‘India will need 3 lakh city planners by 2032’
Country is producing only 600 per year through 17 institutions!
The mess and chaos of cities may soon end if the country meets the need of producing three lakh town planners by the end of 2032, who will help plan spatial cities better. 
However, the data that is indicative of challenging times ahead is that a mere 4000 planners are registered with Institute of Town Planners India (ITPI). To meet the requirement, the country will have to produce at least 15,000 town planners every year and increase the number of institutions that teach the subject from 17 to many more.
This was pointed out by President of ITPI, Diwakar S Meshram, at the 60th National Town Planners Congress, that was held at Senate Bhavan here on Friday. Centered around the theme ‘planning and development 2025: challenges and reforms’, the two-day long seminar is aimed at deliberating upon clearly defining the agenda for action to enable the decision makers to consider them for implementation.
Stating that ITPI has been interacting with the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), and ministry of human resource development and constituted a separate All India Board of Studies in Town and Country Planning under the chairmanship of President ITPI.
Prominent speaker on the occasion, Governor Hansraj Bhardwaj said urban development bodies had completely failed in developing cities and rising to the occasion when India was growing in leaps and bounds.
Stating that former PM Nehru’s model of development had proven flawless and stood the test of time, with cities such as Chandigarh and Bhubaneshwar growing in most organised manner, urban development bodies failed to manage many cities in the recent decades.
Future worrisome
“Days ahead are bound to bring up scarcity of electricity/energy and water. Planners should explore ways of using solar and hydro resources for better energy efficiency. Water sources are being contaminated and also being encroached upon, it’s necessary to curb this and not allow it even in the name of development,” he said.
Today’s youth have less patience. They want everything done faster. Governments have failed to listen to their heartbeat. If a government does not pay heed to its subjects, it signifies some sort of non-existence of that structure. “Only people with money and muscle power will reign, putting weak ones into perpetual threat perception. This should not happen,” he said.
‘Act against perpetrators’
Stating that vice chancellors can act against perpetrators who were polluting water bodies in the vicinity of universities, Chancellor of Universities and Governor, Hansraj Bhardwaj said he would stand in full support if University of Mysore vice chancellor wanted to act against those who were polluting Kukkarahalli lake.
Earlier, in his address, Prof Talwar had elaborated on the fact that Kukkarahalli lake, which is monitored by University of Mysore, was being polluted with sewage water flowing into it. “Poornaiah naale which brought fresh water to the lake is sealed owing to development in the surrounding areas. However, only pollution has continued,” Talawar had said.
ITPI President D S Meshram, General Secretary Pradeep Kapoor, Vice President Aniyan Mathew, Additional Director B Mahendra, KSOU vice chancellor K S Rangappa, University of Mysore vice chancellor Talwar and others were present on the occasion.
