Pune, Aug 13: Pune, which ranked first in the government's Ease of Living Index today, is preferred by people because of its pollution-free environment, better job opportunities and safety, but it still has a long way to go to become a city of international standard, according to experts. The 'Ease of Living Index', which surveyed 111 cities, was first-ever exercise undertaken by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to rank the country's major cities on the basis of four parameters of Ease of Living -- governance, social, economic and physical infrastructure. The ministry said evaluation of cities has been done on a 100-point scale across 78 indicators -- institutional and social pillars carried 25 points each, 5 points were given for economic pillar and 45 points for the physical pillar. Prominent voices in the fields of business, education, governance, law and enforcement and civil society expressed happiness over Pune being adjudged the most liveable city in India, but they said there is always a scope for improvement in its infrastructure and other areas.

Anant Sardeshmukh, Director General and member of the Board of Mahratta Chamber of Commerce Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), said Pune has been long considered a favoured destination for global industries. "We have seen international players coming here and setting up their offices. Information technology and manufacturing industries have created many (job) opportunities over the years," he told PTI.

"Due to such opportunities, people are coming here from all over the country for jobs. Because of its robust ecosystem and overall standard of living, people prefer to stay here for a longer duration or even settle down," he said. Sardeshmukh said it's good that Pune has topped the list, but looking at the migration into the city, development of its infrastructure needs to be tacked first.

"No doubt, projects like Smart City has started here but it is in the early stage so infrastructure development issues such as traffic, mass transit, road development need to be be tackled first," he added. Vasudev Gade, former Vice-Chancellor of the Savitribai Pune Phule University, said there is no doubt Pune has emerged as an education hub and students from across the country prefer it over other cities.

"As far as comparing Pune with other cities in Maharashtra is concerned, we are the best. However, when it comes to comparison at the national and international level, we have a long way to go. "If you compare the standard of schools, colleges and research in Pune with schools, colleges in Delhi, we are nowhere. Students still prefer Pune because of its pollution-free environment, safety, standard of living and overall business ecosystem and job opportunities," Gade said. Police Commissioner K Venkatesham said compared to other cities, people feel more safe here and this is one of the main reasons for Pune topping the Ease of Living Index.

"This feeling of safety among citizens reflects the fair play of the police, easy accessibility for common people and safe environment in the city," he said.

Rajendra Jagtap, CEO of the Pune Smart City Development Corporation Ltd, said so far as Smart City project is concerned, Pune is doing better than other cities.

"With this raking, we have successfully managed to set a benchmark at the national level and now our aim would be to move to the global standard," he said. Anagha Paranjape Purohit, architect and environmental planner, said there are multiple aspects which make the city a favoured place for people to come and live.

"As far as citizen awareness is concerned, the city has no comparison. Take the example of waste segregation, you will not find the same in other cities and on such parameters, it is the most liveable city in the country.

"In terms of institutional arrangements too, the civic body leads from the front. Overall governance is better in the Pune Municipal Corporation than other cities," she added.

She said as far as mechanism to address the grievances of citizens is concerned, the civic body has a dedicated social media platform.

Through the platform, citizens can draw the attention of civic body officials in no time and get their issues resolved, Purohit said.

"Today, people are preferring Pune over other cities. Students, working professionals are choosing Pune and reason behind this is its better living condition in terms of weather, safety, education and job opportunities," she said. However, as far as infrastructure development is concerned, a lot needs to be done, Purohit said.

Releasing the index in New Delhi, Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said this assessment is first-of-its-kind globally in terms of scale and coverage and the ranking marks a shift to a data-driven approach to urban planning and management and promotes healthy competition among cities.

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