Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore on Friday asked the town planners to focus on the concept of developing green cities while envisioning the master plans for the cities and towns to tackle the ever growing problem of pollution which is “the biggest threat to planet earth”.
“While planning new cities, maximum utilisation of solar energy should also be kept in mind as this source of energy is totally devoid of pollution,” said Badnore while delivering his inaugural address after inaugurating the three-day 67th National Congress of the Institute of Town Planners of India.
Stressing upon the need of proper planning for sustainable development, Badnore said that the biggest challenge of the century before the town planners is to check disposal of sewerage waste into water bodies such as rivers, lakes and ponds.
He also urged the modern day town planners to look into the gravity of situation and plan the cities according to the futuristic needs of the people such as transport, security, parking, sewerage disposal, widening of roads and in addition vertical and horizontal expansion growth of the cities must be taken care off.
Punjab’s Urban and Rural Development Minister Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa batted for equal representation and participation of the women in the planning sector.
Punjab’s Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu exhorted the planners to take note of important parameters of planning so as to ensure that the development of illegal colonies could be checked at the very initial stage.
The state’s Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development and Housing) Vini Mahajan said that new technologies for preparation of master plans, such as drone surveys and satellite surveys, should be used to the maximum extent for better planning in future.