Urban transformation: GIS-based master plan ready for only 152 cities

NEW DELHI, MARCH 8: It was in 2015 that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs rolled out the GIS-based master plan to aid the government’s AMRUT project. The idea was to develop common digital geo-referenced base maps and land use maps by way of geographical information system (GIS) for 500 cities and use that to augment urban revival projects, especially the bolstering of sewage network and water supply.

A sub-scheme of AMRUT, the master plan was allocated Rs 515 crore, and training was imparted to over 2,600 officials. However, eight years later, master plans have been approved for only 152 cities out of the 500. According to the Ministry, a draft plan has been formulated for 146 cities, and plans for 17 cities are on the drawing board. In addition, significant data has been gathered for 433 cities.

The master plan is the major tool for urban land management and provides detailed land use allocation for the sustainable development of a city or town. AMRUT, or Atal Mission Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation scheme, was launched with a focus on establishing key infrastructure for urban transformation.

Now, under AMRUT 2.0, the government has given the nod to build GIS-based masterplans for Class-II towns with a population of under 1 lakh, and Rs 631 crore has been allocated for the same. The scheme, which was launched in 2021, has identified 675 cities for the project.

-TNI