“India does not have a single town planner per one lakh population, UK and Australia are far ahead” – NK Patel National President, Institute of Town Planning
ITPI Punjab Regional chapter hosts talk on land pooling Gujarat Model
Chandigarh 2 July
It is estimated that by 2050, half of the population in Asia will be living in cities. Despite this, the planned development of Indian cities is not being done. The UK has 37 town planners per 100,000 population while Australia has 23 town planners, while India does not have even have one town planner per 100,000 population. Planned development of cities cannot happen without a town planner and this was highlighted by NK Patel to the experts related to the urban development of Haryana, Punjab and Himachal in a program organized on land pooling model. The session was organized on challenges of urbanization and need of urban planner. Around 30 town planners gathered at ITPI in Sector 35 and town planners from across India were also connected online. During the session, NK Patel stressed the need to understand the importance of town planner.
On the occasion, former Punjab Chief Town Planner Gurpreet Singh and Chandigarh Chapter Chairman Pankaj Bawa honored National President NK Patel.
During the session, NK Patel National President, Institute of Town Planning shared, “There are several advantages of the town planning mechanism, which helps in micro-level land management. In fact, it is a win-win for all stakeholders. There is an equal land percentage deduction, and developed land remains with the original owner. It is a self-financing mechanism, as the local urban body can raise funds by selling spare land. The system also ensures land is reserved for public purposes such as schools, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, etc., and housing for economically weaker sections.”
Gurpreet Singh, former Punjab Chief Town Planner added, “We need to understand the importance of town planner. In India, masterplans of many cities have not been made and this is a state subject. The development of different types of cities, residential, industrial, cultural, should be planned differently. In future, more planning universities will also be needed for town planners.”
