KTR calls for long-term solutions to urban problems

BRS working president KT Rama Rao called for holistic and long-term solutions to urban problems while cautioning leaders against knee-jerk responses. Speaking at a cross-party dialogue in New Delhi, he highlighted infrastructure, public transport and capital access challenges.

Hyderabad: BRS working president and former Minister KT Rama Rao called for holistic and long-term solutions to urban problems. He cautioned leaders against knee-jerk responses to citizens’ grievances.

Rama Rao was speaking at ‘Sheheron Pe Charcha’, a cross-party dialogue on making Indian cities work for people, organised by Janaagraha at India Habitat Centre in New Delhi on Tuesday. He participated in a panel discussion along with Parliamentarians Mahua Maji and S Niranjan Reddy and Janaagraha CEO Srikanth Viswanathan.

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“Leaders should look for holistic and long-term solutions when citizens approach them with any grievance or issue. Knee-jerk reactions or responses won’t suffice,” he said.

The former Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister listed initiatives taken by the previous K Chandrashekhar Rao government to reduce the burden on Hyderabad by developing infrastructure and opportunities in other parts of Telangana. The government established super-specialty hospitals and medical colleges at district headquarters and set up IT Towers in several Tier-II cities, he said.

On urban mobility and public transport, Rama Rao said improving high-speed rail networks could help reduce the pressure on large cities. He exuded confidence that such networks would begin expanding over the next decade. He also pointed to access to capital as a major challenge for city governments and called for innovative and inclusive solutions to address problems confronting Indian cities.

He later visited the Bharat AI Experiential Center at the venue and interacted with representatives of organisations working on artificial intelligence solutions for public good.