PM stresses on strengthening urban-rural link

Bangalore, Jun 24: Calling upon the planners to strengthen the link between urban and rural areas, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today stressed that development should not be seen as a conflict between cities and villages.

Addressing a large gathering after laying the foundation stone for the Rs 450 crore ten-lane, mixed corridor from Silk Board junction in the city to Electronic City on Bangalore-Hosur NH-7 section here, he said there was a need to strengthen the link between rural and urban areas to convey the benefit of development beyond the limited confines of cities to the vast hinterland so that millions of toiling farmers could also become partners in progress.

The Prime Minister said some people have a wrong notion that development was a conflict between city and village, but no country could develop if its villages were not developed.

Dr Singh said the urban landscape of India was changing rapidly and in a few years, almost 40 per cent of the population would reside in urban areas. ''These urban areas must be seen as engines of growth, as places where there are economies of scale and scope and hence, as hubs of economic, commercial and social activity.'' The 9.985 km elevated highway project, aimed at easing traffic congestion on the Bangalore-Hosur section, would become a reality within the next 24 months.

The project was taken up on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, under which the concessionaire had to construct the highway using its own fund and recover the investment from users by charging user fee. Besides, the developers, instead of demanding money from the Government, had offered an upfront grant of Rs 16 crore to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The Bangalore-Hosur section, where most of the IT companies were located, was one of the busiest sections in the country. Due to the infrastructure bottlenecks, the IT industries, which contribute Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore to the national economy, were facing many hurdles, including loss of man hours. Irked by this, the IT majors located in Electronic City, including Infosys and Wipro, had time and again threatened to move out of Bangalore.

Dr Singh said the country was witnessing a road revolution in the same manner as the green revolution and white revolution of the past. However, he expressed concern that improved highways meant greater risk to road users as well as the communities living close by and urged those concerned to adopt adequate safety measures. The country's record in highway safety left much to be desired as nearly one lakh people were getting killed in road accidents every year.

He said the UPA Government had expedited the laying and development of national highways. The NHAI had prepared a road map under NHDP with an investment of over Rs 2,20,000 crore in the next seven to eight years.

Urging the Union Ministry of Surface Transport and the NHAI to work with renewed vigour and commitment to deliver their assurances to the people, Dr Singh asked the NHAI to function like any modern corporate organisation with a focus on efficiency, competence, transparency and customer satisfaction.

Appreciating Karnataka for taking the lead in harnessing IT opportunities, he said Bangalore had become India's global brand.

People in the rest of the world knew more about Bangalore than they did about India. Karnataka had became a symbol of new India and represented an India on the move, rising to fulfil its destiny on the global stage. The success of IT revolution in Karnataka was not an isolated success of a few people working inside air conditioned rooms, but made possible by the toil and commitment of millions of people.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who also spoke on the occasion, said the State Government had taken various measures to improve the city's infrastructure. As a fast growing metropolis, Bangalore had been facing significant infrastructure constraints and there was a mismatch between urban growth and the capacity of public authorities to respond in terms of infrastructure, housing, transportation and strategic planning.

He, however, stressed that infrastructure development should not be at an unreasonable cost to any segment of the society, but be inclusive of all sections. ''Urban infrastructure cannot and should not develop in a manner, wherein rural and under-privileged communities suffer needlessly. Farm lands are precious and must be used carefully and not be allowed by any vested interests to profit in the name of infrastructure development,'' he added.

Highlighting the infrastructure bottlenecks being faced by the city, the Chief Minister appealed to the Prime Minister to provide liberal financial assistance under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, under which Bangalore had also been selected.

Mr Kumaraswamy pointed out that the much-awaited international airport project at Devanahalli, near here, was progressing briskly and 25 per cent of the civil works had been completed. It was expected to be operationalised even before the scheduled time. Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T R Baalu, his deputy K H Muniyappa, Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi and Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan were among those present on the occasion.

UNI