Urban Infrastructure

Real estate doyen K P Singh has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to set up a high-powered cabinet rank committee to prepare a blueprint for the development of urban infrastructure in all major cities that can support USD 5 trillion economy. The urban master planning should not be for a short-term but for 100 years, the 95-year-old Singh said in an interview with PTI on the occasion of the launch of his second book 'Why the Heck Not?'. His autobiography 'Whatever the Odds' was released by Jack Welch, the former Chairman and CEO of GE, in November 2011. Singh, the Chairman Emeritus of realty major DLF, described the current state of urban infrastructure as "horribly wrong" and said there was a need for "drastic steps" as India is growing and soon going to become the third largest economy in the world. Referring to traffic mess in cities including IT city Gurugram which he built and high pollution level, Singh said these are large issues and "it needs attention in my view of the ...

Space crunch, need for efficient land use prompt both firms and govt bodies to follow trend

A new study has indicated that urban areas are increasingly expanding vertically rather than horizontally, with Asian cities leading the trend

44% of global disasters are linked to flooding, extreme weather patterns are likely to increase with climate change, and nature-based solutions to climate change can be 50 per cent more cost-effective

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday underlined the need for embracing innovative strategies to attract private investment, bridge financing gaps and foster sustainable development of infrastructure in cities. Addressing the 'G20 Infrastructure Investment Dialogue', the minister said that the situation with regard to financing infrastructure has become even more challenging in the wake of monetary policy tightening in key markets. The tight monetary policy leads to the hardening of interest rates and the burgeoning debt repayment burden. Against this backdrop, she said, "Innovative financing and funding mechanisms for cities could have significant potential to fill the increasing (funding) gaps. "It can complement the pool of funds available for infrastructure in addition to public investment and financing provided by Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), she added. "We need alternate solutions to leverage private sector participation in this context. Innovative financin

TMS Ep477: Urban planning, online gaming, markets, gross gaming revenue

Where did India's urban planning go wrong? Is online gaming headed for another shock? Has a Dalal Street priced in demand woes for IT stocks? What is gross gaming revenue? All answers here

The requirement of water in the state was projected to increase to 726.46 million litres per day (MLD) -- 575.97 MLD in rural areas and 150.49 MLD in urban areas -- in 2021

The dates for the Gandhinagar meeting have not been finalised

Railways ministry gets highest-ever capital expenditure allocation, of Rs 2.4 trillion in FY24

During an interview with a British journalist, a top official of Qatar involved in the courtry's World Cup organization has put the number of worker deaths for the tournament between 400 and 500

Municipal bonds account for a marginal share in debt financing, says the report

Officials say that the issue climate resilient urban infrastructure is key for developing and developed economies

Loans would be repaid progressively over 15 years, giving the company additional time of about seven years to extinguish the liability

Group power company to raise Rs 3,000 cr separately

Globally, municipal bonds are an established and major source of funding for urban infra. However, the municipal bond market is quite underdeveloped in India, notes Vinayak Chatterjee

Firm achieves financial closure of its second HAM project and partners with PTC India Financial Services

The regulator is of the view that lack of uniform solution can lead to proprietary issues and prevent integration for a seamless digital revolution in the urban infrastructure.

Urban infrastructure across India has emerged as a major concern. The main reason behind this the state governments' bidding process for road construction. According to rules, the lowest bidder gets the contract but the winner also does shabby work. The "classic" example is that of roads in Pune and Mumbai. Recently, we have noted in the print media that Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has "blacklisted" five contractors for laying poor quality roads. It is high time the government adopted the public-private partnership mode for urban infrastructure, a practice followed the world over. It will be also desirable if municipal corporations raise adequate funds by issuing bonds, which will help develop quality roads.Satish Murdeshwar PuneLetters can be mailed, faxed or e-mailed to:The Editor, Business StandardNehru House, 4 Bahadur Shah Zafar MargNew Delhi 110 002Fax: (011) 23720201E-mail: letters@bsmail.inAll letters must have a postal address and telephone number