LG lays out five pillar-vision for Capital’s future at JNU
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday called for a fundamental reimagining of the Capital city built on five pillars: sustainability, inclusion, culture, innovation, and compassion. He said that Delhi’s transformation must go beyond infrastructure to become a model of urban living that reflects India’s confidence on the global stage.
Delivering an address at Jawaharlal Nehru University at a seminar titled “Reimagining Delhi,” Sandhu said the city stands at a defining moment in its long civilisational journey and that the choices made now will determine whether Delhi can emerge as one of the most admired capitals in the world. The session focused on transforming Delhi from merely a political capital into a future-ready global capital.
He opened with a personal note, describing JNU as a place where his own ideas were shaped and perspectives challenged. “This is not just an academic space,” he said. “Many of the questions we are discussing today, about cities, governance, identity, and the future, were first encountered and debated in spaces like this.”
Sandhu outlined five key pillars for Delhi’s development -- sustainability, inclusion, culture, innovation, economic growth, and compassion.
“Environmental challenges must be addressed with urgency and sincerity,” he said, adding that inclusion must ensure equal space for women, youth, senior citizens, differently-abled persons, migrant workers, entrepreneurs, artists, students and vulnerable communities.
On the cultural aspect, he stressed that while modernisation continues, Delhi’s cultural memory must not be lost.
“The task before us is not easy,” Sandhu said, citing urbanisation, environmental pressures, population growth, mobility challenges and resource management as issues requiring coordinated action. He also highlighted air pollution, Yamuna River cleaning, rejuvenation of water bodies, effective waste management, sustainable mobility and enhanced green cover as key priorities for the city’s future.
“Reimagining Delhi is a shared responsibility. Let’s work together to build a Delhi that is environmentally conscious, culturally vibrant, economically dynamic, technologically progressive, and deeply humane,” Sandhu added.
