Due to rising pollution levels, the Chandigarh administration has decided to make the city carbon-free by 2030. In a two-day workshop called 'Future Ready Chandigarh 2030 and Beyond', the Chandigarh administrator, Banwari Lal Purohit, discussed the plan and started the workshop at Hotel Mountview on Monday, October 25.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has supported the workshop, whose objective is to lay down the desired future roadmap for the city for sustainable improvement of the urban infrastructure.
"Chandigarh needs to keep evolving new paradigms of governance with communities at the core, and increased use of technology to improve its urban infrastructure, services and optimum utilisation of resources. It should keep driving the economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology," said Purohit, as quoted by The Indian Express.
He added that the workshop would allow a good platform for interaction amongst all related stakeholders to meet the common objectives.
Various Challenges Ahead
UT Adviser Dharam Pal that there are several challenges ahead that need to be addressed in the future. He said that the administration would make Chandigarh a regional hub for health, education, commerce, IT, service, manufacturing of microchip, future planning of rural areas, medical instruments, readiness for climate change, including the possibility of making UT carbon-neutral by 2030.
He said that the current focus areas of the administration are the smart city, clean city, green city, preserving cultural heritage and protecting and developing plans for 23 villages.
A senior official said that carbon neutral means that any carbon dioxide (CO2) which is released into the atmosphere from a company's activities is balanced by an equivalent amount being removed.
The workshop will continue till October 26 and two thematic groups on vital thematic areas will present their ideas and findings.
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