The constitution of Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC) for Chandigarh is on the anvil. For, the UT Administration has prepared a draft of guidelines and rules for the constitution of MPC.
The total area of Chandigarh is 114 sq km. And, as per Census 2011, the population of the city is 1,054,686.
As per the UT’s draft, an urban area of 79.34 sq km in Chandigarh will be declared as metropolitan area while remaining 34.66 sq km will be considered as rural area. The metropolitan area have a population of 10,25,682 people while the rural area have a population of 29,004, reads the draft.
The UT’s draft proposed that the metropolitan area of 79.43 sq km would be governed by the MPC. And, the MPC would prepare a development plan for metropolitan area of Chandigarh and would also act as a coordinating body to execute development works by incorporating plans of UT Administration, Municipal Corporation and other Corporations or organizations.
The draft has also proposed that a District Planning Committee (DPC) should be constituted to govern the development works in the rural area spreading over an area of 34.66 sq km in the union territory of Chandigarh. The DPC would consolidate the plans prepared by the Panchayats and the authorities in the area and will prepare a draft development plan.
last year, the Union Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD) had directed the UT Administration to constitute MPC in Chandigarh. For the constitution of MPC here, the UT Administration has studied the MPC draft framed by the neighboring Punjab Government for ludhiana and other big cities.
The Constitutional 74th Amendment Act provides that in every metropolitan area with a population of 10 lakh or more, a Metropolitan Planning Committee is to be constituted for preparing a draft development plan for the metropolitan area as a whole.
A senior official of the UT Administration said, “A draft to constitute the MPC has been prepared by the UT Administration. And, the file will be put with Union Ministry for final approval.”
The official added, “As per the draft, an urban area of 79.34 sq km in Chandigarh will be declared as metropolitan area while remaining 34.66 sq km will be considered as rural area. The metropolitan area would be governed under the MPC.”
He said, “The MPC would be set up under the chairmanship of UT Administrator and would prioritize the development works in the metropolitan area besides relegating or sorting out common issues among various decision making bodies in Chandigarh.”
The MPC is likely to have 30-50 members and likely to meet once in every quarter of the financial year. And, it would include members of Union Government, UT Administration, Municipal Corporation among others.
Besides ensuring synchronization among various working authorities in the city, the Committee would also avert any overlapping of growth plans proposed by various authorities.
“The DPC has also been proposed for the remaining rural area so that the city witness development in all the areas,” added the official.