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Our cities have a peculiar and detrimental design. Take any Indian metropolis and most downtown areas as well as close suburbs have zero land availability.
Affordable housing, retail, healthcare and educational developments thus become financially unviable in our cities, pushing crucial, community-building real estate to far-flung suburbs where land is cheaper and more freely available.
This translates
into the hardest working people, who build and operate our cities, to be treated
the worst.
Pune’s Transport Body Shines
In the
first week of September, the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited
(PMPML) announced that it would commercially exploit around 30 land plots it
owns to increase its non-fare revenue.
This means
more space for retail, offices, public conveniences and healthcare centres in
the hearts of the city, where they are needed most. A proposal to this effect
was passed by the board of directors of the transport body on Thursday.
“The plan
will be based on the market demand. For instance, if there is a demand for a
hospital in a particular area and a party is interested, the PMPML will provide
its plot. The revenue-sharing model will be finalized”, quoted an official to
the press.