Mysore/Mysuru: With Mysuru having been selected as one of the five cities in the country for the pilot Project under SCIAP (Sustainabale Cities: Integrated Approach Pilot), MUDA Chairman H.V. Rajeev has called for a systematic and planned development of Mysuru city so as to make the project a big success.

He was speaking after inaugurating  a  public awareness and interaction on SCIAP, organised by NAREDCO, Mysuru in association with MUDA, at Hotel Southern Star this morning.

Pointing out that the roads, drinking water and underground drinking water systems and networks carried out by the erstwhile Mysore Maharajas hold good even today, Rajeev said that it is important to further extend and  develop the roads and drainage networks beyond the Outer Ring Road too as the city is growing by the day and needed an improved infrastructure and amenities.

Stressing on the need for mandatorily having a buffer zone around all Lakes in and around the city for formulating integrated sustainability strategies, Rajeev said that the city is about to get a bulk drinking water network, which would cater to the needs of future water needs of Mysuru, considered as the fastest growing city in the State after Bengaluru.

Noting that the ongoing Mysuru-Bengaluru Highway expansion project (conversion into 10-lane Highway) is likely to be completed in a year, the MUDA Chairman emphasised on the need for creating a favourable environment for investments in transformative projects.

Suggesting for straightening the curves on Mysuru-Bengaluru Double Railway track so as to cut short the travel time between the two cities, Rajeev underlined the importance of expanding the Mysuru Airport as it is vital for infrastructure development and service delivery.

MUDA Commissioner Dr. D.B. Natesh, UN Habitat City Planning Specialists Mansi Sachdev and Rinky Haldar, NAREDCO office-bearers M. Satish Kumar, N. Divyesh, D.G. Adisheshan Gowda and  T.K. Jagadish, CREDAI office-bearers, MCC officials  and representatives  from all stakeholder Departments and agencies were present.

The SCIAP project, a programme of the UN Habitat, is being executed with an objective of integrating sustainability strategies into Urban Planning and Management and is funded by GEF-6 through UNIDO. The project is being piloted in Bhopal,   Guntur, Jaipur, Mysuru and Vijayawada.

The event featured  lecture sessions on topics such as Sustainable Urban Planning and Management, Investment Projects and Technology Demonstration, Partnerships and Knowledge Management Platform and Monitoring and Evaluation.