Sustainable
and innovative infrastructure planning is the need of the
hour. The plan to meet the water supply requirement for
the upcoming New Town, Rajarhat, located in the eastern
fringes of Kolkata is an instance of innovative, sustainable,
and economical urban planning. The transfer of water through
pipeline connections in right quantity and quality from
the River Hooghly to the New Town treatment plant through
the existing Kestopur Canal has been preferred. The economic
and environmental implications of this preferred mode of
transfer has been discussed in this paper.
Presently,
for India's real prosperity and growth she requires innovative
planning and management, which is sustainable and economically
viable as well. India has to have a goal—that every
Indian should enjoy equal opportunities and get a chance
to live a minimum quality of life and contribute to the
society. Unfortunately, today India is getting divided into
the `haves' and `have-nots', where the rich enjoy all the
capital intensive infrastructure facilities, whereas the
poor are deprived of the same. This cannot continue and
a balance has to be reached where there is a more equitable
distribution. For the growth of India in all respects, the
country cannot be divided into the `haves' and `have-nots'.
In this paper, an attempt has been made to propose some
solutions on the above lines that have already been planned
and started being implemented. One such example is the water
supply system in New Town, Rajarhat. The study gives its
perspective on this issue of sustainable planning and management,
and on how to make it more viable.
Along
with the population influx in India, severe inadequacy and
non-availability of good quality social infrastructure (education,
health, sports, etc.) and physical infrastructure (roads,
water supply, sewerage and drainage) are being felt. Lack
of basic infrastructural facilities is causing serious impediments
to India's development. |
