India and Brazil will collaborate technically in taking up housing projects for slum-free urban development. The offer of technical collaboration was made by Chief of Staff and Planning Director, CDHU, Brazil, Eduardo Trani, at the two-day international conference on “Slum-free India – Policy and Practice and Lessons from International Experiences,” held here.
Andhra Pradesh Municipal Administration and Urban Development Secretary Vijay Kumar on the concluding day on Tuesday accepted the proposal, said an official release.
Thanking Mr. Trani and Project Director, Emplasa Metropolitan Planning Agency, Sao Paulo State, Brazil, Diana Motta, for sharing their policy details, practices and experiences, Mr. Vijay Kumar expressed the hope that the conference would be highly useful to municipal commissioners taking up the project implementation under Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY).
Describing slum development as a continuous process of social change, he said commissioners should guide the community participants leading to their active involvement. Mr. Trani gave details of various partnerships involved in the housing projects of Brazil to promote sustainability, building technologies that included solar water heating, energy efficiency, individual water supply systems, emergency laser energy lights in two and three-room units. Visiting Research Fellow, South Asia, Institute of Advance Studies, Kathmandu, Neelam Pradananga explained the participatory planning process in housing projects. Municipal Commissioner B. Ramanjaneyulu spoke on the complex challenges of slum- free urban development and relocations of slums.
