Strong Urban Local Bodies Are Essential for the New Urbanisation

Elected representatives must work with fresh vision and foresight in this era of change — the Chief Minister's address to presidents of municipalities and nagar parishads

Bhopal. Chief Minister Shri Kamal Nath has said that, given the pace of urbanisation, it is essential to strengthen urban local bodies. He said the elected representatives of local institutions should recognise the rapid change under way and expand their towns with new thinking, a new outlook and foresight. Shri Nath was addressing a meeting of presidents of municipalities and nagar parishads at Mantralaya.

Chief Minister Kamal Nath said this is the time to plan our towns and cities, big and small, according to future needs. In this era of change, citizens' expectations and hopes have also grown. We need to change our work style and culture and develop our cities in a planned way that matches people's aspirations.

The Chief Minister said that, along with government support, urban bodies must also develop new sources of income of their own, and should start new activities for this purpose.

Shri Nath said that over the past year the new government had shown its intent and its policy through its work. There was a financial crisis, and the state was number one in the country for farmer suicides, unemployment and atrocities against women. Amid these challenges the government took big decisions. Fulfilling its promise of loan waivers, it waived the loans of 21 lakh farmers. The waiver process ran into several technical difficulties that created many problems, and the government resolved them all. The second phase of the loan waiver would begin this month. To tackle unemployment, the government has restored investor confidence. Shri Nath said office-bearers of urban bodies should play an important role in taking this work to the people.

Urban Development and Housing Minister Shri Jaivardhan Singh said the state was fortunate to have Chief Minister Kamal Nath's experience and guidance for the planned development of its towns. As Union Urban Development Minister, Shri Nath had given a new direction and many schemes to the development of cities across the country. Shri Singh said he was committed to implementing the government's urban development policies effectively, and that the government was working with a new vision for the development of small towns as well as big cities. Drinking water is people's right, and the government is going to frame a 'Right to Water' policy. The activities for which towns are known are also being protected.

Smt. Harmeet Kaur, president of the state's municipality and nagar parishad association, and other presidents gave suggestions for strengthening urban bodies. On the occasion, the Chief Minister was felicitated with a shawl and shriphal on behalf of the association.