“Planning of New Industrial Parks / Investment Zones” is one of the core topics of the Indo German Environment Partnership (IGEP). GIZ-IGEP in partnership with Auroville Consulting organized 2- day training programme on the topic “Environmental Friendly Siting and Site Master Planning of New Industrial Parks” during 10-12 June 2014 at Unity Pavilion, Auroville. This training programme was conducted for government officials from pollution control boards as well as industrial development corporations from different states of India. The training programme was attended by 6 participants from different organizations. Programme schedule is attached.

Mr Thomas Kraubitz, Senior Consultant, Buro Happold Cities, was the principal resource person for this training programme along with co-facilitators from Auroville Consulting as well as from GIZ. Mr Kraubitz is a strategic planner, urbanist and architect with strong experience in regional and city planning, international development, urban and building design. He has worked in different climatic zones in Consulting, Project Management, Urban Planning, Urban Design and Architecture for Stefan Behnisch, Ken Yeang and Rem Koolhaas amongst others. As an urban expert and former Fulbright Scholar he lectures at various national and international universities. He has been actively involved initiating the German Sustainable Building Council (DGNB) and is leading the economics section for the Industrial Districts Scheme. Mr Kraubitz studied architecture at the University of Coburg and Urban Planning at Tongji University Shanghai, the MIT and Harvard and holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Design with Distinction from Harvard University. He is a LEED GA (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design -Green Associate) and DGNB Auditor.

The co-facilitators of the training programme were: Ms. Suhasini Aiyer Guigan (Principal Consultant, Auroville Design Consulting), Mr. Tency Beaten (Co-founder, Auroville Centre for Scientific Research), Mr. Toine van Megen (Co-founder, Auroville Consulting), Mr. Paul Blanchflower (Director, Auroville Botanical Services) and Ms. Anshika Gupta (Junior Technical Expert, GIZ-IGEP).

The training programmes focused on:

• Master planning principles
• Standards, Rating systems – technical quality, environmental quality, economic quality, socio- cultural & functional quality etc.,“Greening” of industrial areas
• Technical Aspects:
  • Transportation/circulation systems, Landscaping, renewable energy systems planningWater,
  • waste water, waste managementCommon infrastructure and services
  • Organizational and management models
• Retrofitting aspects of existing industrial areas
• Case Examples – national, international

The methodology of the programme was a mix of interactive presentations, field visits at innovative applications of concepts within Auroville as well as hands-on exercises to impart basics to the participants. Also, short documentaries were showcased to the participations for demonstrating the topics- Sustainable Industrial Development in India, Innovative and Successful Business Models for Waste Recycling and Vermi-composting at ALEAP Green Industrial Park, Nandigama (carried out at ALEAP with technical support from GIZ).

GIZ India and Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance as part of its programme “Action Learning and Exposure Programme” (ALEP) organised an exposure visit at Nashik for mid-level government officials and professionals working in partner institutions to widen expertise and knowhow in effective management of international cooperation.

The meeting between ALEP participants, the Mayor, the Commissioner and the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) officials was organized on January 30 – 31, 2014 at Nashik. A presentation on the work done by GIZ with NMC, the ongoing projects on ground and the experiences of NMC was done my NMC officials. Question & answer sessions followed the presentations. The overall project management from both sides i.e. NMC & GIZ was explained in detail by NMC professionals. In the meeting NMC officials also shared their learning experiences of working with GIZ on various projects.

The team then visited Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) Treatment Plant at Pathardi, Nashik. The MSWM plant at Nashik is a successful example of Indo-German Development Cooperation work between NMC and GIZ. The Executive Engineer, SWM and the Plant Head accompanied the participants during the site visit and explained the functioning of the plant. The Health Officer also took the group to one of the electoral ward to show the collection and transportation system for MSWM.

The participants therein met the authorities of Maharashtra Environmental Engineering Training & Research Academy (MEETRA).  The role of MEETRA as a capacity strengthening institute was discussed with the participants. The training & workshops conducted by GIZ with the cooperation of MEETRA was the highlight of the discussion.

The exposure visit was a knowledge sharing experience for the participants.

The Green Wicket Campaign, a joint initiative of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) and GIZ, to create awareness on making life styles, cities and future eco-friendly, was inaugurated on November 2, 2013 during the final One Day International Cricket match between India and Australia by the Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka, Mr Kaushik Mukherjee in the presence of Mr Joern Rohde, Consul General, Government of Germany, Dr Dieter Mutz, Director, GIZ-IGEP, and Mr Anil Kumble, President of KSCA and Mr Javagal Srinath, Secretary of KSCA.

The KSCA signed an Agreement of Co-operation with GIZ on January 17, 2013, to implement ‘resource-efficient’ measures within the Chinnaswamy stadium, and create awareness on these measures among the cricket fans and general public through the Campaign.  Setting a good example, the KSCA has almost completed the ‘Rain Water Harvesting and Recharge’ project at Chinnaswamy stadium to conserve 36 million litres per annum of rainwater. The installation of a 400 KW solar PV roof top panel to generate electricity is in the horizon with the feasibility study just been completed. The Campaign aim is to go beyond awareness-creation by encouraging the citizens to emulate KSCA and implement environment and resource-friendly measures in their homes!

In a span of a year, the Green Wicket Campaign will reach out to the education institutions of Bengaluru through cricketers Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Rahul Dravid and Robin Uthappa as “resource ambassadors”. The four will spearhead campaigns linked to energy, water, waste and hygiene. 

02 April 2015, GIZ India office, 21 Jorbagh, New Delhi

The Indo-German Environment Partnership programme organises dialogues, called the IGEP Dialogues, on a wide range of topics focussed on sustainable development and environment protection. The series of dialogues is meant to provide a space for sharing ideas and opinions, and for discussions between participants from different backgrounds – ministries, academia, NGOs, corporate, embassies, political foundations, etc., among others.

The ninth dialogue in this series was held on the topic “Clean Air in Delhi: How can we do it together?” Prof. James K. Boyce, Department of Economics & Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts (USA) and Mr. Paritosh Tyagi, Former Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board and Chairman, IDC Foundation, New Delhi were the key speakers of the dialogue.

Dr. Boyce opened his talk by explaining the concept of carbon rent, as it applies to global climate change negotiations. He drew upon the same analogy to address equity concerns about access to clean air. He cited examples from different sectors to illustrate how a cap and dividend policy might prove to be effective in addressing the twin challenges of pollution and equity. It brings down pollution levels by putting a cap on either direct emissions or drivers of emissions, and the money collected from auctioning or selling the certificates is distributed equally to all residents in the area, thus making the solution equitable. Dr. Boyce concluded by suggesting such a cap and dividend policy for private vehicles in Delhi on the lines of the Singapore vehicle licence policy, may enable effective addressing of air pollution issues in the city. According to some preliminary estimates, the money would amount to an annual dividend payment of Rs. 5,000 per person. He stressed that raising public awareness was critical, and that the media could play a vital role in this.

Mr. Tyagi spoke about environmental regulations and issues about standard setting and monitoring in air pollution management in India. Unlike water pollution where there is an easy and relatively affordable technological fix in the form of water purifiers, air pollution is more diffused and needs to be addressed at several levels. Although standard setting and guidelines by the Central Pollution Control Board have evolved with rising economic activity, monitoring and enforcement have not kept pace. He acknowledged the cap and dividend idea; however, he also raised caution regarding administrative feasibility in implementing such a scheme. He opined that strong political will could lead the way in putting in place stringent measures to combat air pollution. Mr. Tyagi concluded by suggesting some solutions based on his experience – a scheme to harness solar energy by putting panels on car roofs and an innovative house-swapping initiative where home owners can trade houses among themselves based on the proximity to their work places.

A lively interaction with the audience followed, after both the speakers had finished their deliberations. Some of the important issues that were raised and discussed were trans-boundary movement of pollutants, especially pollution from biomass burning in neighbouring states, role of vested interest groups, such as the auto industry, lack of monitoring infrastructure, increasing public awareness regarding pollution through more effective data dissemination strategies, and people’s ambitions of income and social status and how that conflicts with certain pollution management strategies such as putting a cap on vehicular licences.

The event was attended by representatives of leading global NGOs, UN and other multilateral organisations, private entrepreneurs, journalists, and students of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University and IIT Delhi.

The fifth dialogue on the topic “Can gender be mainstreamed in the environment sector?” was held on August 12, 2013. Dr Govind Kelkar, Director of the Landesa; and Ms Priti Darooka, Executive Director of Program for Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights were the main speakers.

Dr Kelkar focussed on three important questions related to Energy and Gender: To what extent the introduction of energy-intensive low cost production can be a starting point for meeting rural poor women’s well-being concerns and providing productive assets through such energy projects; does the inclusion of women in decision-making on energy projects and in the community, make a difference to the way that matters of women’s drudgery and social neglect are addressed; and can women’s decision making roles in energy projects implicitly or the otherwise question and change the social subordination of women?

Ms Darooka laid emphasis on how women’s work, whether care or domestic or un-paid work does not get due attention in policy making and developmental project planning. She strongly contended that such work should be brought under the purview of accounting.

Various relevant government schemes were also brought under the scope of the dialogue, especially those in rural areas where women depend on natural resources and environmental services for their own and their families’ survival and well-being. 

19-20 September 2016, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH – Inclusive Cities Partnership Programme (ICPP) has partnered with Housing and Urban Development Department (H&UDD), Government of Tamil Nadu (GoTN), in planning and implementation of select components of Housing for All mission in the cities of Coimbatore and Chennai. In this regard, a two-day ‘Multi-Stakeholder Consultation Workshop’ was organised by GIZ-ICPP in partnership with H&UDD, GoTN, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board (TNSCB) and Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation (CCMC) in Coimbatore on 19-20 September, 2016.

The main objective was to build a consensus on the approach and activities needed for implementing integrated Housing for All Plan of Action, In-situ Housing Upgradation, and Rental Housing. In addition, synergies at the city level planning and opportunities for leverage with other ongoing projects pertaining to provisioning of the basic services were also explored and identified during the workshop. Partners from Odisha were also invited to share their experience related to housing for the poor and for cross-learning purposes.

The workshop was organised to consult with Secretary (H&UDD,  GoTN), Managing Director (TNSCB), Mission Director (Odisha Urban Housing Mission (OUHM)), Deputy Secretary (OUHM), Municipal Commissioner (CCMC), technical officers from TNSCB and CCMC, and Berhampur Municipal Corporation and Puri Municipality in Odisha, and resource persons from Indo-German Centre for Sustainability Chennai, Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar, Nirma University Ahmedabad and Integrated Design Bengaluru.

Day One Proceedings

The first day of the workshop consisted of technical presentations and group works. Mr. Dharmendra Pratap Yadav, Secretary H&UDD, GoTN, gave an overview of the initiatives taken by the State Government in the affordable housing sector. Mr. Frank Samol, Project Director, ICPP, set the context for the workshop. The event also marked the signing of a Note of Cooperation between H&UDD, GoTN and GIZ-ICPP for continued partnership.

Mr. Sachin R. Jadhav, Mission Director, OUHM, presented the current status of housing policies and programmes in Odisha. ICPP team presented on the scope of ICPP, Housing for All Plan of Action Plus (HfAPoA+), Beneficiary-Led-Construction (BLC) and Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS), Rental Housing and Automated Single Window Approval System (ASWAS). TNSCB provided an overview of the status of various housing missions in Chennai, Coimbatore and other cities of the State. This was followed by group works on the possible interventions areas in Tamil Nadu (HfAPoA+, rental housing, and in-situ housing upgradation).

Day Two Proceedings

On the second day, an exposure visit to the Smart City area and a few rehabilitated colonies in Coimbatore was conducted. Various measures for the rejuvenation of water bodies and resettlement of slums located on vulnerable areas were also shown.

The results of the group discussions were presented to Mr. Shambu Kallolikar, Managing Director, TNSCB, and other delegates. MD, TNSCB thanked GIZ for the support extended to the State of Tamil Nadu. He expressed that the collaboration with GIZ would strive to find harmonious solutions to the housing needs in the State. In conclusion, Mr. Frank Samol expressed his pleasure in the continued partnership with the city of Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu state.

The ICPP team was led by Mr. Frank Samol and Ms. Aparna Das, Senior Advisor, ICPP. The event was moderated by Ms. Anindita Mukherjee, Technical Expert, ICPP.

Exploring opportunities for outreach of Affordable Housing to the Urban Poor, in collaboration with Magicbricks

01 September 2016, New Delhi

GIZ- Inclusive Cities Partnership Programme (ICPP) in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation (MoHUPA) under the Indo-German Cooperation is supporting promotion of rental housing especially among the urban poor. This is in alignment with the National Urban Rental Housing Policy (NURHP) draft that acknowledges institutionalisation of informal rental housing and encourages use of technological solutions to promote rental housing.

ICPP in partnership with Magicbricks is using Information Technological (IT) solutions to improve access to rental housing prevalent among the urban poor. The web portal and mobile application would work as an interface between the owners and the tenants. Also, a database of rental housing options catering to the urban poor is created. Taking case studies in Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad, Magicbricks has captured the rental housing market trends in these areas. In this context, a one day workshop “Stimulating Access to Affordable Housing -Through a Web Portal”- Exploring Opportunities for Outreach of Affordable Housing to the Urban Poor, was organised on 01 September, 2016, at Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi. The objective was to understand the trends and barriers in promoting access to affordable rental housing for the urban poor.

The workshop was attended by the Joint Secretary (Housing), MoHUPA; Joint Secretary (HFA), MoHUPA; State Government representatives from Odisha, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu; representation from National Housing Bank (NHB), GIZ; Human Settlements Management Institute (HSMI); Centre for Policy and Research, Panchayat Heads from Urban Villages of Delhi; experts from real estate sector and Magicbricks.

The session-wise deliberations in the workshop were focused on the following themes:

• Strategies for Promoting Rental Housing through a Web Portal among Urban Poor
• Web Based Solutions for the Outreach of Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)
• Effectiveness of State Policies on Affordable Housing

In the inaugural session, Mr. Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, Joint Secretary (Housing), MoHUPA, gave an overview of the draft NURHP. Mr. Frank Samol, Project Director, GIZ-ICPP, presented the European perspective on rental housing and highlighted the challenges of rental housing in India. While setting the context for the workshop, Ms. Aparna Das, Senior Advisor, GIZ-ICPP, shared how her online auto-rickshaw booking experiences translated to the idea of developing an online portal and a mobile app for improving access to rental housing.

In the first session, Ms. Jayashree Kurup, Research & Content Head, Magicbricks, presented the outcomes of the studies conducted in five areas of Delhi NCR region and the possible strategies to promote rental listings. Ms. Mukta Naik, Urban Planner, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), highlighted that high land prices influence the quality of private rental housing provided by real estate sector, as evident from a case study on Gurgaon.

In the second session, Mr. Sriram Kalyanaraman, MD, National Housing Bank (NHB), made a presentation on the monitoring tool developed to track the process of housing loan sanctions and interest subsidy payouts to banks under the CLSS component of PMAY.

In the third session, Mr. Amrit Abhijat, Joint Secretary (HFA), MoHUPA, gave an overview of the status of PMAY scheme and the steps taken for the outreach of CLSS component. Mr. R.K. Agarwal, MD, Rajasthan Avas Vikas Infrastructure Limited (RAVIL), presented the housing policy initiatives of Rajasthan. The representatives from Government of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Maharashtra also shared the initiatives taken through their State housing policies and programmes.

On October 17, 2016, a moderated discussion with the participants of Habitat III was held at the German Pavilion in Quito as part of the overall event. The panelists for the discussion were Dr. Jachnow, Mr. Matthias Nohn, and Dr. Akshay Sen. Ms. Aparna Das and Mr. Georg Jahnsen from GIZ did moderation. At the outset, Ms. Das set the context by representing an overview of India’s urbanization. She highlighted the scale and the …