The State now needs about 500 town planners and this figure would gradually increase as the State moves towards rapid urbanisation, said members of the Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI) while briefing the Press here on the silver jubilee of the Odisha Regional Chapter of the ITPI on Saturday.
They said the town planners need to ensure that cities are more vibrant and livable. The present master plan practice in the State needs to be more flexible as planning is a continuous process. “If not handled properly, it will give rise to undesirable speculation in land prices and disrupt cities’ growth,” they warned.
They stated that town planning is good when it takes care of everyone; if it diverts from the goal then it is very likely to give rise in corruption. “Without town planners, our cities will continue to grow without any direction, which is bad for the State,” they said.
“It is important that everyone must see that town planning profession is beyond just construction of building and laying of roads. All should actively participate in preparation of integrated development plans of urban centres along with improved infrastructural facilities,” said ITPI executive body member Piyush Ranjan Rout.