SURAT:
The diamond city's glitter has been noticed by the world. Surat ranks
fourth in a global study of fastest developing cities conducted by The
City Mayors Foundation, an international think tank on urban affairs.
Ghaziabad stands at number two after Beihai in Southern China, which has the stupendous average annual growth rate of 10.58 per cent for 2006 to 2020. Ghaziabad's growth rate is given as 5.20 per cent. The City Mayors Foundation went by assumed annual growth rates for cities and urban areas between 2006 and 2020 based on past growth/decline and forecasts by international and national statistics organizations.
Three other Gujarat cities also figure in the top 100; Rajkot placed at 22 , Ahmedabad at 73 and Vadodara at 86. While the average annual growth rate for Surat is 4.99 per cent, that for Rajkot is 3.63 per cent, Ahmedabad (2.73 per cent) and Vadodara (2.55 per cent).
Ghaziabad stands at number two after Beihai in Southern China, which has the stupendous average annual growth rate of 10.58 per cent for 2006 to 2020. Ghaziabad's growth rate is given as 5.20 per cent. The City Mayors Foundation went by assumed annual growth rates for cities and urban areas between 2006 and 2020 based on past growth/decline and forecasts by international and national statistics organizations.
Three other Gujarat cities also figure in the top 100; Rajkot placed at 22 , Ahmedabad at 73 and Vadodara at 86. While the average annual growth rate for Surat is 4.99 per cent, that for Rajkot is 3.63 per cent, Ahmedabad (2.73 per cent) and Vadodara (2.55 per cent).
The third fastest developing city in the list is Sana'a in Yemen (5.00 per cent) while the fifth spot went to Kabul (4.47 per cent). New Delhi
figures at spot no 22 (3.48), Faridabad at no 8 (4.44 per cent) and
Agra at 53 (2.93 per cent). Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai do not figure in
the top 100. However, smaller cities around Mumbai
have made the grade; Nashik is no 16 (3.90 per cent) and Pune is no 29
(3.46 per cent). In its analysis, The City Mayors Foundation has said,
"Many of the world's fastest growing cities are among the best managed.
They have created opportunities for improving quality of life without increasing resource use and environmental problems. How they are governed and planned further will become increasingly important in coming years." Only cities with more than a million or 10 lakh population were taken in to account. Surat's population, according to the 2011 census, stands at 44.82 lakh. All the other top five cities have much smaller populations. In fact, smaller cities have made it to the list of top 100 because their growth rates are higher.
Mayor Raju Desai attributes it to upgradation in the main sectors of textile, diamond and embroidery. "This has resulted in these industries becoming more attractive to many and rapid development is taking place," he said.
Dr Kiran Pandya of the human resource development department of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University attributes this success mainly to forward and backward effects of investments worth crores in the city. "This type of investment in sectors like diamonds, textiles and others leads to development. Other factors like very little law and order problems and minimum labour troubles help the rate of growth. Easy accessibility of raw material from nearby clusters and best civic governance in the country has also helped Surat achieve these world standards."
Shivanand Swami of the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) in Ahmedabad who worked on many development projects in Surat, said, "I will attribute this to people, local governance and than state government. Utilization of available resources properly is very important and that has worked in Surat's case."
Surat's director of planning Jivan Patel said, "Absence of political environment helps the economic growth and development the most. In Surat, people are business oriented and traditionally this city has been a trade hub from centuries. People here have inherited this culture of trade and that has paid dividends." "If you look at the sectors that have contributed to success story of the city, they are non conventional sectors like diamonds, art silk and zari,'' opined city engineer Jain Shah. According to him the workforce of these sectors has proved that if the right infrastructure, environment and basic services are provided properly they flourish. "This has resulted in zero unemployment despite very heavy migration and population growth in last 20 years.''
They have created opportunities for improving quality of life without increasing resource use and environmental problems. How they are governed and planned further will become increasingly important in coming years." Only cities with more than a million or 10 lakh population were taken in to account. Surat's population, according to the 2011 census, stands at 44.82 lakh. All the other top five cities have much smaller populations. In fact, smaller cities have made it to the list of top 100 because their growth rates are higher.
Mayor Raju Desai attributes it to upgradation in the main sectors of textile, diamond and embroidery. "This has resulted in these industries becoming more attractive to many and rapid development is taking place," he said.
Dr Kiran Pandya of the human resource development department of Veer Narmad South Gujarat University attributes this success mainly to forward and backward effects of investments worth crores in the city. "This type of investment in sectors like diamonds, textiles and others leads to development. Other factors like very little law and order problems and minimum labour troubles help the rate of growth. Easy accessibility of raw material from nearby clusters and best civic governance in the country has also helped Surat achieve these world standards."
Shivanand Swami of the Centre for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) in Ahmedabad who worked on many development projects in Surat, said, "I will attribute this to people, local governance and than state government. Utilization of available resources properly is very important and that has worked in Surat's case."
Surat's director of planning Jivan Patel said, "Absence of political environment helps the economic growth and development the most. In Surat, people are business oriented and traditionally this city has been a trade hub from centuries. People here have inherited this culture of trade and that has paid dividends." "If you look at the sectors that have contributed to success story of the city, they are non conventional sectors like diamonds, art silk and zari,'' opined city engineer Jain Shah. According to him the workforce of these sectors has proved that if the right infrastructure, environment and basic services are provided properly they flourish. "This has resulted in zero unemployment despite very heavy migration and population growth in last 20 years.''
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