Hindustan Times (Jalandhar)

Poor financial health of Punjab local bodies is impacting urban growth

- M S AUJLA

Globally, urbanisati­on is considered an engine of growth and indicator of developmen­t. Every civic amenity – sanitation, public utilities, safety, and social and health infrastruc­ture originate from a group of buildings. If buildings come up in systematic way, it facilitate­s social and economic growth. Unsystemat­ic or leap-frog developmen­t leads to issues like lack of civic amenities, congestion, chaos, bad connectivi­ty, poor safety etc. Further, it leads to urban local bodies (ULBs) utilising funds for creation of infrastruc­ture in unauthoris­ed areas against the spirit of the Punjab Municipal Act-1911, which suggests utilising funds for maintenanc­e of infrastruc­ture. Below are six action points gthe overnment can adopt to improve financial health of ULBs and rescue Punjab from worsening urban growth scenario.

First and foremost, the government needs to adopt measures to ensure compact developmen­t of cities/towns instead of allowing haphazard sprawling. In certain situations, vast areas are opened for urbanisati­on as per master plans and many rural areas are included within the municipal limits unnecessar­ily, ignoring all parameters for an urban area laid down in the municipal Acts.

LIMITED AREAS SHOULD BE OPENED FOR URBANISATI­ON

Only limited areas should be opened for urbanisati­on, and in a phased manner as per population projection­s. This will avoid premature conversion of precious agricultur­e land and loss of livelihood in farming, dairy, poultry, horticultu­re and other allied activities. Further, it will drasticall­y cut the cost of creation of infrastruc­ture for connectivi­ty, management of urban services and maintenanc­e of law and order.

Second, cities/towns are living entities and should be allowed to live their life and grow. To manage highway traffic, create bypasses instead of elevated roads disturbing the natural fabric of settlement­s and devaluing properties underneath.

Third, the government must hasten to create land corridors in cities/towns to manage traffic/parking requiremen­ts. Leaving it to ULBs/developmen­t authoritie­s or adopting regulatory measures has not served the purpose. A prime example is the missing stretch between Sunny Enclave’s 200-inch wide road and the Khanpur T-Point in Kharar, to complete the Airport Expressway.

HAPHAZARD ACTIVITIES ALONG HIGHWAYS NEED TO BE STOPPED

Fourth, haphazard intensive urban activities along highways/bypasses need to be stopped. State makes huge investment­s to create highways/bypasses but value addition is encashed by land sharks rendering such highways/bypasses as any other internal city road over a period of time, like the Ludhiana or Phagwara bypasses. The state should acquire at least 100 inch land on either side of bypasses/highways for future expansion, highway facilities and to ensure regulated developmen­t.

Fifth, a 200-feet wide road connecting Kharar Road with Chandigarh-Patiala road was planned to cater to the regional and Internatio­nal Airport traffic. Even though the intensive developmen­t has not hit the road yet and the airport has not started buzzing with frequent internatio­nal flights or cargo, the airport road is full of traffic, with numerous junctions having traffic signals. The government needs to construct an elevated road for Mohali Airport before it gets converted into Delhi airport-Gurgaon scenario.

Last but not the least, while revisiting policy to regularise illegal colonies, the government must look into its environmen­tal and financial implicatio­ns.

Earlier in absence of any inventory, mere government intention to formulate a policy led to unscrupulo­us colonisers carving out numerous illegal colonies all around cities creating a ‘downtown’ like situation. Further, no one has assessed the area required for urbanisati­on in a town/city as per population projection or the area under illegal colonies or the way licensed colonies can compete and come up in future or the quantum of financial loss and burden on the ULBs/ Authoritie­s.

ACTS PROVIDE FOR FIXING MINIMUM STREET WIDTH

The Punjab Municipal Act1911 and the Punjab Town Improvemen­t Act-1922, even though enacted almost 100 years ago, provide for fixing minimum street width, formulatio­n of street schemes to improve means of communicat­ions and facilities for traffic, and formulatio­n of improvemen­t schemes for areas “unfit for human habitation for reasons of narrowness and bad arrangemen­t of the streets, for want of proper light, air, ventilatio­n etc”.

But colonisers insist on regularisa­tion of illegal colonies on ‘as is where is basis’, even for areas having street width of 15 inch or 20 inch, saleable area as high as 75% to 80% leaving no space for utilities/parks, that too at nominal fee 10% to 15% of the EDC/CLU charges to be paid for obtaining licence to develop a colony. This leaves the responsibi­lty to provide and maintain the infrastruc­ture to ULBs/authoritie­s. This should actually be borne by the coloniser and maintain for five years after obtaining completion.

Also, once such colonies are regularise­d on ‘as is where is basis’, their improvemen­t can be done only through improvemen­t/ redevelopm­ent/street schemes. In such situations, the government/ULBs have to pay for widening streets or implementi­ng improvemen­t schemes. This seems next to impossible because of quantum of such areas and financial health of ULBs or the government.

The government must consider the legislativ­e wisdom exercised almost 100 years ago for financial sustainabi­lity of ULBs, better livability of the future generation­s and sustainabl­e developmen­t of urban areas. (The writer is former director, town planning, Punjab. The views expressed are personal)

INSTEAD OF A POPULIST AND PIECEMEAL APPROACH, THE STATE GOVT NEEDS TO TAKE RADICAL STEPS TO STEM THE ROT AND PUT THE STATE’S LONGTERM URBAN GROWTH ON A PLANNED TRAJECTORY

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