Thiruvananthapuram: Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday said India will soon overtake the US to become the second largest country in terms of metro rail connectivity. He was speaking at the opening session of a two-day urban conference organised by the Kerala Local Self Government Department (LSGD) aimed at formulating an urban policy for the state.
Khattar said India currently ranks third after China and the US in terms of the length of metro rail network. “At present, 1,065 km of metro services are operational in 24 cities. Soon we will overtake the US, which has a 1,400 km long metro network. Five more projects of 955 km length are in the pipeline,” he said.
Urbanisation up to 50 per cent
The minister said India’s urbanisation rate, which was 20 per cent in the 1960s, will rise to 30 per cent by 2027. He said, “By 2057 when India celebrates 100 years of its independence, urbanisation will reach 50 per cent.”
‘10,000 new buses ordered’
Highlighting e-mobility as a key component of urban development, Khattar said 10,000 new buses have been ordered. He said road development will also be taken up under the urbanisation drive. About the ‘Swachh Bharat’ mission, he said all big and small cities are regularly assessed for cleanliness.
‘Super Swachh League’
“Since some cities often remain on top, we have decided to start a ‘Super Swachh League’. Cities that consistently remain on top will be included in it, while a separate league will be created for cities that regularly remain at the bottom,” he said.
Khattar stressed that municipal bodies should not depend only on central government revenue for urban projects, but should also raise resources from their own properties and tax income.
Target to provide three crore houses under PMAY
He urged the Kerala government to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Centre for the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). “Under the second phase of PMAY, our target is to provide three crore houses,” he said. The minister also stressed the need for adoption of digital technology by municipal bodies to provide services to citizens.
The minister also stressed the need for adoption of digital technology by municipal bodies to provide services to citizens. Praising the urban summit as a model for other states, Khattar said Kerala is urbanising rapidly.
“Ministers from Kerala spoke to me about the Rapid Transit System. I told them to submit the detailed project report (DPR) and we will consider it,” he said. Calling for joint efforts, he said, “We should not differentiate between local, state or central schemes. All levels of government should work together for urban success.”
