A report on Guntur Zonal Master Plan

Guntur city, located in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh state is a city full of many hues. The Guntur city covers 45.71 sq. km. area and the zone covers 53.72 sq. km area and has a population of about 5.12 lakh. It is a sprouting city with many growth possibilities in the fields of economy, health, agriculture, education and many other sectors due to which it attracts a major count of the state’s population. The Urban Local Body Responsible for the present and possibly the future upliftment of the Guntur city is the Guntur Municipal Corporation (GMC). Guntur was made a municipality in 1866 and the first elected body was constituted in 1881. It was upgraded as a Corporation in 1994 under the Andhra Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act 1984 with the existing municipal limits. The Municipal Administration works to provide Basic civic needs such as conservancy, sanitation and public health, Roads, Health services, Drinking water supply and Street lighting. The ULB has a number of specialized divisions to carry out the tasks. Public Health, Town planning and Administration (General Administration, Accounts, Revenue and Computer cell) divisions carry out these functions.

OBJECTIVE AND NEED FOR A MASTER PLAN IN THE ULB

The most important need of introducing a master plan in any city is indeed to Future Proof it. As the population of the city and its nearby areas increases, the pressure on the city also increases. A master plan tailors and addresses the growing needs of the city and guides the city’s transportation and utilities plans, future land-use patterns and the locations of economic activity for 20-25 years. A master Plan gives directions for the necessary future actions.

The basic objectives of Zonal Development plan should be:

• To look and provide for the future requirement and present backlog of the Shelters in the city to provide for basic housing needs.
• To look and provide for the basic infrastructure services and basic amenities to the present population of the city and plan for the future population needs as well.
• Not neglecting the conservation, heritage and environment aspects of the city and plan for the upgradation of the quality of the environment in the city.
• To engage the population as a part of various community participation programmes and taking into view the immediate needs and requirements of the population catered by the Urban Local Body.
• The Urban Local Body needs to redevelop the existing infrastructure skeleton present in the city rather than planning extensively for the new development, Much attention is required to attend to the weaker sections of the society and the deprived areas of the city in the Zonal Development Plan.
• The Zonal Development Plan should be a model of integration of various aspects of the city development so that various authorities can work on the plan together as an integrated unit so that there are no alterations in the techniques and timings of different authorities for example, Water and sanitation department should be tuned with the Road and Transportation department.

The report was prepared by Ananya Bhatia

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Remaining Carbon Budget

Courtesy Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change (MCC) Click Here for more Information