Indian Express 19.08.2010
Government plans databank for urban local bodies
Lalmani Verma Tags : urban local bodies databank, lucknow Posted: Thu Aug 19 2010, 03:18 hrs
Lucknow: The Ministry of Urban Development has proposed to develop an Urban Information System (UIS) for all the urban local bodies in the country.The UIS would be a databank containing information on key areas like demography, physical and locational status of an urban area.
In this regard, the Ministry has sent letters to Urban Development Departments in all states along with a draft proforma for data collection. Suggestion on the proforma has to be given by September 16 and the final proforma will be sent to states asking for collection of data. The Uttar Pradesh government has received the letter.
“At present, urban data is scattered and aggregated at the district level and in many states. There is no perfect mechanism for data collection and no single databank where information of all urban local bodies can be found,” said J B Kshirsagar, Chief Planner, Town and Country Planning Organisation, Union Ministry of Urban Development.
“The Urban Information System will be a management information system that will focus on collection and analysis of data for key sectors like socio-economic development, land use, transportation, housing, infrastructure, environment, finance and governance,” said Kshirsagar.
In Census 2001, as many as 5,161 towns/cities have been identified across the country. The towns have been grouped into six classes based on the population size.
According to officials, physical data in UIS will include the name of town, district, state, annual rainfall in millimeters and temperature in degree Celsius, area, its distance from the state headquarters, district headquarters, divisional headquarters, nearest city and nearest Railway Station along with distances.
It will also mention details of navigable river/canal passing nearby (within 10 km) or through the town.
Demographic data will include number of households, households headed by women, number of occupied residential houses, overall population in the town, population of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and number of literates aged 7 years and above.
Figures on Crude Birth Rate, Infant Mortality Rate, Life expectancy at birth and population Below Poverty Line (BPL) will also be collected for the databank.
The industrial aspects will include commodities manufactured, imported and exported. Area of land distribution as residential, commercial and industrial, availability of drinking water, electricity, telecommunication, sanitary facilities, and education facilities will be mentioned in the databank.
Number of medical institutions, hospitals and heath centres with their capacity with respect to infrastructure and staff will also be included.
Details like availability of recreational, cultural, banking and credit facilities, Law and Order/crimes (No.), Public-Private-Partnership projects implemented in the town, number of slums, road length and footpath and transportation facilities will be in databank. Level of environmental pollution would also be its part.
The status of civic administration like availability of municipal bodies, Cantonment, Special Area Development Authority, townships, special areas, panchayats and revenue of local bodies would also be collected for data bank.
“These details will be used while planning the development and welfare schemes for any particular urban area in any part of country,” said Kshirsagar.
