States should check migration to ease pressure on Delhi: Sheila Dikshit

New Delhi, August 18: Identifying migration as a major challenge facing Delhi, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today asked major states to develop infrastructure in their cities so people don't come to the national capital in search of job.

Speaking at an interaction with top industry leaders, organised by CII, Ms Dikshit also appealed to the Centre to build more new cities across the country to ease pressure on Delhi.

"The state governments must develop bigger cities, comfortable cities. All the states will have to think why their people are migrating from their states. If the states provide them opportunities and livelihood, build better cities, then I do not think the migration will continue," she said.

Noting that city government has been continuously enhancing Delhi's infrastructure to cater to the rising population, the Chief Minister said concrete steps must be initiated to cut increasing flow of people to the national capital.

"More than half a million people come to Delhi every year primarily in search of job. The increasing number of people is putting pressure on our infrastructure... The infrastructure in Delhi is not bad. But it needs to be upgraded constantly to meet the demand," she said.

The Chief Minister had floated the idea of declaring National Capital Region (NCR) comprising Delhi and satellite towns as a common economic and taxation zone which she felt would have cut down the increasing flow of migrants into the city.

Ms Dikshit has been asking Union Urban Development Ministry to take appropriate steps to develop "counter-magnet centres" in neighbouring states to ease the pressure on Delhi.

In the interaction attended by over 75 industry leaders, the Chief Minister also emphasised the need for governance reform and improving work culture by the private sector.

"We need to have major reforms in governance. I think we need a cultural change both at the government and in private sector in improving our systems," she said.

Ms Dikshit also highlighted achievements of her government and appealed to the industry captains to exploit the favourable environment in the city for further growth of the services sector.

She said her government has significantly improved transport infrastructure though much needs to be done to further upgrade it.

Speaking about justice delivery system, Ms Dikshit said rate of disposal of cases is highest in Delhi compared to other states.