Rural Urban integration through District Planning

Rural Urban integration through District Planning Town & Country Planning Organisation Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India TCPO, New Delhi

Background • The District Planning in the form of decentralised planning for a balanced, integrated and meaningful development of districts has been an accepted concept since the beginning of the planning era. • Difficulties in integration: • a wide gap between the concept and the practices • states differ widely in their levels of decentralisation of development administration TCPO, New Delhi

Background • Comprehensive guidelines for district planning by Planning Commission in 1969 • Difficulties in implementation: • institutional mechanism for district planning not fully geared. • low level of awareness. TCPO, New Delhi

Background • Planning Commission in 1982 set up a Working Group under the Chairmanship of Dr. C.H. Hanumantharao, recommended: • Spatial Planning, • rural urban integration • peoples`participation • institutional framework as integral part of district planning (Above could not be implemented as the institutional framework not changed) TCPO, New Delhi

Concept of Integration in District Planning • Necessary • To avoid multiplicity of institutions and processes and overlapping functions • to achieve functional and spatial integration at planning and implementation stage TCPO, New Delhi

Concept of Integration in District Planning • types of integration • integration in planning • coordination in implementations • more emphasis on coordination in implementations to achieve integrated development since the district planning bodies had limited planning functions. TCPO, New Delhi

Concept of Integration in District Planning • The Working Group recommended integration at plan formulation level • planning activity should be undertaken by one single agency • The concept of District Planning Committee as provided by the 74th CAA is a step forward to achieve this goal. TCPO, New Delhi

Rural–Urban Integration • Came into being along with ‘Integrated Rural Development Programme • It recommended for provision of higher order services and amenities related to agriculture and other allied activities in small and medium towns. The need to integrate the rural activities particularly with the small and medium towns had become a crucial issue in order to find suitable locations and assign the functions of focal points to these towns for provision of higher order services and amenities related to agricultural and other allied activities. TCPO, New Delhi

Rural–Urban Integration • Approach further reinforced by the report of Task Force on ‘Planning & Development of Small & Medium Towns & Cities’ set up in 1975 • It recognised ‘spatial plan at regional / district level as an important tool of rural urban integration through provisions of various levels of services and facilities.’ TCPO, New Delhi

Rural–Urban Integration It says, “The (Urban) Plans generally bear no relationship with the rural hinterland of the district…No plan can be realistic unless it takes into account the interaction between the two… It calls for total district planning integrating a settlement pattern to promote human activity, balanced development and a congenial environment.” It also recommended, “District and local physical plans should be prepared within the framework of the regional plans and a suitable statutory authority should be entrusted at the district or area level to draw up detailed plans and programmes on the basis of a settlement plan, integrating rural and urban areas.” TCPO, New Delhi

Spatial Plan • spatial plan at regional / district level has been an important tool of rural urban integration through functional integration of various levels of services and facilities. • provides for spatial strategy to provide locational plan for the development programmes and schemes but also rural-urban integration to minimize disparity in development over space. • The spatial strategy provides two broad directions, the first is on hierarchy of urban and rural settlements in the region and the second is regarding the proposed functions of the settlements, during the plan period. TCPO, New Delhi

National Commission on Urbanization, 1985 • Spatial perspective to the pattern of urban settlements at the National scale • Location of urban settlements by size and function in regional/ sub-regional context • Necessity of delineating planning regions at National and State levels • 329 GEMs and 49 SPURs

Spatial Plan • TCPO always emphasised in regional plans the need for spatial strategy for rural-urban integration in order to minimize spatial disparity in development. • Methodology • Determination of hierarchy of urban and rural settlements in the region • proposed functions of the settlements TCPO, New Delhi

74th Constitution Amendment • The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts have opened up a new vista for decentralised and democratic process of planning and development in India • District & Metropolitan Areas have been recognised as a viable unit for administration as well as a key unit in the multi-level planning system. TCPO, New Delhi

74th Constitution Amendment • The Act envisages spatial and environmental planning for integration of the municipal and Panchayat plans with district plans • Article 243-ZD(3-a) provides for spatial planning, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources & integrated development of infrastructure TCPO, New Delhi

74th Constitution Amendment • ensuring devolution of power to the people • The state legislatures empowered to enact upon the structure, composition and functions of DPC. • Four-fifth of its members shall be elected by and amongst the elected members of the district panchayat and the municipality TCPO, New Delhi

74th Constitution Amendment • Some states have enacted enabling legislations for the constitution of DPC • DPCs wherever constituted lack necessary technical expertise to draw up a Spatial Development Plan of the district integrating the various sectors of development and rural urban continuum. TCPO, New Delhi

Government of India initiatives • Constituted a Steering Committee and a Technical committee to re-examine the existing planning system and to devise a mechanism to facilitate devolution of spatial planning functions to local bodies. • submitted its report in 1996 in the form of UDPFI guidelines and revised the model Urban & Regional Planning and Development Law which also provide for setting up of DPC TCPO, New Delhi

Powers and Functions of DPC • Mandatory • Prepare a perspective plan indicating long term policies, strategies and priorities for spatio-economic development of the district. • Formulate a district development plan taking into account the development goals, objectives and priorities for five years as stipulated in the perspective plan of the district • Formulate annual plan within the framework of approved district development plan. TCPO, New Delhi

TCPO initiatives • Formulate prototype district plans demonstrating how to prepare the perspective plan and constitution of DPC • TCPO has already completed a prototype Perspective (Spatial) Plan for Chandrapur in Maharashtra. TCPO, New Delhi

Prototype Perspective Plan for Chandrapur district • Long term spatial development plan, • Development Plans and Annual Plans will flow from the perspective plan TCPO, New Delhi

Prototype Perspective Plan for Chandrapur district • To provide sectorwise broad directions of development • spatial integration of the urban and rural settlements • indicate future functional hierarchy of the settlements in the district. • plan for their all round development proposing for up-gradation of various infrastructural facilities TCPO, New Delhi

Methodology • Assess availability and distribution of economic and physical resources in relation to demographic profile of the district. • Inventory of resources such as land, forest cover, minerals, agriculture, water resources, industries etc. will be prepared. • Availability of socio-economic infrastructure e.g. educational & health facilities, traffic and transportation, marketing, and communication facilities is also examined. • Development potentials and constraints are analysed and assessed. Projections of population both urban and rural have been attempted. • Development strategy for spatial planning is formulated for the district. TCPO, New Delhi

Methodology • the proposed settlement system for the district is being formulated both for the urban and rural settlements. • Development programmes are integrated at the settlement level by filling up the gaps in the settlement system and also by integrating the schemes of the urban and rural settlements. TCPO, New Delhi

TCPO, New Delhi

Sector wise recommendations • Agriculture • Irrigation • Horticulture • Animal Husbandry TCPO, New Delhi

Proposed Settlement Hierarchy TCPO, New Delhi

TCPO, New Delhi

Development of Growth Centres TCPO, New Delhi

The next steps – The way forward The 74th CAA aims at decentralising the planning & development activities in a democratic and realistic way. Therefore it must be implemented in letter and spirit to accelerate the overall development process of the nation to a higher growth trajectory. TCPO, New Delhi

Rural Urban integration through District Planning