Ahmedabad’s ‘inclusive’ growth where planners have kept in mind the needs of ordinary residents has come in for special praise by the World Bank. The bank has chosen Ahmedabad over other Indian cities for consideration as a model metropolis whose planned growth can be replicated in Dar es Salam, the largest city of Tanzania. Now, the bank has to take a final decision between Ahmedabad and another city chosen from China.
A presentation on the Gujarati city’s roads, traffic management, solid waste collection and disposal system, measures to enhance municipal revenue, community infrastructure and upgrading of slums, was made at a conference in Dar-es-Salam. Ahmedabad’s practices in these areas are believed to be among the best in the world.
The theme of the conference, which started on May 3, was: ‘Dar es Salam Metropolitan Development: Focus on action and partnership’. It was organised in collaboration with the World Bank, United Nations Human Settlements Program, the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) and Cities Alliance.
Cept associate director Shivanand Swamy, represented Ahmedabad at the conference. He said the city’s inclusive approach to planning was praised the most. “Dar es Salam is already following Ahmedabad’s model for its BRTS,” Swamy said.
“When I made the presentation, the delegates were impressed by the city’s overall development and particularly by housing schemes for the urban poor, and measures for revenue generation for the AMC.”
Swamy said that the state government had started detailed planning for the city in 2006. “Around Rs9,000 crore is to be spent over a period of seven years on Ahmedabad planned growth,” he said. “But the important thing is that the results are already showing.”
Municipal commissioner IP Gautam said it all started last year when they made a presentation on Ahmedabad’s development before World Bank officials. “The officials were really impressed,” he said. “They felt one city in southern Africa could be developed on the lines of Ahmedabad. So they called for a presentation on Ahmedabad’s planning at Dar es Salam, too, so that the officials there could have an idea of Ahmedabad’s development.”
