Reminding the politicians about the Modi Government’s policy of zero tolerance against corruption, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu on Monday warned them to keep themselves limited to formulation of policies, projects and broad guidelines and not turn into contractors and executors.
Naidu was speaking at an event after releasing a book titled India’s Urban Confusion: Challenges and Strategies edited by former Union Urban Development Secretary Ramachandran in the Capital.
He said effective urban governance warrants enlightened leadership and smart people, particularly in the context of new urban initiatives like smart cities, urban rejuvenation in 500 habitations and Housing for All by 2022.
The Minister also underlined that accountability of bureaucracy needs to be enforced to enable effective urban governance. Citing instances of poor urban planning, Naidu referred to thousands of houses built under “affordable housing” in Delhi and other states lying un-allotted for years and termed it “atrocious”.
He said a nationwide campaign would be launched to sensitise people and elected representatives about the need for reforms in urban governance with increased people’s participation. Smart leadership meant the ability to take right decisions and to ensure their execution, Naidu said.
The “messy state of affairs in urban sector” is not due to paucity of resources, but primarily on account of poor urban governance and the situation will be rectified under the new initiatives like smart cities, the Minister added.
Stating that “citizen satisfaction and good quality of living” are the two prime parameters of good urban governance, Naidu noted that citizens would be willing to pay for assured and quality services.
Ramachandran said that thousands of towns are still categorised as “census towns” making them neither panchayats nor urban bodies, thereby impacting planning for their development.