The Times of India 14.03.2013
Civic body yet to have Coimbatore development plan in place
COIMBATORE: Despite the
importance of having a city development plan in place to streamline
Coimbatore's growth, the corporation continues to stall its preparation.
The initial meeting of external consultants from Gurgaon was held recently and the final document is expected to be charted within the next two to three months. But the fact that the civic budget will have no link to the city development plan is a cause for concern, as projects continue to be proposed in a haphazard manner.
"The delay in preparing the city development plan has resulted in this scenario. If it was ready, the civic body could have coordinated some financial allocations with the development plan," said D Balasundaram, Chairman, City Technical Advisory Group (CTAG).
The CTAG, an external body of experts from various urban sectors set up to provide external support to the corporation while conceptualising and executing major developmental works in the city was not even consulted once during the run up to the formulation of the budget proposals. The CTAG and city development plans are integral components formed after the launch of the JNNURM projects to ensure public participation and install an external support system comprising members of civil society to help in formulating and executing development projects.
"The civic body should show more trust in the civil society. It is always better to consult with residents rather than appointing consultants from other states who have to understand the city from scratch before proposing various projects," Balasundaram added.
The city corporation had earlier indicated that it would re-organise the CTAG with the inclusion of more members and formation of various sub committees. Though applications were collected from interested residents including retired engineers from government departments, the corporation is yet to take the final call in the matter.
According to corporation officials themselves, the City Development Plan is an important document to chart the progress of the city at least for the coming decade and proposals to be taken up under JNNURM gets sanctioned from the Union ministry if it is included in the development plan. It also serves as a reference document for the local civic body to chart its allocation for the various projects in advance.
The initial meeting of external consultants from Gurgaon was held recently and the final document is expected to be charted within the next two to three months. But the fact that the civic budget will have no link to the city development plan is a cause for concern, as projects continue to be proposed in a haphazard manner.
"The delay in preparing the city development plan has resulted in this scenario. If it was ready, the civic body could have coordinated some financial allocations with the development plan," said D Balasundaram, Chairman, City Technical Advisory Group (CTAG).
The CTAG, an external body of experts from various urban sectors set up to provide external support to the corporation while conceptualising and executing major developmental works in the city was not even consulted once during the run up to the formulation of the budget proposals. The CTAG and city development plans are integral components formed after the launch of the JNNURM projects to ensure public participation and install an external support system comprising members of civil society to help in formulating and executing development projects.
"The civic body should show more trust in the civil society. It is always better to consult with residents rather than appointing consultants from other states who have to understand the city from scratch before proposing various projects," Balasundaram added.
The city corporation had earlier indicated that it would re-organise the CTAG with the inclusion of more members and formation of various sub committees. Though applications were collected from interested residents including retired engineers from government departments, the corporation is yet to take the final call in the matter.
According to corporation officials themselves, the City Development Plan is an important document to chart the progress of the city at least for the coming decade and proposals to be taken up under JNNURM gets sanctioned from the Union ministry if it is included in the development plan. It also serves as a reference document for the local civic body to chart its allocation for the various projects in advance.
