New Ideas Drive Urban Development, says CM D.K. Shivakumar

New Ideas Drive Urban Development, says CM D.K. Shivakumar

Coastal Talk News | Bengaluru

“Cities develop when new ideas take shape” Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar said while stressing the need for innovative approaches to urban development. He was speaking at the inauguration of Vista Space in Whitefield, Bengaluru, on Sunday. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu was also present at the event.

Shivakumar said Naidu’s vision had contributed to the development of Hyderabad and noted that history should not be forgotten while planning for the future. He said Bengaluru’s climate and culture were among its strengths and appreciated Vista Space for combining architecture and new ideas in its project.

“The world is looking towards South India, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad and Amaravati. We are producing around four lakh engineers every year,” he said.

Bengaluru Faces Urban Infrastructure Challenges

Shivakumar said Bengaluru’s population had increased from around 70 lakh to 1.4 crore over the past 25 years and that the city now had around 1.31 crore vehicles. While Bengaluru is a beautiful city, he said, it was not a planned city. He noted that roads account for around 18-20% of the urban area in several other cities, compared with about 8% in Bengaluru. He said the government was working on developing new urban areas, while land acquisition remained a major challenge. Referring to land pooling, Shivakumar said Karnataka was also looking at approaches similar to those being adopted in Andhra Pradesh and expressed hope that landowners would participate in such initiatives. He also said Bengaluru has around 26 lakh IT professionals and recalled his interactions with investors at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

‘Southern States of India a Hub of Talent’

CM Shivakumar said South India had emerged as a major talent centre and that cities could not be built overnight. He referred to the development of a solar park during his tenure as Energy Minister, saying the project was established across 15,000 acres without acquiring individual parcels of land. He also highlighted the contribution of Southern States in economic and industrial development, referring to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru and the growth of public sector enterprises in the past. “Our government will stand behind young entrepreneurs,” Shivakumar said, calling for collective efforts towards the development of cities, the state and the nation.