- Ideally, government authorities, such as elected representatives and officials representing various departments, are expected to ensure the implementation of socio-welfare and socio-economic measures, considering the public service as a focal point. The public sector entities are entrusted with the task of providing basic amenities, viz. clean drinking water, motorable roads, breathable air, uninterrupted power supply, good transport system, adequate healthcare, a robust education sector, and efficient law and order, to ensure the administration is fully geared up to serve the public. The honest tax-paying public expects nothing less than adequate availability of basic amenities, helping the country’s economy in a very big way.
PC: The Economic Times
- Why should the private sector, read as big business houses and conglomerates, supplement government authorities’ efforts by wholesomely participating in building townships? It’s becoming increasingly unavoidable as urban dwellings expand to accommodate the teeming seekers willing to migrate where the green pastures are prominent. As reported, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX’s rocket-launch site in Texas is now incorporated as a new city. In its seven years, SpaceX has reshaped the sleepy town, as any industry does. It reportedly looks like a science fiction movie set, has rows of identical houses, and a massive bronze bust of Musk. Of course, there’s nothing new in entrepreneurs building cities out of their company bases. And India is no exception.
PC: India Briefing
- For the uninitiated, India as a country has a long list of such townships. Governments have long collaborated for cities to grow out of industrial bases built by business pioneers, steel tycoons, mill owners – from Tatanagar to Modinagar and a dozen others. PSUs all have urban centres that develop and expand around their plants. However, dreams of India’s urbanization have morphed into a nightmare in the last three decades. Under several governments, city-building initiatives have been embarked upon, but all have been railroaded by a lack of investment despite early interest and overall administrative incompetence. Politician-land shark-builder nexuses have flourished in that vacuum, making a costly mess of urban development.
PC: iPleaders
- So much so that, even the Smart Cities project has practically wound down – a government release noted all pending projects were to end by March 31, 2025. Connectivity, water, power, open spaces, affordable housing – no Indian city government can claim to be able to handle its waves of migrants or the ability to upgrade infrastructure to meet a growing city’s demands. Every metro city is struggling. Without private sector collaboration, it looks impossible for our local governments to cope with city demands, no matter the funds. It’s all about fostering foresight, imagination, transparency, and accountability. This is where efficiency is associated more with the private sector than with any government ever. More power to private townships, then.
