72 towns in Goa State by 2021 -ToI

72 towns by 2021: S T Puttaraju TNN | Jun 1, 2013, 06.06 AM IST PANAJI: 'The country will have 36,000 cities and urban areas by 2030 while the state will have 72 by 2021," S T Puttaraju, chief town planner, town and country planning department said. He was speaking at the 2nd conference on 'Sustainable development for a Green Goa' organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Indian Green Building Council (IGBC) at the Kala Academy, Panaji, on Friday. "The government has been undertaking policies for the protection of eco-sensitive areas such as slopes, paddy fields, water bodies and mangrove forests," he stated. "The urbanization in Goa is concentrated in four to five talukas in the western region thus creating a strain on the resources in those areas," Puttaraju added. The objectives of the conference were to mainstream green business movement, to facilitate Goa to emerge as a major player in promoting green practices and to promote the use of green practices/ concepts in various sectors. The conference comprised sessions on subjects such as environment planning and management, Goan green heritage, green education and jobs, conducted by various speakers including Rajendra Singh, a noted water conservationist from North India. S Srinivas, principal counsellor at the CII Godrej GBC said, 'The two major aspects are the severe strain on natural capital and the dwindling carrying capacity." "Goa is biologically diverse and we are blessed with the Western Ghats. We have ample resources, the only need is monitoring and managing," said Nitin Sawant, member secretary of Goa state biodiversity board. Mala Singh of PEC Solutions Green Designs Pvt. Ltd said, "Green education is the study of the relationships and interactions between natural and human systems. Global surveys find that young people are seeking out specialized green education programs." http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/72-towns-by-2021-S-T-Puttaraju/articleshow/20376523.cms