Now Model Cities to be launched in UP

Need to bridge the gap between villages and cities to benefit both farmers in the villages as well as consumers in the cities, says Chief Minister

Whatever the media says about him and his father, Netaji, as the grand old man of Samajwadi Party is fondly called, Chief Minister Ahilesh Yadav never fails to amaze me with his ideas. Who would think about building cycle tracks to run along trams and Metro routes in our cities? Who would think about pushing DMRC and getting the Greater Noida Metro ready in two years?   When our politicians were busy chalking out strategies to woo landowners, he made the UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) quietly pay top dollar for most of the land required for Agra-Lucknow e-way. The 320-km, six-lane, greenfield Agra-Lucknow Expressway is being built at a cost of Rs 13,000 crore and it should be operational by November 1, 2016. So when he quips that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s smart city buildings look like “wearing tie over kurta pyjama,” we need to sit up and take notice. What he meant was the “ultra-modern townships scattered here and there would be of no use if the vast rural landscape connecting these smart cities was left undeveloped.” He sure has a point. “Ever since the Samajwadi Party has been voted to power in the state, it has been making efforts to usher in planned development of both rural and urban areas. This is necessary not only for the villages but also for the cities,” he said at the launch of Saraswati Hi-Tech City in Allahabad. “In every city we hear cries of skyrocketing prices of vegetables and other edibles. If we go to villages, people complain not about the rising prices, but the lack of means through which their agricultural produce can cater to the vast markets of the rapidly expanding cities. If we develop mechanisms through which this gap is bridged, it would benefit both the farmers in the villages as well as the consumers in the cities,” he said. Keeping this in mind, the State Government will soon launch ‘model cities’ which will be equipped with all modern facilities. A similar programme was launched in the US in 1966 by President Lyndon Johnson, who asserted that the goal of the Model Cities programme was “to build not just housing units, but neighbourhoods, not just to construct schools, but to educate children, not just to raise income, but to create beauty and end the poisoning of our environment.” The Housing and Urban Planning Department has already prepared its blueprint and it’s waiting for the Chief Minister’s approval. “He wanted the whole state to work like a smart city, that’s why we are launching model cities. We are waiting for the CM approval,” an official said. All model cities will feature wi-fi and all streets will be properly identified for safety reasons. There will be compulsory provision for cycle tracks in all cities and the State Government will ensure better transport facilities. Washroom and toilet facilities in public places will be provided. There will be seating arrangements and facilities for drinking water and foot overbridges and underpasses for pedestrians. Public hospitals will be equipped with modern facilities and primary health centres and dispensaries will be activated. All roads will be made encroachment free and police posts and stations will be equipped with modern facilities to enhance security. “Various state departments and district bodies, like development authorities, Avas Vikas Parishad, district administration, Public Works Department, power corporation, Home office, tourism department, UPSRTC, medical and education departments have been instructed make the model cities plan a success,” said the source.