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$12b initiative to transform 63 cities
BY SHIVKAMAL
PHENOMENAL GROWTH: “In the last decade the kind of rapid urban growth seen in India has no parallel elsewhere in the world says,” Ravichandar
INDIAN cities, includingMumbai, Bangalore and Delhi, are crumbling as years of haphazard planning and neglect are taking a heavy toll. What needs to be done to transform these emerging megapolises into modern urban hubs, vibrant and futuristic, and offering a better quality of life to the millions inhabiting them? V. Ravichandar is the right man to ask these questions. A former member of the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF), he is actively involved in the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission of the central government, which plans to disburse a hefty $12 billion to help transform 63 cities (each with a population of over a million) in India. An engineer from BITS Pilani, with an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, Ravichandar is also the CEO of Feedback Business Consulting Services Pvt Ltd.His current passion is to help corporates to engage in urban governance through a City Connect platform.

With India witnessing rapid urbanisation, what could be the solutions to tackle issues relating to basic infrastructure like housing and transportation?
RAVICHANDAR: The answer lies in empowering the third tier of government at the local city level and making them accountable to citizens. This will need political will, administrative support and a responsive citizenry. If the basic architecture is in place it will create an environment for raising the required f i n a n c i a l resources, choosing the right kind of projects, better project structuring and implementation. For example, in the case of transportation, there is a need to think multi-modal forms of transport solutions in an integrated manner rather than the ad hoc silo based approach in place currently. Some of this is driven by the bane of multiple agencies. This will need an endoutcome based thinking on the part of government for arriving at the appropriate solutions.

What role is the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission playing in resolving the urban crisis?
RAVICHANDAR: For the first time in the history of independent India, the Central government has formally endorsed a programme that accepts the inevitability of rapid urbanisation and the need to proactively improve quality of life in our cities. JN-NURM, a $12 billion initiative for 63 cities allows cities to choose their own destiny and acts as a catalyst for State and Local city governments to provide basic services and urban infrastructure in a sustainable manner. It offers funds for these programmes (about 35 per cent as grants) subject to reform conditions being met over a seven-year period. The JN-NURM is just a start. We will need success stories to emerge and act as a spur to other cities. Competition among States and Cities to attract investments will help find the solutions.

Land acquisition for development is a major problem these days. What could be an effective way to address this issue without protracted litigation or agitation?
RAVICHANDAR: Fairness and transparency is essential. If the approach is not fair to all parties concerned (particularly the landowners) and not handled in a transparent manner, the issue will not go away. Relief and rehabilitation measures would be necessary. Landowners should get a share on upside revenue on final sale price and incentive sites near the development areas. An enabling environment could be created where landowners can come together and offer their land to buyers at mutually agreeable terms.
What is your take on participatory governance, right from the grassroots level to the top? Is India making any progress?
RAVICHANDAR: In rural areas under the Panchayati Raj system there are great models for participatory governance. On the ground they are constrained by issues of literacy, caste, capacity to engage, etc. In urban areas, these issues can be overcome, but we do not have similar institutional encouragement for participatory governance. Under the JN-NURMthere is hope that States will pass the Citizen Participation law and the Disclosure law that will enable greater citizen participation on civic issues that concern the local community. If we are to bridge the mistrust that exists between citizens and government, mechanisms for greater citizen involvement and transparency of government spending will have to be a basic building block.
Do you foresee more of industry participation in public-private-partnership programmes for urban development?
RAVICHANDAR: Public Private as the solution to meeting the infrastructure challenge. However there is some distance to be covered for PPP to become a more acceptable mainstream activity, particularly in the context of city services like solid waste management, city roads, utilities, maintenance, etc. Ahigher interest among private players will depend on a clear regulatory environment, sound project structuring, appropriate government clearances, revenue models, etc. It will happen over time through an iterative process.

Is India Inc. across industry sectors, poised to help the local administrations in resolving urban issues?
RAVICHANDAR: Traditionally the private industry sector has been of the view “I pay my taxes and generate employment and it is for government to deliver on civic services”. Of late there is a slow realisation that industry needs to get engaged on issues of urban governance and partner with government for better, more inclusive cities. This is necessary for pure business reasons rather than as some kind of a Corporate Social Responsibility There are nascent initiatives in this area. Bombay First and the Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) were early efforts. Currently in Bangalore and some cities in Tamilnadu, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is testing a concept of City Connect, a platform for industry and civil society to work with government agencies on improving civic services in chosen areas.

Do you expect the trend of business involvement in urban governance to speed up?
RAVICHANDAR: It will improve provided the business community sees this collaborative involvement with government as an imperative for running a profitable enterprise in any urban location. Business needs to see the merit in fostering inclusive growth where cities are made more livable for all sections of society. Here too we need success stories with business - government collaboration. Once that equation is established we will see greater business involvement on urban governance.

How do you visualise the Indian urban scenario by 2047?Will it be in a position to overcome the challenges of urbanisation? RAVICHANDAR: There will be newer challenges over the next four decades. In the last decade the kind of rapid urban growth seen in India has no parallel elsewhere in the world. Consequently we seem to be often running behind fixing yesterday’s problem rather than being proactive about addressing tomorrow’s issues. There is currently a sense of urgency to play catch up and address the challenges of rapid urbanisation. I am confident that year on year India will find innovative ways to address these issues and have our cities grow as vibrant engines of emergent India.