The Government of India has announced the development of industrial corridor projects so as to contain the urbanisation challenge and majorly give a strong boost to the country's manufacturing and industrial potential.

Greenfield Dholera industrial city is targeting industries such as defence and aero, heavy engineering, auto and auto ancillaries, general manufacturing, pharma and biotechnology, electronics industries, IT and ITES, and agro and food processing. These industries are expected to create around one million job opportunities.

Urbanisation is an inexorable process as far as India is concerned. The future of IndiaÆs growth lies in its cities and a large chunk of our gross domestic project (GDP) will come from urban centres. It goes without saying that our existing cities were never planned to deal with the exponential levels of population growth currently witnessed. What can be worse than witnessing civic resources being stretched beyond limits.

The $1billion US-based engineering and construction management company, Louis Berger, has been active in India for over 20 years. The New Jersey-based corporation is engaged in a slewof projects, including bridges, tunnels, roads, highways, railways, and transit, aviation and smart cities.

India is on the verge of water crisis today. The crisis is twofold: major losses in potable water supply and inadequate sewage treatment facilities across the country.

India's fragile and finite water resources are depleting, while the multi-sectoral needs of water from sustained economic growth (over 8 per cent) will further increase demand for water with supporting dynamics like increased energy and consumption.

The market should develop significantly. India's demand for water is growing, while the amount of available water is falling. So, recycling and reusing water is an intelligent way to help meet the supply-demand balance.

On the global front, Covestro has made breakthroughs with initiatives such as Solar Impulse and CO2 plant. According to Ajay Durrani, MD, Covestro India, Covestro has identified focus areas in India pertaining to issues that are highly relevant in the local context.

In the recently concluded Smart Cities workshop-City Infra Outlook and Development plan-by the Smart Cities Council India, decision makers and solution providers closely examined what Solapur should do in order to enable a vibrant city operating platform.