Disruptive tech to fix urban issues

Urban mobility solutions need to be based on doing more with less since the urban transport infrastructure is cracking in almost all the Indian cities and towns. The country can’t blindly copy the practices of the developed countries and need to find specific solutions to each Indian city. — K.T. RAMA RAO, minister for municipal and urban development

K. T. Rama Rao, minister of municipal administration and urban development, on Monday called for effective solutions based on disruptive technologies to fix the problem of urban mobility.

“The Indian way of finding ‘jugaad’ to solve problems can come handy in addressing the issue of urban transportation in the country,” he said.

Addressing the valedictory function of the three-day Urban Mobility India Conference, Mr. Rao said, “Urban mobility solutions need to be based on doing more with less since the urban transport infrastructure is cracking in almost all the Indian cities and towns. The country can’t blindly copy the practices of the developed countries and need to find specific solutions to each Indian city,” he said.

Voicing concern over environmental consequences of rapid increase in the number of motor vehicles, he hailed the Centre’s move to shift to electric vehicles by 2030. “Hyderabad Metro is unique in several ways. It is the largest Metro project being developed in the PPP mode, being executed by a private agency with the state government providing enabling environment and the Centre supporting with the viability gap funding. Hyderabad Metro’s first phase is likely to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on November 28,” he said.

Mr Durga Shanker Mishra, Union secretary of housing and urban affairs, said that the conference discussed best practices concerning urban mobility.