Analysis of the Master Planning Process in India for Its Failure in Factoring in Environmental Consideration

Abstract

The urban planning practices in India are based on the concept of master plan, a statutory document that guides the development of an area. The 73rd and 74th CAA of the Indian constitution entitled the local self-governing bodies with the responsibility of master plan preparation. The URDPFI guidelines along with various state-level and national-level laws, acts and policies dictate the process employed in the preparation of master plans across the country. Since India is a developing country, the guidelines, laws and policies in place orient the master planning process employed towards achieving socio-economic and infrastructural development primarily. Even though India had signed the Rio Declaration on environment and development in 1992, the efforts to achieve environmental integration with the planning process was never a priority. In the recent years, due to the pressure exerted on India by the UN, efforts were initiated at the policy level. The National Environment Policy of 2006 was a major step towards mainstreaming environmental concerns into development. But the policy was not successful in integrating various aspects of environment into the planning process. The rigid institutional set-up in the country offers a barrier to the proper integration of environmental aspects with the planning process. The paper aims to analyse the existing planning process with respect to various environmental aspects and tries to identify the gaps in the process due to which the country was unable to achieve proper environmental integration. The paper looks into the existing institutional set-up and various stakeholders involved and tries to define the role of various agencies in the planning process. The paper also looks into the prospects of modifying the existing planning process so as to achieve environmental integration.