Bhubaneswar: The first “Annual Rainbow Cities Summit” organized by the Urban Management and Governance Programme of XIMB-XUB, took place at Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar on 4th and 5th October 2016. The event aimed at addressing the need for developing knowledge systems and human resources for sustainable, resilient, humane and peaceful cities.
Mathi Vathanan, Commissioner cum Secretary, Human & Urban Development, Government of Odisha, graced the event as the Chief Guest. Industry leaders, policy makers and administrators, attended the summit; who enlightened the students and faculty with their insights on urban development. Mathi Vath anan, said “Bhubaneswar needs mobility, road improvement and better parking facilities.” He also spoke about the need for full time professionals and internal revenue generation for upliftment of slums in Bhubaneswar.
The first speaker of Day 1 was Chetan Vaidya, Director, SPA, NewDelhi,who spoke about the migration of rural population to urban areas. “For urban area augmentation we need both infrastructure and governance.” saidMrVaidya. He emphasized the need for skill development and efficient land utilizationto effectively manage urban sprawl.
The next speakers were D. Durgaprasad, Centre for Organisation Development, Hyderabad; Meera Mehta, Professor, CEPT University and Partha Mukhopadhyay, Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research. They talked about the relevance of policies, norms and efficient data collection for creating resilient cities.
Moderator for the discussion, Dinesh Mehta, Director, Urban Management and Governance Programme, XIMB-XUB, then spoke about the need for accountability and comprehensive information systems to build smart cities.
IAS officer Sachin Jadhav, Director, Municipal Administration and Odisha Urban Housing Mission addressed the students on the issue of solid waste management. He said, “Our duty as planners and managers is to educate public and spread awareness.” He emphasised community led programs to manage the issue of sanitation and waste. The enriching discussion with dignitaries was followed by a question and answer session where students gained valuable insights from the speakers.
