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Sudhansu R Das

Over the years, cities and towns have become terribly chaotic. The progressive degeneration of urban infrastructure questions the fundamentals of the urban development concept.

Most Indian cities are manifestation of unplanned growth. Planners and politicians blame the population. The growing demand for housing has become an excuse for builders and unscrupulous among the politicians to alter master plans. . The Government has proposed a grant of Rs 4,595 crore under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission during 2006-07. Will huge fund allocation alone, without a clear urban vision, set right the urban chaos? The main reason for this urban chaos is the absence of strict zoning laws. Local governments need to control the physical development of land and other property with the help of strict zoning laws. A zoning map should clearly demarcate industrial, agriculture, commercial, residential, culture, history, and recreation areas. A city must have an agriculture and rural zone in the periphery to absorb the migrant rural population. And the zoning map should be in public record. Developed nations strictly implement zoning laws to keep the urban areas clean and beautiful. Indian planners often complain about funds constraint. More than funds, the planners need to develop a core discipline, a sense of belongingness and a clear concept about development.

To prevent an urban collapse and migration from village, planners and politicians need to integrate agriculture, manufacturing sector and trade. Since the scope of marketing hundreds of rural products in global bazaars is widening, the government must give villager the courage and confidence to pursue traditional art and skill.

(The author is a Pune-based freelance writer.)

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