhi 2022, a national urban development conclave organised jointly by the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the Association of Municipalities and Development Authorities (AMDA), which concluded here on the day, he said such bonds, if needed, from Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) and others, had the potential to garner resources for regional development.
“For example, the US bond market could be termed as being bigger than the Indian economy. Municipal bond is also an instrument for government reform since they [civic agencies] would get exposed to market forces. The administration would have to maintain financial discipline and transparency in order to maintain its credit rating,” he said.
Mr. Varma exhorted civic bodies to emulate the Chinese in improving infrastructure at a fast pace. “They [Chinese] were swift in learning from the US how to roll out highways and expressways in the shortest span, in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics. But they made a big mistake by destroying their rich biodiversity, so much so that tigers became extinct there, unlike in India where the animals are well protected,” he said and offered all help from the urban-planning committee which had a choice of proven global alternatives to offer in modernising cities.
Highlighting the need for professional management of civic agencies and development authorities, he spoke of how as then Municipal Commissioner, he had led the transformation of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation in two years by roping in MBA holders, economists, chartered accountants, and environmental engineers. That in turn substantially improved the credibility of the civic body, and people willingly cleared their tax arrears. Many States are nowadays welcoming urban planners, and they are being trained at CEPT, Ahmedabad.
On the follow-up steps that the GCDA and the State government should take, Mr. Varma said the GCDA could play a pivotal role by reinventing itself to enhance its vision to improve Kochi’s brand image. “It can also lead alliances and help enable inter-departmental convergence,” he added.
Kochi must also become “obsessed” with cleanliness since it has a long way to go in this regard, what with even prime walkways at Marine Drive remaining littered. Here too, one needs to emulate the Chinese in disposing off solid waste and transforming the drain and canal network.
GCDA Chairman K. Chandran Pillai said the trend of youth and others leaving Kochi needed to be reversed by making the city a more liveable one. “A regional master plan and funds are urgently needed for the Greater Kochi area. Funds too are required for land acquisition and speedy execution of projects. There is also a need to boost the confidence of landowners and stakeholders who invest in development projects. There has been good response to [land-pooling] projects mooted by the GCDA, and they would be announced in the coming six months,” he said.
