Mindset of urban planners still in bullock cart age: Puri

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today said the mindset of the urban planners in India was still in the "bullock cart age" and the municipal agencies are out of sync.
"The mindset of the urban planners in India is still in the bullock cart age. And I think somewhat reckless in making a characterisation", Puri, union minster for Housing and Urban Affairs said.
"What I see in Delhi clearly is a bullock cart approach. The way the city is developing, I blame the master plan and the administrators and the municipalities. They are out of sync," he saidspeaking at a seminar here on 'Smart Urban Planning for 21st Century: Challenges and Choices' with focus on Bengaluru's Revised Master Plan-2031.

Puri said the Master Plan was supposed to be a process rather than a conclusive statement, which provides guidelines for the physical development of the city and guides people in locating the investment in the city.
Unfortunately, master plans laid an exaggeratedemphasis on land use in Delhi rather than in applied context. Functionally, these plans pay little attention to trunk infrastructure, environment conservation and financing, he said.
The number of motor cars in any city is not an indication of economic growth but a clear indication of a downward spiral that the cities were getting into.

Bengaluru Development Minister K J George sought to allay the general apprehensions that the Karnataka government has passed the draft Revised Master Plan.

The government has published the draft revised master plan. Public could give their suggestions. Before finalising, the suggestions would be considered, George said.
He said that by 2020, all the waste water generated in the city will be treated and used for saving the tanks by filling them with the treated water.