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Course ‘Master
Dolor
in Urban Planning’ - PPSU

- Politics and
Subject Lecture conducted by
Devashree Roychowdhury
Associate Professor

Planning in India Architecture & Planning

P. P. Savani University, Gujarat
 Introduction to Urban Issues

Over the years, cities have expanded and become burdened by the stresses and strains of
unplanned urbanization, the brunt of which is faced by the poor and the marginalised, the
biodiversity and the economy.

Issues like lack of availability of serviced land, traffic congestion, pressure on basic
infrastructure, extreme air pollution, urban flooding, water scarcity and droughts are not
merely a reflection of infrastructural shortcomings in the cities. These issues indicate a deep
and substantial lack of adequate urban planning and governance frameworks.

India’s urban story may be lauded globally or suffer irreversible damages in the next few years
depending upon corrective policy measures and actions taken at the beginning of this
decade.
 Introduction to Urban Issues

A significant proportion of urbanisation in the country is unacknowledged and unaddressed.

Almost half of the 7933 ‘urban’ settlements are census towns, that is, they continue to be
governed as ‘rural’ entities. Small and medium towns face vulnerabilities due to rapid growth
and inadequate planning.

The transfer of the urban planning function from States/UTs to elected urban local
governments did not happen as was envisaged through the Constitutional 74th Amendment
Act 1992. Many agencies are involved in urban planning, implementation, and infrastructure
development at the city as well as State levels. The existing framework has become complex,
which often leads to overlapping of functions, lack of accountability and coordination, time
delays, and resource wastage.
 Introduction to Urban Issues
Master plans are statutory instruments to guide and regulate the development of cities and are
critical for managing urbanisation as well as ‘spatial sustainability’. However, 65% of the
7933 urban settlements do not have any master plan. This leads to piecemeal interventions,
haphazard constructions, urban sprawl, and environmental pollution.

Urbanizable/developable land is costly as well as limited in supply. City governments guide

and regulate development through planning regulations and building bye-laws. In many cities,
development control regulations were formulated several decades ago and have been
updated arbitrarily without sufficient empirical evidence of their impacts.

Recently, most States/UTs have revised their respective bye-laws based on the Model Building
Bye Laws 2016 (MoHUA, 2016).

The city governments must adapt the model regulations as per their context and economic
growth drivers. Also, there is a need to shift from text-based to form-based regulations to
ensure the optimum use of urban land and enable development based on a suitable urban form.
 Introduction to Urban Issues

In urban areas, the land is confronted with competing uses due to market forces, social
necessities, as well as environmental concerns. If the land use plan of a city diverges from
the status of land records, it may not get implemented on the ground.

Such divergences become a potential cause of unnecessary and time-consuming disputes and
litigations. Accurate cadastral maps and clarity about property rights are very important for
successful planning. Such maps do not exist with the city functionaries or in the public domain for
most Indian cities. This is a big impediment in the planning process.

There is a lack of synergy between urban and rural planning and development. The State
Town and Country Planning Acts need to be revisited to harmonise the two.
 Introduction to Urban Issues
The platforms for citizen participation and awareness about the process of urban planning
and development are limited. There is a perceptible communication gap between planning
agencies and the people - who are the ultimate beneficiaries.

With the business-as-usual scenario, human settlements may become dysfunctional and, in
turn, generate serious socio-economic impacts. Therefore, there is an immense need for
significant reforms across the value chain of urban planning in the country.

The Advisory Committee needs to focus on devising measures to strengthen the three pillars
of cumulative urban planning capacity in the country - public sector, education/ research
sector, and private sector.

The political leadership and decision-makers need to reach a common consensus that a
promise to save the environment from the strains of urbanization is a promise of economic
growth in the long run.
 Introduction to Urban Issues

Planning is a technical and political process concerned with the development and use of land
protection and use of the environment, public welfare, and the design of the urban
environment, including air, water, and the infrastructure passing into and out of areas such as
transportation, communications and distribution network.

Urban planning guides orderly development in urban, suburban and rural areas. Although
predominantly concerned with the planning of settlements and communities, urban planning
is also responsible for the planning and development of water use and resources, rural
and agricultural land, parks and conserving areas of natural environmental significance.
 What is Politics?

The activities associated with the governance of a country or area, especially the debate
between parties having power.
The activities of governments concerning the political relations between states.
The academic study of government and the state.
A particular set of political beliefs or principles.
The principles relating to or inherent in a sphere or activity, especially when concerned with
power and status.
 What is Politics?

Politics is the process of making decisions by applying them to all members of a group.

Politics refers to achieving and exercising the position of governance in an organised control
over the human community, particularly a state. A political system is a framework which
defines acceptable political methods within a given society.

The notion of competition over interests or power is very relevant to politics or party politics.
Indeed, we might start by defining politics as a process of competitive claims-making by rival
parties, with the aim of mobilising support to put programmes into action. But beyond this broad
definition, it’s useful to unpack what this competition is about and the way in which it plays out.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Poor planning and decision-making

Poor implementation of projects
Wasted resources
Biasness in planning
Unnecessary extension of planning processes
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Poor planning and decision-making

When politics intervene in the planning process, the plans that will be generated will lose their vision due to
the frequent changes that the government officials/leaders will require in order to achieve their personal
objectives or their constituencies/parties’ interests.

For example, a politician/government official/leader (senior level) - [any background/profession] may push
the planner/government official/politician (junior level) - [any background/profession] to propose an activity
in his area of interest even when that activity is not relevant at that particular location but because the
planner/official needs their approval before sanctioning the project they will have to follow their demand and
in the process spoil the integrity of the plan.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Poor implementation of projects

When a political party's interest does not tally with that of the previous administration, they tend to stop
the development programs that are in place and propose their new concepts and approaches which in
turn disturbs the ongoing projects. Or the new government may propose new policies that are in contrast
with the old government.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Resources wasted

Planning is all about the optimal use of resources, but with the interference of politics in the planning
process, there is a tendency for resource waste. For example, when a project that is supposed to be
completed in three years took seven years before its completion, the project cost will increase due to
market inflation. Another example is when the government decides to start a project that is not needed
by the masses, then the fund spent on that project will be wasted.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Biasness in Planning

Every government has its set of goals on which they base its manifesto. Political administrators always
make certain promises to their constituency during the campaign period without actually knowing how
those promises can be fulfilled, therefore they insert pressure on concerned officials in order to achieve
those promises even when they are not feasible.

For example, a political administrator may tend to choose a site close to his commercial or industrial
area in order to hike the prices of the adjoining land so that he can profit without considering the
suitability of that land use with the surrounding land use.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Unnecessary extension of planning processes

For any plan to be approved and sanctioned, the officials need the political administrators (any
background/profession) to approve the plan before it becomes a binding document. Political
administrators tend to be complicating the planning process by demanding certain aspects of the plan
that might/ might not be possible or may not comply with the concept of the plan. In such cases, the
planning process tends to take a longer period of time.

After the successful approval of the plan, the political administrators are the ones who will sanction the
projects on the ground, and the implementation of the plan takes a longer period of time further if there
is any interpersonal conflict.
 Issues of Political Interference in Planning

Conclusion

Political interference in planning comes with an adverse effect on the development of any area as it
completely disturbs the flow of planning work and renders the professionals’ relevance insignificance.
To achieve steady and effective regional development through optimal allocation and distribution of
resources, political interference in planning must stop so that the stakeholders involved will have the full
capacity of exercising their duty.
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