Mumbai, March 23: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said ?magnet cities? near larger metropolises in the state were necessary to tackle the huge challenge of rapid urbanisation in the state.
?Replying to a debate on challenges faced by the state due to rapid urbanisation, Chavan stressed the need to develop magnet cities to de-congest large metropolises like Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur and others.
He said as per 2001 census 42 per cent of the state was urbanised and as per the latest census, it is likely to cross 52 to 53 per cent.
“30 per cent of the population live in the jurisdiction of 23 municipal corporations in the state. Similarly, 24 municipal councils and 389 gram panchayats are also moving towards urbanisation,” Chavan said.
He said migration into metros was not just from outside the state but also from rural areas of Maharashtra.
-Agencies