Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, March 3: Rupak Gouda is a lot more than your average 13-year-old. Refusing to let his surroundings bog him down, this resident of Science Park basti has emerged as a relentless activist by taking on the responsibility of cleaning the sprawling slum he lives in.
Buoyed by the response he got from other children of his age, Gouda formed a group whose primary task is to ensure hygiene in their slum. The group, actively spearheaded by Gouda, promptly calls up either the BMC or the concerned corporator in case civic workers fail to perform their duties efficiently.
Gouda was Tuesday invited to take part in a national workshop on ‘Inclusion of Children in Urban Town Planning’, a seminar that witnessed convergence of around 30 government officials and activists across the country. Gouda enthusiastically shared his experience and problems that he faces as a resident of a slum in the city.
The national-level workshop was organised by Praxis, a Delhi-based NGO which works towards including different stakeholders of urban planning under one umbrella for promulgating people-friendly development policies.
VK Kulshrestha, joint director of town planning department of Madhya Pradesh, said roping in different stakeholders was of prime importance while planning projects. “While planning for a project, inclusion of different stakeholders is of paramount importance, but many authorities ignore this basic fact. Last year, I tried to include women in urban planning and the results were tremendous. We received several valuable inputs which we don’t usually get while inside the office. Similarly, children are very important stakeholders in urban planning and their opinions and suggestions must be included to make new urban areas more children-friendly,” Kulshrestha said.
Vijay Kulkarni, professor at Bharti Vidyapeeth from Pune, said, “Children can contribute prominently to urban planning. Many authorities vehemently ignore their voices which should never be done. Moreover, legislations on inclusion of children in town planning need to be implemented so that it could be practiced uniformly across the country. Development of a smart city or a town is incomplete if it they are not children-friendly.”
“The main objective behind our initiative is to bring different policy-makers under one roof and do brainstorming on policies that are people-friendly. Mostly, policies are made keeping in mind adult members of the society. Voices of women, children, and the disabled are not often taken into account during town planning. How can authorities plan without taking into account the expectations and needs of all stakeholders?” said Tom Thomas, CEO of Praxis.