The Bengal Chamber organised a seminar on Urban Infrastructure on 29th September at The Park, Kolkata. The need for up-gradation and development of urban infrastructure and for sustainable cities cannot be overstated. The present levels of urban infrastructure are grossly inadequate to meet the demand of the existing urban population. There should be adequate flow of investment to support the growth of this sector. However over-dependency on the Government in terms of investment is not advisable and neither is a viable model, and yet there should be adequate return for the private sector investment. From where the investment would come and how the return can be ensured becomes the utmost important question. There is also the requirement of proper sewerage system and adequate power supply. There is a great need of a solid waste management policy. Extra high voltage ring around the city is required in addition to the existing power generation units and that has to be wide spread so that there remains less possibility of passing heavy voltage from a very short path. Sustainability is complex and requires a shift from reactive to proactive approaches. It demands adoption of an integrated approach to management of key services like water, waste and transportation. It urges participation at all levels of the community in decision-making. The key focus also has to be given towards modernization of airport infrastructure and the overall transportation system.

The sessions focused on ways and means of meeting this huge demand of the urban population considering innovative solutions and high level strategic planning for Smart-Sustainable cities in India.

Prof. Saugata Roy, Member of Parliament graced the occasion, as the Chief Guest. Mr. Ashwani Kumar Agarwal, General Manager, India Infrastructure Finance Co. Ltd. graced the occasion as the Guest of Honour. The other speakers included Mr. Dhruv Bhalla, Vice President, Head - International Business and Corporate Strategy & Planning, Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited; Mr. Gautam Balakrishnan, Vice President (Smart Cities Business), Tata Projects.; Mr. Sudip Datta, COO, IL&FS Infrastructure Ltd.; Mr. Debasis Gupta, General Manager, Special Projects, CESC Ltd.; Ms. Vijayalakshmi Lakshmanan, Head - Project Finance, L&T Construction; and Mr. Dheeraj Dogra, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Shristi Infrastructure Development Corp Ltd.

The Summit also witnessed the participation of large audience across sectors and was widely covered in different media formats.