Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has called upon town planners to make sustainable solutions such as harvesting solar energy, enhancing green cover and water conservation an essential part of town planning.
Naidu, while addressing the 4th Resilient Cities Asia-Pacific (RCAP) Congress 2019 organized by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). Here today, asked municipal administrators to accord priority to tree plantation, solid waste management, protection and rejuvenation of water bodies.
Observing that massive migration from rural to urban areas has become a reality, the Vice President said that education, entertainment, enhanced medical facilities and employment were the main drivers of such migration. He asked for collaborative efforts of governments at state and centre to reduce the divide by providing urban amenities in rural areas.
Opining that economic growth must take environmental protection into consideration, Naidu observed that dependency on fossil fuel must be reduced and new forms of energy sources such as solar must be explored. ‘It cannot be business as usual as far as development is concerned,’ he added.
