Hyderabad: BRS working president and former Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao called for holistic and long-term solutions to the challenges faced by Indian cities, cautioning political leaders against relying on short-term responses to public grievances.
Rama Rao made the remarks while participating in ‘Sheheron Pe Charcha’, a cross-party dialogue on making Indian cities more liveable and responsive to citizens. The event was organised by Janaagraha at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday.
He participated in a panel discussion alongside Parliamentarians Mahua Maji and S Niranjan Reddy and Janaagraha CEO Srikanth Viswanathan.
Rama Rao said leaders should focus on addressing the underlying causes of citizens’ grievances instead of relying on immediate or temporary responses.
Focus on infrastructure and balanced development
The former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister highlighted initiatives undertaken by the previous K Chandrashekhar Rao-led Telangana government to reduce pressure on Hyderabad by developing infrastructure and economic opportunities in other parts of the state.
He pointed to the establishment of super-speciality hospitals and medical colleges at district headquarters, along with IT Towers in several Tier-II cities, as examples of efforts aimed at creating opportunities beyond Hyderabad.
According to Rama Rao, expanding infrastructure and employment opportunities across different cities can help reduce the concentration of people and economic activity in major urban centres.
Public transport and urban mobility
Rama Rao also discussed the challenges associated with urban mobility and public transportation.
He said the development of high-speed rail networks could help reduce pressure on large cities by improving connectivity between urban centres. He expressed confidence that such networks could expand over the next decade.
He also identified access to capital as a major challenge for city governments and called for innovative and inclusive approaches to financing urban development.
Rama Rao said Indian cities require long-term planning and coordinated solutions to address infrastructure, mobility and other challenges associated with rapid urbanisation.
Visit to Bharat AI Experiential Center
After the panel discussion, Rama Rao visited the Bharat AI Experiential Center at the venue.
He interacted with representatives of organisations working on artificial intelligence-based solutions aimed at addressing public-interest and civic challenges.
The event brought together political representatives and urban policy stakeholders for discussions on ways to improve the functioning of Indian cities and make urban development more responsive to citizens.
