Introduction
“Our cities and towns are not an acceptable face of a rapidly modernizing and developing economy. This must clearly change and change for the better.”
– Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
For the next five years, India is poised to witness the biggest infrastructure build-up anywhere in the world. The government plans to spend an estimated $567.2 billion over the next 5 years on infrastructure developments. A sizeable chunk of this is being channelized into developing India’s road and highway networks, renewing and revitalizing its cities, towns and interlinking them to push economic growth.
The crucial link here is transport infrastructure which has been attracting multi-billion dollar investments from international finance agencies, banks and investors. The pressing need for this is arising from the fact that by the year 2030 almost half of India’s population is expected to live in urban areas as against the current 30 per cent, stretching its urban fabric beyond capacity and over burdening its roads and public transport systems.
Recognizing the focal and pertinent role transportation plays in the economic and cultural growth of a city:
- The central government has earmarked over Rs. 217 billion for urban transportation projects.
- An additional Rs. 195 billion is expected to be mobilized by the state and urban local bodies.
Why Urban Transport Congress India?
With bigger projects come bigger hurdles. Implementation has been and will continue to be a grey area as cost escalation, land and public utility acquisition and litigation continue to mar some of the most ambitious projects; both ongoing and completed. Given the size of the projects being undertaken and the change in thinking both at the policy level as well as the end user level about what constitutes efficient mass transit; and sustainable transport acquiring a newly found elevated status, there are several issues that need to be discussed, debated and addressed.
Urban Transport Congress India is designed to get the industry and the policy makers on one platform to hammer out the way forward for India’s tier I and tier II cities if they are to compete with their global counterparts. The agenda, developed through active and extensive research aims to generate not just insightful comments and debates but bring to the floor in-depth case studies that offer alternatives and solutions to pressing urban needs that need urgent action.
The conference will help you in:
- Identifying the latent potential and understanding the future of India’s cities
- Re-examining funding models for large scale urban infrastructure projects
- Building buffers into your implementation strategy in a dynamic growth environment
- Understanding the scope and reach of public participation
- Comprehending the impact of the global shift in urban transport policy and priorities
- Partnering with global and local thought and business leaders for staying ahead in the rising growth curve
Participant Profile
The conference would have CEOs, MDs, Directors, Senior Investment Officers, Project officers and Technical directors attending from the likes of large developers, construction and engineering companies, investment firms, banks, government agencies and departments, solution providers, research centers and consultants.
Speakers
- Krishna Kumar, Managing Partner, IL&FS Investment Managers
- A. K. Sharma, Vice President – Transportation, Tata Realty & Infrastructure Limited
- O. P. Agarwal, Senior Urban Transport Specialist, World Bank Group
- Brijgopal Ladda, Head – Urban Practice, CRISIL Infrastructure Advisory
- Dinesh Mohan, Chair Professor & Coordinator – TRIPP, IIT Delhi
- Philipp Rode, Executive Director, LSE Cities & Urban Age
- Punit Saxena, CEO & Director, UTI Infrastructure & Services Ltd.
- Rahul Srivastava, Founder Director, URBZ
- Matias Echanove, Founding Partner, URBZ
- Christopher Kost, Technical Director, Institute for Transportation Development & Policy
- Prasad Gadkari, Principal, IDFC Private Equity
- Prajna Rao, Urban Planner, EMBARQ Centre for Sustainable Transport
- Madhav Pai, Technical Director, EMBARQ Centre for Sustainable Transport
- S. Venkataraman, Independent Consultant, former Senior Director, CRISIL
- Piyush Kansal, GM Urban Transport, RITES
Conference Agenda
Click here for Conference Agenda of Day 1, 24th June 2010
Click here for Conference Agenda of Day 2, 25th June 2010
