Religion Journal: Noida Prioritizes Worship

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May 10, 2012, 9:00 AM IST
By Joanna Sugden

A place to worship is more important for a city than a school or a hospital, according to Rajpal Kaushik, the chief of planning in Noida, an industrial hub on the outskirts of Delhi.

Mr. Kaushik has introduced planning regulations stipulating that every residential development in Noida must have a religious building, which should occupy at least 1,000 square meters. He believes that a space to worship is one of four essential requirements for human habitation.

“(The) basic need of human beings (is a place) to live, to work, to worship and to have pleasure, these are the few basic needs,” said Mr. Kaushik, who has worked as chief planner and architect in Noida for four years. “Education, medication and entertainment, these are secondary requirements.”

Mr. Kaushik added that town planners tend to forget the need people have to worship until a development is finished and fully functional. But the Noida planning authority has earmarked spaces for religious buildings “to cater to this need.”

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2012/05/10/religion-journal-noida-prioritizes-places-of-worship/?mod=google_news_blog