Role of Development Authorities in Urban Development

The responsibility of urban development is shared between various public

agencies, inclusive of quasi-governmental and parastatal organizations. The
various agencies involved in urban development and their basic roles are as
follows:

the division of responsibilities (role) amongst the agencies is not clearly defined resulting
multiplicity of role in different agencies with over-lapping areas of interest leads to
considerable waste of resources and delays in implementation of projects.

Agencies involved in urban development

1. Urban development authority
2. Municipal corporation / Municipality
3. Town and country planning organisation (TCPO)
4. State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation
5. Housing and Urban development corporation Ltd. (HUDCO )

City Development being under different agencies, the issue of co-ordination becomes
difficult. Therefore, it is not possible to plan and co-ordinate development as the other
departments’ plans and programmes are not known/discussed, thus making preparation of
perspective development plan for city difficult. Multiplicity of authorities and lack of
coordination among them make decision making and implementation of public infrastructure
and services extremely difficult.

There is need for a strong apex organization with the authority of exercising financial control
to operate a co-coordinative mechanism for accelerating the pace of land development and
other activities related to urban development.

Simultaneously, concerted efforts are needed for capacity building of local bodies and other
public agencies to play the role of catalyst agencies within the changing regime of public
‘private relationship arrangements for provision of urban infrastructure and public services.

, Development Authorities wear the hat of planner and developer simultaneously as a result
of which physical development supersedes planning concerns”
Urban development authority

The major undertaking of urban Development Authority includes the following:

Infrastructural development of region by construction of flyovers, bridges, parking places.
Development of commercial projects and residential schemes, etc.

Development of basic amenities like community centres, parks, ring roads.

Development and rehabilitation of kacchi bastis etc.

Preparation and implementation of master plan.

Preparation and implementation of guidelines for colonisation.

Environmental development by planning and implementing roadside

plantations and by developing eco-friendly schemes.

Development of rural area around Jaipur.

Development of transport facilities like Mass Rapid

Transport System (MRTS), Transport Nagar, and major sector roads.

The role and function of Municipal Corporation:

A Municipal Corporation works in coordination with the State Government for the effective
execution of the various plans and programs. Corporation divides functions, powers and
responsibilities into the following two categories:

1. Obligatory

2. Discretionary

1. Some obligatory functions:

a.Supply of pure and wholesome water

b.Construction and maintenance of public streets
c. Lighting and watering of public streets
d. Cleaning of public streets, places and sewers
e.Regulation of offensive, dangerous or obnoxious trades and callings or practices
f. Maintenance or support of public hospitals; establishment and maintenance of primary
schools
g. Registration of births and deaths; removing obstructions and projections in public streets,
bridges and other places
h.Naming streets and numbering houses.
2. Some discretionary functions:

a. Construction and maintenance of public parks, gardens, libraries, museums, rest

houses, leper homes, orphanages and rescue homes for women
b. planting and maintenance of roadside and other trees
c. Housing for low income groups
d. Conducting surveys
e. Organising public receptions, public exhibitions, public entertainment; provision of
transport facilities with the municipality

Town and country planning organisation (TCPO)

Established in 1962, TCPO has come a long way. It has been functioning as the technical
wing of the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India. Over the years,

TCPO has undertaken various pioneering works in the area of formulating Master Plans,
urban design projects, tourism development plans, regional plans, empirical research studies
in topical areas, manuals and guides on various aspects of planning and development,
monitoring and evaluation of central sector schemes, information system, urban mapping,
urban and regional development policies, development law etc.

The Organisation is responsible for providing assistance and advice of highest order to
Central and State Governments, Public Sector Agencies, Development Authorities and Urban

Local Bodies on matters pertaining to urban & regional planning and development.
Apart from non-plan functions, TCPO also monitors specific plan schemes of the Ministry
of Urban Development.

The major functions of the Organisation are grouped in the following areas:
1. TCPO as an apex Organisation in the field of Urban & Regional Planning and
Development provides knowledge support and technical advice and assistance to various
State Govts., Development Authorities, ULBs, other agencies etc.

2.Technical assistance and guidance to the Ministry of Urban Development, Planning

Commission, other Central Ministries / Agencies.

3. Research studies in areas of topical interest.

4.Manuals and Guides on various aspects of planning and development

.
5.Training & Capacity Building, Conferences and Workshops in the field of urban & regional
planning and development and Remote Sensing and GIS applications in Urban & Regional
Planning.
6. Appraisal and monitoring of central sector projects / Schemes.
State Industrial Development & Investment Corporation
Organization played an important role in the industrial development of city.
it is mainly engaged in site selection and acquisition of land, financial assistance
to smalls medium and large scale projects, equity participation in large projects
on merit, technical consultancy for project identification and technical tie up,
escort services, facilitation of government clearances, merchant banking and
financial tie -ups and extending incentives and concessions as per the policy of
the State Government.

Housing and Urban development corporation Ltd. (HUDCO )

The objectives of HUDCO include
1. providing long term finance for construction of houses for residential
purposes or finance or undertake housing and urban development programmes in
the country;
2. finance or undertake, wholly or partly, the setting up of the new or
satellite towns;
3. subscribe to the debentures and bonds to be issued by the State Housing
(and/or Urban Development) Boards, Improvement Trusts, Development
Authorities etc. specifically for the purpose of financing housing and urban
development programmes;
4. finance or undertake the setting up of industrial enterprises of building
material;
5. administer the moneys received, from time to time, from the
Government of India and other sources as grants or otherwise for the purposes of
financing or undertaking housing and urban development programmes in the
country, and
6. promote, establish, assist, collaborate and provide consultancy services
for the projects of designing and planning of works relating to Housing and
Urban Development programmes in India and abroad.
7. undertake business of Venture Capital Fund in Housing and Urban
Development Sectors facilitating Innovations in these sectors and invest in and/or
subscribe to the units/shares etc. of Venture Capital Funds promoted by
Government/Government Agencies in the above areas.
8. set up HUDCO's own Mutual Fund for the purpose of Housing and
Urban Development programmes and/or invest in, and/or subscribe to the units
etc. of Mutual Funds, promoted by the Government/Government Agencies for the
above purpose.
While the basic roles of these bodies are defined, there remain some
issues that are an impediment to the objective of development. Some of
these are as follows:
• The area of work of the aforesaid bodies is often overlapping.
Consequently, there is a tendency to shift onus and shirk
responsibility that in turn leads to haphazard and delayed
implementation, and wastage of resources.
• The Coordination of all the agencies involved in a particular
development initiative is an onerous task for the systemic lack of an
efficient and effective inter-organization communication channel.
Decision making at times becomes difficult and the planning may
turn out to be contradictory.
• In the changing environment of urban development that promotes
public-private partnership models, local bodies and other public
agencies need to be updated to play the role of catalysts in the
process of development.
• In many Indian cities, the development authorities also don the
mantle of the planner. In a bid to meet physical development targets,
planning concerns are often neglected.