{Article} Polity: Achievements of Urban Development Ministry in 2012

Introduction: Efficient and reliable urban transport systems are crucial for India to sustain a high growth rate and alleviate poverty. To improve the current urban transport situation the Government is giving much attention to Metro projects. Mono rails and Regional Rapid Transit Systems are also being explored to supplement the existing transport systems. The year also witnessed the landmark decision of regularizing unauthorized colonies in Delhi and Reviewing of Master Plan 2021. The reform linked scheme of urban infrastructure development “Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Rural Mission” also completed its normal tenure during the year which, however, got 2 year extension for ongoing projects.
Mass Rapid Transit System: Metro projects are already under implementation across the country - Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Kochi.
Mono Rails: Another mode of Mass Transport System that is being explored is Mono-rail. Mono rail is ideal as a feeder system to larger metro networks as well as for stand-alone shorter networks in the densely populated pockets of cities. One Mono-rail corridor has already been identified in Delhi and work has been entrusted to DMRC.
Regional Rapid Transit System: RRTS will be a rail based system that will connect small but fast developing towns in the NCR region. The goal of RRTS is to reduce the dependence of commuters on road based transportation to a combination of road-cum rail transportation system. The work for preparation of Feasibility Studies of Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors for the three prioritized corridors have been awarded to consultants. They are as follows: Delhi – Sonipat –Panipat, Delhi-Gurgaon -Rewari –Alwar, Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut.
Regularization of unauthorized colonies: The Union Urban Development Ministry cleared the decks for the Delhi Government to regularize 917 unauthorized colonies during the year. Around 40 lakh residents in these colonies are likely to benefit from the regularization which would entail government spending on civic infrastructure. The Delhi government had completed all the ground work for regularization of the colonies.
Review of Master Plan 2021: Four technical committees engaged in reviewing four broad areas of the Master Plan. The group deliberating on urban form, heritage and development controls said, interalia, that the plan should be based on 3D mapping done in a time-bound manner involving professionals like architects. The group on shelter focused on redevelopment of existing buildings and colonies especially in unauthorized colonies and jhuggi-jhonpri clusters. The group on transport with focus on improved mobility said the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) plans should be area-specific. It also called for comprehensive multimodal planning and that road safety audits need to be done. The group on environment and physical infrastructure called for a comprehensive environmental plan for Delhi to be prepared including aspects like seismic zones, biodiversity and climate change.
JNNURM: JNNURM was launched on 3rd December, 2005 with the objective of reforms driven and fast track development of cities across the country, with focus on bringing about efficiency in urban infrastructure, service delivery mechanisms, community participation and accountability of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and Parastatal agencies towards citizens. It has two components, namely, the Urban Infrastructure and Governance (UIG) and the Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT). 65 Cities based on population as per 2001 census are covered under the UIG component of JNNURM. The Mission has completed its normal tenure in March 2012. Extension of two years has been given for completion of ongoing projects & reforms only till March 2014.
National Urban Transport Project (NUTP): The Ministry of Urban Development has initiated the Sustainable Urban Transport Project (SUTP) with the support of Global Environment Facility (GEF), the World Bank and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to foster a long-term partnership between the Central Government and state/local governments in the implementation of a greener environment under the ambit of the National Urban Transport Project (NUTP). During the year the Intelligent Transport System Project being implemented atMysore, the cultural capital of Karnataka, took a massive stride. It aims to address the critical issue of road congestion by offering state-of-the-art technologies and attractive, convenient, comfortable, value added services to encourage the usage of bus services against individual personal vehicles. It also helps in saving time, effort and money that will eventually help create a better city to live in and be proud of.