Mumbai Not Walkable, Cycling-Friendly: Maharashtra Chief Secy

Mumbai, Oct 18 (PTI) Maharashtra's Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik on Friday admitted that India's financial capital is not a walking or cycling-friendly city, and emphasised the need to transform it into a more inclusive megapolis.

"Right now it's not a very walkable or a bikeable city. How do we work towards that is the big question," Saunik said during an IFCCI event.

The senior-most bureaucrat of Maharashtra said sustainable urbanisation requires "building, or at least planning to build" a greener and more inclusive city where renewable energy powers industries and green spaces are a part of urban planning.

It can be noted that a spate of infrastructure developments in the city has been focused on incentivising car usage as seen in many exclusive, toll-free roads being built for four-wheelers unlike major cities of the world which focus on disincentivising car use. Civil society groups often highlight the problems of walkers and cyclists, but those concerns go unheard.

Pointing out that temperatures are soaring above 40 degrees often, urban spaces will have to be able to combat the heat, provide respite to the people and also be less energy-dense to bring about cooling.

Speaking at the same event earlier, French Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, said solutions to contemporary challenges which India and Mumbai can produce will help the world and asked for a special focus to be laid on making the city more inclusive.

Mathou said Mumbai has to pay attention to ecological challenges given the fact that it is a coastal city and the rising sea levels are feared to eat up 10 per cent of the landmass of the city in the next 50 years.

There has to be a focus on pollution and air quality as well along with drinking water and public transport, he said.

Saunik said Maharashtra is looking forward for help from France in making the metro network "more cohesive" and making intra-city transport easier.

Meanwhile, French Minister for Olympics and Paralympics, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, who oversaw preparations for the 2024 Summer Games, said India faces stiff competition from Chile and Indonesia in its bid to host the 2036 Games.

The bid will have to pitch with a differentiated promise in order to secure the honour, she said speaking at the same event, and added that a lot of benefits can potentially accrue to a city if it plays the host.

Meanwhile, Godrej Industries Chairman and Managing Director Nadir Godrej spoke about preserving the diversity of the city and the country while speaking at the same event.