Decentralisation needed for developing good cities: Anand Mahindra

New Delhi: Decentralisation and empowerment of people are needed for developing world-class cities in India, said Mahindra & Mahindra's chairman Anand Mahindra.

"Decentralisation and empowerment of people in India is much needed," said Mahindra here adding "real essence of design in a city is its people and community." For developing a good city, interaction of the people and their dynamics is more important, he said.

"It is about interaction and dynamics of people that is what excites me about planning," said Mahindra at the third edition of its thought leadership platform Confluence. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant said that the process of better urbanisation has just began in India.

"The process of better urbanisation has just began and it could be done with better planning and legislation on the back of good technology and public transportation." On the rapid urbanisation in India, he said the country would do more urbanisation in the next five years than it did in 5000 years.

He further said: "Urbanisation is one of the areas where India can leap frog and place a good example among many countries and we can create better livable creativity of the future through the process of urbanisation."

Highlighting the use of mobile technology in developing new cities, Kant added that India has a great opportunity as it is the only country in the world which has billion biometric and mobile.

"You can manage your cities on mobile on real time basis," he added. However, he also added that Indian cities would also have to monetise from their infrastructure for proper development.

"The only problem is that India cities should learn monetisation. Urbanisation can not move forward if it cannot monetise land and every bit of infrastructure it has created. While speaking at the conference Barcelona Ex Dy Mayor Antoni Vives highlighted the need of a proper planning along with need of smart developer for the smart cities.

"Smart Cities need smart developers," he said suggesting that world should be divided in urbanisation and under urbanisation instead of developed and developing.