Migration, population and modernisation were the focus of a panel discussion on the current and future challenges to urbanisation organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).
“Mumbai is developing at a very fast pace and yet 40% of the people live in slum areas. People move to the cities in search of opportunities and their efforts should be reciprocated with better facilities. The absence of this is causing congestion in the city,” Markus Steilemann, Chief Executive Officer of Covestro said in the disussion on Wednesday. A spin off of Bayer, Covestro is among the leading manufacturers of high-tech polymer materials.
Ashutosh Limaye, Director and Head of Anarock Consulting spoke about the growing population and its effects on urbanisation.
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“By 2050, the population of India will be more than that of Australia. Mumbai will face heavy challenges in terms of transportation, roads, infrastructure and other basic amenities, which will affect the lives of the residents,” Mr. Limaye said.
The event also touched upon measures taken till now and those that could be taken in the future.
“5,000 surveillance cameras have already been set up in the city to keep a check on traffic and other violations. The facility of free WiFi has also been extended by the government. However, cities still need some more time to be digitally empowered,” Jayant Kohale, Business Head-Smart Infra, RPG Smart Infra said.
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Two proposals
Two proposals were laid down to meet the rising demand for energy and deal with the problem of parking by Ashish Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Transport and Ports, Government of Maharashtra.
“Electric engines and autonomous cars are the best solutions to deal with the congestion problem which is likely to occur in a few years. Autonomous cars will park themselves, which means the driver won’t be able to park illegally according to their whims and fancies. Electric engines will ease the threat of the air quality being degraded,” Mr. Singh said.