A growing city needs better planning

Navi Mumbai, now referred to as the city of the 21st century, started out as an extension of Mumbai. However, in just over 35 years, it has carved out a distinct identity of its own. It is now a developed city with a population of almost 30 lakh, and growing.

Although Navi Mumbai is supposed to be a planned city, there has been no foresight in the planning. The original planners did not seem to have taken into account the fact that the city will not merely be a dormitory but will have a booming economy of its own, a city where the standard of living will be high and there will be vehicles in large numbers on the roads. The infrastructure we have today is woefully short of the current requirements, leave alone the requirement for growth.

To understand this better, we have to define this in three solutions. The first challenge is to have balanced growth. Presently, the existing infrastructure, particularly in nodes like Vashi and Kopar Khairane is collapsing as population grows faster than the pace of development as is the case in Mumbai. These things have to be taken into account before granting additional FSI or redevelopment of buildings. The only area where there seems to be no problem is in the case of drinking water. All other areas need to be worked upon.

The second challenge is about social responsibilities including environment protection. We need to make this city noise-free by implementing certain rules. We should educate the community and use the media to create awareness on keeping the city green and clean. There is a need to acknowledge citizens and organisations contributing to the growth of the city by giving them awards.

The third challenge pertains to the opportunities the city offers. There is a need to optimise resources. The industrial belts along the Thane-Belapur road and in Taloja need to be harnessed for attracting even better companies from the IT and manufacturing sector.

FDI in retail now sanctioned by the government will work to the advantage of Navi Mumbai. It has immense possibilities here and there is a lot of land where the multinationals can set up a base.

Navi Mumbai is no more a cousin of Mumbai and has carved its own place in the scheme of things. By 2025, Navi Mumbai has the potential to be among the top three cities of the world. Amardeep Singh is

the proprietor of Ronak Advertising) As told to G. Mohiuddin Jeddy

Authorities must consider Navi Mumbai’s population growth before granting additional FSI.