Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called upon the mayors to have a belief in evolution as there is no need for revolution and for betterment of their cities, continuous integrated efforts should be made without adopting any pessimistic mentality.
He was addressing the All India Mayors’ Conference through video conferencing at Trade Facilitation Centre (TFC) at Badalalpur here on Friday.
The prime minister suggested to the Urban Development Ministry that apart from awarding the best cities while finalising their ranks, such urban areas should also be recognised which were making better and sincere efforts and list of such places should be also released which were performing poorly so that they could make some attempts in this direction under the pressure of the local residents.
“Such competitions would inspire the urban administration to do better and its cumulative effects will be visible soon,” he inspired the mayors.
He further urged the mayors to work towards cleanliness and beautification of the cities they represented while promoting local products and preserving its heritage for sustainable urban development.
“Unless we keep our cities clean and pay attention to sanitation and hygiene, no matter how many hospitals we build, we will fall short of supply as these are the main causes of diseases,” he said, suggesting that the mayors could start ward beautification competitions which would encourage other wards to make more efforts.
“While decorating walls with paintings on Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav ideas, they can also organise contests by awarding those who write effective poems, songs as well as modern lori so that today’s children can become more respectful towards our freedom struggle as they grow up as the youth when the country will celebrate its centenary year of Independence,” he said.
Inspiring the mayors further, Modi said that such efforts would help them enhance their political profession. Citing the example of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the prime minister said that Patel started his career as the mayor of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
“It is a big responsibility which, if taken seriously, can benefit those pursuing a career in politics immensely,” he said.
Giving an example of Surat for increasing its income by selling sewage treated water to the industries, the prime minister said, “We need to modernise while preserving our rich heritage and traditions as we are doing in Kashi. We need to promote local products as Uttar Pradesh is doing through One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. Varanasi is famous worldwide not only because of the temples, but also because of its paan (betel leaves) and saree,” the prime minister remarked, appealing to the mayors to make efforts for popularising and branding their traditional products.
Modi also stressed the importance of having a sensitive approach towards rivers and lakes.
“Water crisis is a global phenomenon and attention needs to be given to rivers flowing by towns,” he said, urging mayors to organise river festivals annually on the river banks in order to make people aware of their historical and cultural importance.
He also appealed to mayors to take the pledge to keep the cities clean and ensure ban of single use plastics apart from emphasising the importance of having well-planned sewage and waste water recycling networks.
Similarly, he called for having solid waste disposal and recycling networks, pointing out that he was happy to see that people were getting more and more disciplined in terms of throwing garbage at only designated places.
The prime minister also stressed the importance of extending support to the street vendors through Swanidhi Yojana as they could prove to be the lifeline of a town’s economy as well as ensuring convenient accommodations for workers engaged in major construction activities.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that Kashi was an ideal example of amalgamation of India’s rich tradition and modernity, which every city of the country should aspire for, thanks to the prime minister’s vision and efforts.
The function was also addressed by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri while UP Urban Development Minister Ashutosh Tandon welcomed the participants at the mayoral conference.
UP Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Tourism and Culture Neelkanth Tiwari and conference chairman Naveen Jain, who is also mayor of Agra, were also present on the dais.