Page 64 - DSOC201_SOCIAL_STRUCTURE_AND_SOCIAL_CHANGE_ENGLISH

Unit 2: Major Segments of Indian Society

through IRDP, NREP and JRY to hold people back in villages. While there is ample justification for Notes
providing rural employment, this by itself is not enough. It is not possible to provide gainful
employment in the agricultural sector beyond a certain point. For this purpose, we have to lay
emphasis on programmes which can permit multifunctional activities to sustain people in cities.
Regional Planning along with City Planning
Urban planning is almost city-centred. We have always been talking of town and city planning
but never of the planned development of the whole region so that population is logically dispersed
and activities are properly distributed. City planning is an ad hoc solution but regional pluming
could be a more lasting one. For example, instead of providing houses to slumd-wellers in cities
through city development authorities, if through regional planning migrants could be diverted to
other areas which may provide attractive employment, the pace of growth of existing cities could
be checked. It is to be appreciated that at least beginning from the Ninth Five Year Plan (1997), the
Government of India has started helping states in setting up regional planning organisations and
evolving meaningful regional settlement plans.
Encouraging Industries to Move to Backward Areas
Land pricing policy which gives land in large chunks at throwaway prices has to be replanned to
encourage industries to move to backward areas/districts. This will also take care of linear
development of metropolitan and big cities. A policy of the state taking over potential high value
land in and around large cities with a view to exploiting its full cost at a later date also needs
serious consideration.
Municipalities to Find Own Financial Resources
People do not mind paying taxes to the municipality if their money is properly utilised to maintain
roads, provide sewage system, reduce water shortage and provide electricity. It is a well known
fact that cities suffer from crippling resource constraints. If deterrent punishment is given to the
corrupt municipality officials, there is no reason why the municipal corporations should find it
difficult collecting money from the residents of a city. A city must bear the cost of its own
development. High financial support from state government is becoming difficult. By revising
property, water and electricity taxes, money can be collected and more money per head per
annum can be made available for providing necessary amenities. When any new industry or
business is located in a city or on its periphery, it could be moderately taxed so that additional
money becomes available to the local body.
Encouraging Private Transport
Why should city transport be a public monopoly? When transport is handled by state employees,
it has been noticed that they tend to behave extremely rudely and callously. Backing of the trade
unions encourages them to go on strikes frequently. It is necessary then that private transportation
be encouraged. Privately operated mini bus and tempo services will charge a little more fare and
commuters would not mind paying this in view of better services.
Adopting Pragmatic Housing Policy
In May 1988, the central government presented National Housing Policy (NHP) to the parliament
which aimed at abolishing ‘homelessness’ by the turn of the century and upgrading the quality of
accommodation to a fixed minimum standard. Such policy sounds too ambitious and utopian. It
is a dream impossible to accomplish in a span of remaining one year or so by which time the
twentieth century will have ended. The government policy and planning has to be more down to
earth. This is not to say that the concept of NHP is irrational. The NHP strategy is broadbased. It
seeks to provide easy access to finance as well as land and materials for building houses at
reasonable rates. It also seeks to encourage manufacturers to use new type of building materials.
Moreover, it seeks to review the entire gamut of laws relating to land tenure, land acquisition and
ceiling to apartment ownership, municipal regulations and rental laws. But these are all thorny

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