Assam launches 8 City Action Plans to drive participatory urban governance

Guwahati, Dec 2: The Government of Assam in partnership with Janaagraha has launched eight City Action Plans (CAPs), establishing a new model of participatory urban governance through its 'Doh Shaher Ek Rupayan' programme.

The plans were launched by Jayanta Mallabaruah, Minister of Housing & Urban Affairs in the presence of city leaders, government officials, partner institutions, and civil society organisations.

City Action Plans serve as blueprints for the sustainable transformation of cities. The plans are part of the '10 cities development concept' to address rapid urbanisation in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Tezpur, Nagaon, Nalbari, Dhubri and Silchar.

Minister Mallabaruah said that through 'Doh Shaher Ek Rupayan’, the government wants to guide every city towards planned and structured development.

"These City Action Plans mark the beginning of identifying the real and specific needs of each city and this process will be extended to all 104 urban local bodies in Assam. I believe that the release of these plans is a major reform for the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs," he said.

"If cities continue to work according to these plans, we will provide additional funding. Very often, different departments work in silos, resulting in overlaps and inefficient use of funds. This is why such integrated planning is essential. Janaagraha, with its deep experience in urban planning and development, has supported our department throughout this process. I am confident that each city in Assam will grow in a planned way and evolve into a beautiful and well-managed urban centre. The coming decade will be the decade of urbanisation," he added.

The Minister further said, "We have also begun to prioritise the preservation of urban water bodies. More than 2000 water bodies have been identified so far. The State has introduced The Assam Urban Water Bodies Act to protect and manage these vital assets, and it is now being implemented across all ULBs to ensure their conservation for future generations".

Kavitha Padmanabhan, Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Assam, Department of Housing & Urban Affairs, said, "For the first time in India, a truly city-centric model of urban planning has been adopted. The entire process was shaped through extensive citizen engagement, from consultations with SHG groups to ward meetings led by commissioners and discussions with various departmental stakeholders."

Srikanth Viswanathan, CEO, Janaagraha, said, "This approach and programme design is truly unique in the country. We believe that the 'Doh Shaher Ek Rupayan' programme and the City Action Plans Plan can potentially serve as a model for the rest of India, particularly for mid and small-level cities and towns."