Devastating fire engulfs Topsia slum, over 100 shanties destroyed
A devastating fire broke out in a slum near EM Bypass in Topsia today, ahead of Christmas, destroying around 100 shanties.
Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said on Wednesday the Smart City Mission had made the government witness many solutions to the challenges and problems arising out of the fast-paced urbanisation being experienced across the world.
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Addressing a gathering after inaugurating the 5th Smart Cities India 2019 Expo at Pragati Maidan on New Delhi on Wednesday, Mishra said, “Our urban population was around 31 per cent in the 2011 census whereas it is projected to go beyond 40 per cent by 2030 and 50 per cent by 2050.
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These are the figures as far as urban transformation in India is concerned. Today, urbanisation is at the forefront. Experience from the world over has shown that cities are engines of growth, but urbanisation also leads to challenges in terms of mobility, utilities, infrastructure etc. A citizen in an urban setting has many expectations and unless he gets a conducive environment, he may not be able to achieve his full potential.”
He added: “In the last five years, the path we have taken for urban transformation, is not incremental but transformational, especially in terms of cleanliness, employment and livelihood opportunities, and housing. Smart cities have made us witness many solutions to the challenges and problems. This concept should be adopted in a big manner.”
Mishra stressed on solutions for home automation/Internet of Things; Building Intelligence Monitoring (BIM) of smart buildings; green building solutions; water/sanitation technologies; environment-related solutions for pollution monitoring; urban planning and smart IT & communications; security systems.
The three-day expo has been organised by the India Trade Promotion Organization and Exhibitions India Group.
The welcome speech was delivered by the Exhibitions India Group chairman Prem Behl.
The inaugural session also witnessed the release of a knowledge paper by Knowledge Partner KPMG, titled “IoT in Smart Cities”.
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