Prince of Wales wants to build a shanty town inspired by the one shown in Slumdog Millionaire to help slum dwellers in the country
Prince of Wales wants to build a shanty town inspired by the one shown in Slumdog Millionaire to help slum dwellers in the countryBritain's Prince Charles is building an eco-friendly model village for around 15,000 poor people in India, after watching the slums depicted in Oscar-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire.
The multi-million-pound venture on a 25-acre wasteland on the outskirts of either Kolkata or Bangalore will include schools, shops and 3,000 homes, the British media reported.
The Prince of Wales' village is modelled on Poundbury in Dorset county that has been Charles' 30-year-old pet
project.
Construction for the Indian village the first of a series of eco-developments in India by the Prince's Foundation for the BuiltÂEnvironment charity is set to begin in autumn.
Eco-friendlyThe new town, for mainly economically backward people, will have features that Charles has championed for decades.
Large roofs overhung with palm trees will collect rainwater, which will be used for showering, washing and in toilets before being recycled to water plants.
u00a0
Shade and natural ventilation will combat temperatures that regularly top 38 degrees Celsius.
Instead of open sewage, rubbish heaps and shared sanitation blocks common in Indian slums, the residents will have individual toilets and waste facilities.
Speaking about the project, his spokesperson said, "It really is about making these communities great places to live even though the natural conditions may at first appear to make it difficult.
u00a0
India is fairly dry and dusty, and methods like rainwater collection would enable whole communities to be green oases all year round.
The proposed development follows the Prince's vision, and it's fair to compare it to Poundbury or Knockroon (a second model village planned for Scotland)."
Jai ho!The project comes after Charles praised Mumbai's Dharavi slum, featured in Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire, despite it housing up to a million people in a place less than half the size of the Prince's Highgrove Estate in Gloucestershire.
"When you enter what looks from the outside like an immense mound of plastic and rubbish, you immediately come upon an intricate network of streets with miniature shops, houses and workshops, each one made out of any material that comes to hand," he said.
Unlike the "fragmented, deconstructed housing estates" built in the West, the slum has "order and harmony", Charles claimed, adding, "We have a great deal to learn about how complex systems can self-organise to create a harmonious whole".
Charles has been to India many times, most recently with his wife Camilla during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
His charity will also open its first overseas office in Mumbai this year.
What is Poundbury?Poundbury is an experimental new town or urban extension on the outskirts of Dorchester in England. Construction for the town began in October 1993 and was designed by John Simpson.
