An ambitious government plan to upgrade India's cities risks further marginalising poor and minority communities and hastening slum evictions, while failing to address the reasons villagers move to urban areas, campaigners said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Smart Cities Mission aims to modernise 100 cities by 2020 with high-speed internet, uninterrupted power and water supply, efficient public transport and living standards comparable to Europe. The drive for Smart Cities has already triggered evictions of people from slums and informal settlements in cities including Indore, Bhubaneswar, Delhi and Kochi without adequate compensation or alternate accommodation. The Smart Cities plan promotes urbanisation without addressing the reasons people move to cities, such as a lack of jobs in rural areas, Chaudhry said. "There is no place for the poor in these shiny cities envisioned by the government."

Source: The Star June 12, 2017 12:11 UTC