Executive Director of UN-Habitat Joan Clos today said that no country could achieve development without urbanisation.
In his speech at 'Municipalika', a seminar on trends and challenges of urbanisation organised here today, Clos said that not many people like the idea of urbanisation.
"There is a pessimistic towards the concept of urbanisation and we need to change that perspective. Many people asked me that how to avoid urbanisation. I told them that the best way to avoid it is to avoid development, but if you want development, it is unavoidable," he said.
"No country can achieve development without urbanisation, which requires political attention and capacity. 75 per cent of the world's GDP is generated by cities, but they occupy only 2.5 per cent of land," Clos said.
He also underlined the concept of smart cities, stating that urbanisation is not a "free lunch".
"It's not a free lunch. Cities create wealth, but you have to pay the price. That price is to design the cities in such way that it becomes productive. Smart city is the best designed city," Clos said.
In her speech, Gujarat Chief Minister Anandi Patel counted several milestones of her government, especially in sanitation.
"By 2030, it is estimated that 60 per cent of Gujarat's population will be living in urban areas. For the development of that sector, we have alloted Rs 9,000 crore. Within last year, we built 1.25 lakh toilets in the state. By 2015, we want to build toilets in each and every urban household," Patel said.
Speaking at the occasion, Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said that local authorities must bring transparency in governance, which is lacking at most of the places.
"Indian urban governance is not in good shape. Authorities need to change their mindset. There should be transparency in the system. People will be happy to pay tax only when you provide them with amenities. If you don't have money to provide amenities, then take loans," Naidu said.
