India's growth; 500 mn needs new homes:FICCI

New Delhi, Feb 5: Over 500 million Indians need home in various cities over the next decade, India wants to progress according to China, North America and Western Europe, stated in a report on Sunday.

According to the FICCI report, by 2050, country's population will grow to 1.7 billion and rapid urbanisation will add nearly 900 million people to Indian cities.

"City capacity will need to grow nearly 400 per cent in less than 50 years. This is the scale of urbanisation and urban infrastructure needs India has to contend with in the face of grossly inadequate urban infrastructure to meet the demands of the existing urban population," it said.

"There is no framework governing or providing for maintenance of common spaces, particularly areas such as markets, housing colonies, bridges, footpaths, street lighting, play-grounds, common green and open areas," it said.

In the civic infrastructure systems such as water supply, sewerage and drainage and water management there is impossible to surmount.

The industry body focuses on the deficiencies in the urban infrastructure procurement process. The Urban Local Bodies and government procurement are trying to focus more on construction of the facility rather than on the long-term operation and maintenance of the facility.

Due to Urban Local Bodies' fical and financial base that hampers their ability to provide efficient services to citizens.

"We have to rethink the way we live or there is no tomorrow," Ficci Urban Development Committee Chairman Pradeep Puri said.

OneIndia News