We must have tall buildings in all cities: Hardeep Singh Puri
, ET Bureau|
Dec 17, 2017, 12.01 AM IST
Puri also said decongestion of Delhi was top priority for his ministry.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri says cities must change their archaic laws and old mindsets to allow vertical growth.Edited excerpts from an interview with Shantanu Nandan Sharma
On pollution
Normally, I would have used the term ticking time bomb for pollution, but it is more serious. It's no longer ticking, the damage has already been done. People's lungs are affected; the newborn in cities are suffering. The question is, how do you solve this problem? Quite simple: state governments must do their job. If agricultural stubble is burnt every year, you have a problem (in Delhi and north India). The only silver lining is that we have reached the worst situation — people are talking about how they are being suffocated. So, things will only improve. The prime minister has designated his principal secretary to coordinate with the state governments concerned, and I can say this much that, you won't see the problem of pollution in November 2018.
On transportation
In Delhi, Phase 4 of the Metro rail is pending. Despite getting over Rs 10,000 crore sanctioned, the state government has failed to buy new buses. Most of the urban transport woes are stopping at one person (referring to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal). There may be a political philosophy that you create urban chaos so that you come closer to a particular constituent. For me and my ministry, decongestion of Delhi is the top priority. A 2016 report on how to decongest Delhi is already with us. I have personally handed over a copy to the chief minister. We all know what's to be done; the only thing is, the action has to begin. In the country, the car industry is doing well; they are selling more and more cars. But the problem will be solved only if we move towards public transport.
Metro rail is not the panacea. Every city has to decide which is the best solution for its transportation woes. We must have tall buildings in all cities for which FAR (floor area ratio) has to increase. The bullock-cart thinking that tall buildings will create traffic jams has to go. Look at how the city of Shanghai has moved, and where is my lovely Mumbai? On this, I have constituted a panel. The action has begun.
On floods and water scarcity
Floods are occurring in cities because of the criminal behaviour of a section of people. You have a set of restaurants in a building, and you dump the leftover food into a drain rather than pay for their transportation to the nearby landfill or to a compost factory. As far as water scarcity is concerned, cities have enough water; the problem lies in its management.
On Swachh Bharat
There are so many cities now that are open defecation free (ODF), but we must acknowledge that the problem remains: that 300 million people in the country still defecate in open is a serious problem.
On pollution
Normally, I would have used the term ticking time bomb for pollution, but it is more serious. It's no longer ticking, the damage has already been done. People's lungs are affected; the newborn in cities are suffering. The question is, how do you solve this problem? Quite simple: state governments must do their job. If agricultural stubble is burnt every year, you have a problem (in Delhi and north India). The only silver lining is that we have reached the worst situation — people are talking about how they are being suffocated. So, things will only improve. The prime minister has designated his principal secretary to coordinate with the state governments concerned, and I can say this much that, you won't see the problem of pollution in November 2018.
On transportation
In Delhi, Phase 4 of the Metro rail is pending. Despite getting over Rs 10,000 crore sanctioned, the state government has failed to buy new buses. Most of the urban transport woes are stopping at one person (referring to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal). There may be a political philosophy that you create urban chaos so that you come closer to a particular constituent. For me and my ministry, decongestion of Delhi is the top priority. A 2016 report on how to decongest Delhi is already with us. I have personally handed over a copy to the chief minister. We all know what's to be done; the only thing is, the action has to begin. In the country, the car industry is doing well; they are selling more and more cars. But the problem will be solved only if we move towards public transport.
Metro rail is not the panacea. Every city has to decide which is the best solution for its transportation woes. We must have tall buildings in all cities for which FAR (floor area ratio) has to increase. The bullock-cart thinking that tall buildings will create traffic jams has to go. Look at how the city of Shanghai has moved, and where is my lovely Mumbai? On this, I have constituted a panel. The action has begun.
On floods and water scarcity
Floods are occurring in cities because of the criminal behaviour of a section of people. You have a set of restaurants in a building, and you dump the leftover food into a drain rather than pay for their transportation to the nearby landfill or to a compost factory. As far as water scarcity is concerned, cities have enough water; the problem lies in its management.
On Swachh Bharat
There are so many cities now that are open defecation free (ODF), but we must acknowledge that the problem remains: that 300 million people in the country still defecate in open is a serious problem.
