Transforming Gujarat's Urban Landscape

Futuristic Vision

The efforts of the Gujarat Government have not stopped at focusing on the development of present cities. Apart from the Twin City Model for existing cities, Gujarat is creating 6 world-class cities in Gujarat.

Take for instance Dholera - this mega city will be double the size of Delhi, 6 times the size of Shanghai and far ahead in terms of facilities offered. Today, Dholera is on the map of the world but years ago, few imagined that there would be so much capital in this place.

Similarly, the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City is a one of its kind initiative, which is being designed as a hub for global finance services. Here, we have to laud the futuristic vision of the Gujarat Government, particularly Narendra Modi, who has conceived these projects and ensured timely work on the same. Just recently, Gujarat's tallest tower in the GIFT premises was inaugurated by Modi himself.

Gujarat's ports have become the gateway to the nation for people from across the world. The state always had the longest coastline but it wasn't till a decade ago that there was a concrete plan to script a new chapter of development on the state's coasts. Be it Mundra or Dahej, Gujarat's ports are thriving and this would not have been possible without a pro-active Government.

Strengthening Urban Infrastructure Through Strategic Efforts

For India's urban future, we require focused, strategic efforts to strengthen the infrastructure, amenities and working & living conditions of our cities. At a meeting where the Prime Minister was present, Narendra Modi had raised the issue of a solid waste management project across 500 cities of India. This is indeed a pertinent issue that needs to be addressed immediately but the Prime Minister seems to think otherwise. Till date, the Chief Minister of Gujarat has received no answer from the PM on the issue but that did not deter him from bringing about change in Gujarat. The state identified 50 towns and is working on solid waste management initiatives there. I am sure that this initiative will have a demonstrative effect on other cities and a positive momentum will be generated. This can also be a model of emulation for the rest of the states.

At the same time, the state Government has identified towns, which they seek to strengthen with state of the art facilities. By doing this, more towns with proper facilities can be developed and it will also reduce the number of people moving to our bigger cities for opportunities.

Not City Or Village But City And Village: The Gujarat Way!

The most notable quality of Gujarat's efforts towards strengthening urban infrastructure is that these strides are not at the cost of the development of our villages. At the core of Narendra Modi's philosophy is ensuring the simultaneous development of Gujarat's cities and villages- let both, our cities and villages, bloom in equal measure is the motto. Modi has time and again shared his vision of 'urban', which is to preserve the unique character of our villages and at the same time invigorate them with facilities associated with cities. This is indeed a path breaking vision and if others follow suit, a day is not far when we can achieve a balanced growth between the villages and the cities.

Taking Facilities To The Village

The Modi Model of balanced development is simple. In the past 11 years, he has taken facilities that are associated with the cities to the villages and the differences are for all to see.

Village Broadband

Take for instance electricity. When Modi assumed office, a common demand people made was to provide electricity so that they can have their evening meal. That is when the state Government conceived the Jyotigram Yojana of providing 3 phase uninterrupted power supply to our villages. You would not believe how much difference this initiative has made in the villages! Due to Jyotigram Yojana, the Government could introduce the latest technology in the classrooms. After computers, they added broadband connectivity and after that they looked towards long distance learning. A student from a small village in Gujarat can learn from a professor of a reputed institution based in a city. Imagine the difference it will make in his or her life, the confidence it will give and the skills the student would learn.

Conclusion- Actions Not Editorials Will Show The Way!

To those who see urbanisation as a challenge, I would say that the problem cannot merely be solved by lengthy editorials or mere criticism. There must be determined efforts to go out among the people and work towards creating not only better cities but also better towns and villages. I can say that in Gujarat, the Government has transformed the urban spaces into state-of-the-art areas of culture, tourism and recreation. Be it the Kankaria Lake Redevelopment, Sabarmati Riverfront or the BRTS, our efforts towards urban regeneration have been lauded across the world.

We cannot stop urbanisation. Hence, it is better we accept it as an opportunity and at the same time concentrate on the non-urban areas. By doing so, we will strike a perfect balance that will take our nation to further heights of progress in the 21st century. That is what Gujarat has done and that is what one would expect the rest of India to do!