India 2050 sustainable transport & cities
Student name: Mr Bhanu Sharma
Guide: Dr Kaushik Ranjan Bandyopadhyay
Year of completion: 2011
Host Organisation: Research Information Systems for Developing Countries
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Ram Gopal Agarwala
Abstract: With 1.6 billion people and income levels of developed countries today India will consume more
energy and natural resources than all the developed countries today continuing the current
pattern of consumption of resources. These resources will not be available in the future.
Moreover, the western lifestyle is not healthy. India has to reduce resource intensity by not
replicating the developed countries‘ practices on, for example, dependence of private cars, extent
of meat consumption, wastefulness in use of energy and resources. In these areas, India should,
at the very least, aim at where the developed countries are trying to go, not where they are today.
Hopefully, drawing upon its traditions, India would provide leadership to newer more sustainable
lifestyles.
The study will explore how India can chart new development path with regard to
(a) carbon/energy intensity of the economy (b) sustainable agriculture (c) sustainable transport,
and (d) sustainable urban pattern
On the other hand, the developed country practices on employment, education, research, health,
sanitation and other service industries are both replicable and desirable in general though some
modifications particularly in terms of fiscal dimensions of these programs may be necessary.
• In 2005, HYC‘s had 660 vehicles per 1000 persons. At this rate, India in 2050 will have
1056 million vehicles for which India will have neither the space nor the fuel. The issue
is tat whether India limit vehicle ownership to the current Singaporean level of about 140
vehicles per 1000 persons through a concerted policy of taxation of ownership and use of
private automobile, regulations, social marketing and development of public transport
system including buses, metros, and railways. By 2050, more than 80% of India‘s
population will be in urban areas. There are risks associated with replicating the model
of thickly populated and widely dispersed urban centers.
• Can India, with the benefit of relatively clean slate and advantages of IT revolution,
develop a large number of small towns with reduced demand for transport of passengers
as well as goods?
