Fast urbanisation throwing up several challenges, the Karnataka Government has formulated an urban development policy proposing far-reaching changes in urban governance.
Led by the spectacular growth of Bangalore, urban Karnataka has grown more than 2.5 per cent faster than the rural areas in decade 1991-2001. This has resulted in challenges like economic imbalance, redistribution of power away from villages, migration of large number of people to cities including from other States, changes in the urban economy, threats to environment and old character of the cities. Serious attention, therefore, has become vital to grapple these issues and find solutions.
Against this background, the State Government set up a committee in 2008 December to discuss these challenges and prepare an urban development policy.
The challenges were broadly classified as spatial distribution of urban areas and their challenging demographic trends, infrastructure shortfall on several fronts, challenges of ensuring basic welfare of the poor in urban areas including resource shortfall, and the need for strengthening their governance, planning and administration.
The committee has felt that piece-meal intervention like Integrated Development of Small and Medium Towns, Swarna Jayanthi Shahari Rojgar Yojana, Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and externally aided projects under Asian Development Bank or World Bank, have brought about mixed or limited results and have not ensured uniform development of urban areas.
Hence, a policy-driven approach is needed for a holistic view of urban growth and suggest appropriate steps for the future.
To ensure continuous attention for development of urban areas, it has favoured in its draft report a State Urbanisation Commission or Council in place of State Town Planning Board and a Karnataka Urban Renewal Mission for cities outside the JNNURM ambit.
The committee has suggested Metropolitan Planning Councils for Bangalore, Hubli-Dharwad and Mysore, reconstitution of the District Planning Councils as per Constitution 74 Amendment, abolition of Urban Development Authorities, formulation of urban land policy, simplify procedures for acquisition/purchase of lands by amending Karnataka Land Acquisition Act, Land Revenue Act and Land Reforms Act, and streamlining of property tax administration.
The 21-point agenda for action in the report also proposes preparation of regional development plans, introduction of new Mayoral system, ward and neighbourhood committees, Karnataka Urban and Regional Planning Act in place of Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, urban service regulatory authority, restructuring of KUWS&DB, BWSSB, BDA, BMRDA and KSICB, and transparency and accountability through public participation.
If these proposals are given effect, the historic Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), an offshoot of the Mysore City Improvement Trust Board, set up in 1903 by then Maharaja Krishnaraja Wadiyar will be abolished, its powers transferred to the local body.
A one-day seminar on December 4 here arranged by the State Urban Development Institute will discuss the draft report with around 200 officials and non-officials of the State, comprising municipal presidents and commissioners, development authority chairmen and commissioners and district urban development planning directors attending.
