Cities have to reinvent to stay ahead: PM

Expressing concern over cities sliding up and down the rankings on many parameters in the extremely competitive and dynamic world, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cautioned the state administrations, including Karnataka, against laxity in developing basic infrastructure to propel growth.

"You need to invest with sight on the needs two decades from now. You need to keep the cost of living, working and doing business low in cities to continue to keep them attractive as a world class investment destinations. Every other city in India has Bangalore in its sights and in the absence of determined, positive steps, there is no guarantee that the future will be a continuation of the past success of this city. I want everyone to keep this in mind," he said after launching Metro Rail and elevated road projects in Bangalore on Saturday.

He noted that the most advanced states during the British rule are no longer perceived as being so. "The most advanced agricultural states need to become industrial states if they have to keep ahead. Cities like Bangalore will need to keep reinventing themselves for the future if they have to maintain their present lead," he added.

Pointing out that cities have to become more liveable and people-friendly, he stated: "We have to take steps to enable people to commute easily, thus decongesting the city centre. All this is possible only with a rapid public transport, which has to be the focus of our urban transport policies for years to come."

Singh said that public transport is a national priority as excessive dependence on private transport in cities cannot be afforded.

"An efficient and well-functioning public transport system has the advantages of cost, energy conservation and environmental conservation. As I have said so often, our cities cannot continue to develop haphazardly," he stated.

The PM stressed the need for new investment in world-class public infrastructure to make cities more user-friendly and liveable.

"We have to improve the quality of living in cities and make it more liveable. We have to invest on public transport, on roads with space for bicycles and pedestrians, on sanitation, on public parks, on water bodies, on airports, on railway stations, and many other amenities of modern life," he noted.

He asked Karnataka to prepare futuristic plans and take advantage of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) ensuring that the quality of life in cities improve.

Further, Singh stressed the need for an inclusive growth process to build a prosperous and equitable nation.

"We want both our urban areas and rural areas to develop. We want to build an India in which scientists and engineers, farmers and workers, artists and entrepreneurs can all find the space to express their creativity and enterprise".