Cabinet Approves SMART and AMRUT Mission in India

Union Cabinet approves Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation and Smart Cities Mission to drive economic growth and foster inclusive urban development

In a determined bid to recast the urban landscape of the country to make urban areas more livable and inclusive besides driving the economic growth, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved Central Government spending of about one lakh crore on urban development under two new urban missions over the next five years. The Cabinet has approved the Smart Cities Mission and the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation of 500 cities (AMRUT) with outlays of Rs.48,000 crore and Rs.50,000 crore respectively. Under the Smart Cities Mission, each selected city would get central assistance of Rs.100 crore per year for five years. Smart City aspirants will be selected through a ‘City Challenge Competition’ intended to link financing with the ability of the cities to perform to achieve the mission objectives. Each state will shortlist a certain number of smart city aspirants as per the norms to be indicated and they will prepare smart city proposals for further evaluation for extending Central support. This Mission of building 100 smart cities intends to promote adoption of smart solutions for efficient use of available assets, resources and infrastructure with the objective of enhancing the quality of urban life and providing a clean and sustainable environment. Special emphasis will be given to participation of citizens in prioritizing and planning urban interventions. It will be implemented through ‘area based’ approach consisting of retrofitting, redevelopment, pan-city initiatives and development of new cities. Under retrofitting, deficiencies in an identified area will be addressed through necessary interventions as in the case of Local Area Plan for downtown Ahmedabad. Redevelopment enables reconstruction of already built-up area that is not amenable for any interventions, to make it smart, as in the case of Bhendi Bazar of Mumbai and West Kidwai Nagar in New Delhi. Pan-city components could be interventions like Intelligent Transport Solutions that benefits all residents by reducing commuting time. Under smart cities initiative, focus will be on core infrastructure services like: Adequate and clean Water supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management, Efficient Urban Mobility and Public Transportation, Affordable housing for the poor, power supply, robust IT connectivity, Governance, especially e-governance and citizen participation, safety and security of citizens, health and education and sustainable urban environment. Smart City Action Plans will be implemented by Special Purpose Vehicles(SPV) to be created for each city and state governments will ensure steady stream of resources for SPVs. The two missions are interlinked. AMRUT adopts a project approach to ensure basic infrastructure services relating to water supply, sewerage, septage management, storm water drains, transport and development of green spaces and parks with special provision for meeting the needs of children. Implementation of this Mission will be linked to promotion of urban reforms such as e-governance, constitution of professional municipal cadre, devolving funds and functions to urban local bodies, review of Building bye-laws, improvement in assessment and collection of municipal taxes, credit rating of urban local bodies, energy and water audit and citizen-centric urban planning. 10 percent of budget allocation will be given to States/UTs as incentive based on achievement of reforms during the previous year. A reform matrix with timelines would be circulated to States in the Guidelines. This Mission will be implemented in 500 cities and towns each with a population of one lakh and above, some cities situated on stems of main rivers, a few capital cities and important cities located in hilly areas, islands and tourist areas. Under this Mission, States get the flexibility of designing schemes based on the needs of identified cities and in their execution and monitoring. States will only submit State Annual Action Plans to the Centre for broad concurrence based on which funds will be released. In a significant departure from JNNURM, Central Government will not appraise individual projects. Central assistance will be to the extent of 50 percent of project cost for cities and towns with a population of up to 10 lakh and one-third of the project cost for those with a population of above 10 lakh. Central assistance will be released in three instalments in the ratio of 20:40:40 based on achievement of milestones indicated in State Annual Action Plans. AMRUT seeks to lay a foundation to enable cities and towns to eventually grow into smart cities. The Cabinet also today approved Central funding under AMRUT to the projects sanctioned under JNNURM and not completed. JNNURM projects relating to urban development sanctioned during 2005 -2012 and achieved physical progress of 50 percent availing 50 percent of central assistance released and those sanctioned during 2012-2014 will be supported till March, 2017. Accordingly, 102 and 296 projects respectively will get Central support for balance funding to complete these projects. Central spending approved for the next five years under the two new Missions assumes significance in the backdrop of the approved Plan outlay of Rs.42,900 crore for JNNURM that was implemented over nine years between 2005 and 2014. Out of this, actual Central assistance released was Rs.36,398 crore. Further to today’s Cabinet approval, a minimum investment of over Rs. 2 lakh crore would flow into urban areas over the next five years (2015-16 – 2019-20) since States and urban local bodies would mobilise matching resources ranging from 50 percent to 66 percent. In addition, substantial private investments would be mobilized by states and urban local bodies through PPP model as required to meet project costs. The architecture of the Smart Cities Mission and AMRUT is guided by the twin objectives of meeting the challenges of growing urbanization in the country in a sustainable manner as well as ensuring the benefits of urban development to the poor through increased access to urban spaces and enhanced employment opportunities. Source: Press Information Bureau, INDIA, April 2015

Looking for Urban Form by Physical Planners

Urban form an outcome of utilization of urban space by the people resulting in distribution of density and infrastructure. A recent discussion on the sustainable urban form held at Ahmedabad by the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) and their partners SPA Delhi and CEPT Ahmedabad tried to showcase their physical planning talent. They emphasised on the physical density of space and infrastructure planning which considered to be important for the resulting urban form. The city urban form - a study initiated by the UK based reserach group through tried to present the thesis that urban form is resultant outcome of various factors, physical, social and economic, the national level institutes failed to conceptualise the studies. The analysis though seems to be undergoing the directions for such urban form studies are dominated by the physical urban planners. The cities and their form is not outcome of intellegent planning but is result of urban geographies, economy, sociology and behaviour of the people. The policy decisions are used to guide the plans but its people who choose to the manner they want to use their lands. The planning communities have failed to scientifically explain the present urban form rather jumps too fast on making the new plans and policy. The analysis for the present city forms were missing in the current studies at the national level, the content of the works intended to prepare the National urban form guidelines didnot have any scientifc basis except the physical interplay between the density which is an outcome of land utilization. The stress on the allowing or restricting the mixland use in the cities are discussed at length, but with little theoritical backing explainations were hard to give.

The cities in India have been focussing on the infrastructure plans in the city development plans which in any case cannot be regarded as authentic planning excercise. Its neither traditional nor looking for sustainable approach to planning, just become a funding tools for the state. The current applied sciences should intervene the planning process in order to save it self from the intellectual lethargy while studying the cities. The planning community have failed to explain the city form and directions with the scientific methods, rather they are good at explaining the policies by using the same methods. The structured approach to planning systems are missing and yet the decisions are taken too fast. Take for example the recent planning of Dholera SIR in Gujarat, where in the physical planners are going for 2 million plus cities, where in its expected to populated in coming years (100 years!!). This is within reach from Ahmedabad, a million plus city, how this would be feasible to relocate or expect huge migrant movement out of nothing. The physical planners have already beguin to plan for the people, wherein nobody exists and look for heavy investments by realtors. The claim of the planners in this context is huge masterplan indicating the role of state which has evidently emerged as real estate agent. The lack of people participation and information is resulting in utter chaos in planning system, some results are good, but most are expected to be poor thought for the future.

Mahgai Dayan..Price Rise and Urban Agriculture

You all are reeling under the emerging price rise in the agricultural produce in the urban markets. People in metros are severely affected by the price rise mainly in perishable food items such as milk and vegetables. Metros keep on getting agricultural products from distant places and relies heavily in India on its immediate hinterland. But situation is changing fast in your urban hinterland too, they are no more interested in just supplying food to cities. Also their lands are gobbled up by up coming modern townships and Special Economic Zones.

The present vegetable crisis (High Prices) in cities like Delhi and Mumbai is definately due to neglect of urban agriculture practices which was encouraged in bygone era and cities themselves ensured their supplies. Now farming communities cannot afford or would not be allowed to cultivate in the city limits by the land sharks and neglect by the city administrations.

City managers are increasingly required relooking into ways to understand it--both from a regulation perspective, but also to determine what is needed to foster and support these agricultural activities within the ambit of city regions. Some clue can be taken from Kolkata..where the urban agriculture still has retained some form.

The rationale for supporting agriculture within cities isn't immediately obvious--it isn't prominent in modern cities, nor has it ever really been typical, to have food production within urban areas. In many ways, being surrounded by agricultural fields was always a sign that one had ventured outside the city limits--it was a defining non-urban factor.

The urban agriculture is still widely practiced in the small and medium towns throughout the country but it lacks its presence in the large cities. Cities like Delhi and Mumbai needs to comeback on the trail of urban agriculture as an essential uses in their land use plans. The neglect of the important activities have caused crisis in their own markets and causes the city to cry hoarse. The far cry of 'Mahngai Dayan' in film 'Pipli Live' is the reality of urban India, joined by the neglect of the farms for farming and using a peice of land for party and recreation spots.

Till we understand the need for Urban Agriculture in our city planning we would go on and on...saying Mahngai Dayan....Khai Jat Hai...

Future Cities - Planning for More

As the economic growth of our cities has gained momentum the investments would have started coming into the infrastructure sector. When we call the public or private bodies to invest in the city infrastructure the vision of cities needs to be grand and inclusive to all the components of the growth requirements. Its not just growth matters to only large cities but even the medium and smaller cities needs efficient systems of infrastructure. Even though technologies has become attractive prepositions for the development its the nature of available infrastructure and manpower managing it has become important in giving right outlook to the cities.

Cities needs to think beyond the political lineages for the benefits of the masses, either today or tomorrow the growth pranks of the cities would catch up. Whether we live in metro or not does not matter, we require quality infrastructure support. This would not be without its citizens agreeing to part with the revenues required for such development. Its pity that our Indian planners think that the citizens are not ready to pay for quality infrastructure. Rather the administrators does not want to be responsible enough to provide quality services to citizens.

Socio-Economic nature and characterstics of cities should be taken care by not only the planning agencies but also by its political masters while approving the plans (so called CDPs) for the cities. The vision if lack inclusiveness will harm the socio-cultural and socio-phsycological needs of people. Its enforced character of the planning process which is driving the people nuts on the questions of "who benefits?". They often quip to rejoin its not us. These are for investors, who would be welcomed in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta and Chennai to showcase the fabric, else the truth in under the carpet. Promises of the housing to those who cannot afford are not met. This may be true for all citizens falls below purchasing capacity of housing above Rs. 6-10 Lacs. Where are the houses gone for the masses? Who knows in the vision of the cities they stand nowwhere..at least the BUSP/IHSDP provides housing to poor..may be proxy for the middle income households.

A promise of keep future intact in cities...we leave the majority on its edges.