Overview on Metropolitan Planning Committee

A metropolitan area can be considered the prime catalyst that drives the development and economic growth of the country. Planning, execution, and cooperation at the metropolitan levels are essential for water supply, urban transportation, waste management, public health, and policy among numerous other aspects. Moreover, the quantity of services needed in these urban regions is massive.

The creation of Metropolitan Planning Committees is required by the Constitution in every metropolitan region having a population of at least one million or more people.

The importance of metropolitan planning committee is mainly to provide planning and implementation for the whole metropolitan region, and thus it is in charge of preparing draught development plans that synthesise goals stated by regional, state, and federal governments.

Metropolitan Planning Committee

• For every metropolitan area, a metropolitan planning committee is formed to design a development strategy
•  The state assembly has the power to create the mentioned provisions: 

1. The structure of these kinds of committees
2. How representatives of Metropolitan Planning Committee members are appointed
3. Representation of the National government, local and state governments, as well as other organisations in these committees
4. The works of these committees in regards to metropolitan coordination and implementation
5. How chairpersons of these committees are voted into power

• The statute stipulates that two-thirds representatives of a metropolitan planning committee must be appointed from among the members by voting representatives of municipal governments and panchayat leaders in the metropolitan region
• The percentage of these panel members must be proportionate to the population distribution of the metropolitan region’s municipal governments and panchayats
• Such committee heads are accountable for proposing the development strategy to the state authority

Importance of Metropolitan Planning Committee

It considers

• The proposals provided by the Municipal governments as well as Gram panchayat within the metropolitan area
• Issues of similar interests between the Municipal governments and Gram panchayats, such as making synchronised spatial development plans of the region sharing the water as well as other natural and physical resources, integrated infrastructural development, and environmental preservation
• The cumulative goals and priorities set up by the state and central government
• The scope and kind of investments anticipated to be implemented in the metropolitan region by state and central government agencies, as well as any existing resources, either monetary or other
• Engage such organisations and institutions as the Governor might designate

Significance

• The importance of the metropolitan planning committee rises from the expectation of it being a high-level, democratically chosen entity that would offer a constitutional requirement for the full planning and implementation of the metropolitan region
• It creates a prototype of the metropolitan area planning process
• Integration of plans created by municipalities as well as panchayats within the urban region, including area-wide spatial planning
• Management and settlement of common concerns affecting municipalities as well as the panchayats within the metro region, which includes sharing of water resources and other natural and physical resources
• Helps in allocating resources made accessible by the federal and provincial governments to local entities
• Initiatives comprising a substantial proportion of Panchayats or metropolitan regions are scheduled and prioritised
• Local governments are given guidance and help in establishing development plans
• Works as an intermediary to communicate the State and Central governments’ growth targets, strategies, and priorities across multiple local authorities by establishing standard operating procedures that may be included in the relevant local organizations’ strategies
• The Metropolitan Planning Committee members help carry out conflict management and the avoidance of overlap between the numerous agencies functioning in the metropolitan region

Drawbacks

• State administrations are reluctant to hand over their power
•  Being a supra-municipal body, MPC has limits because it lacks employees, funds and executive powers
• MPCs were expected to create the framework for metropolitan government, however, they fail to exist in the majority of situations
• Wherever they exist, their effectiveness is questionable, with the minimal participation of local elected officials creating further worries about democratic decentralisation
• It has failed to recognise that challenges such as disaster risk management, transportation, housing, environmental degradation, and others surpass municipal borders and demand regional-level measures

Remedies to the Drawbacks

• A somewhat more democratic method would be to provide the metropolitan committees with a more competent administration that would include people, funds, as well as executive powers
• This entity might act as a bridge between municipal governments and the state authority
• The 12th Schedule must include housing, transportation, and security
• These functions are currently held by state governments
• Such control gives state governments unrestricted influence over capital-intensive industries, allowing them to effectively dominate cities
• MPCs must now have access to additional financial resources
• Moving to an openly appointed mayoral form of municipal government, similar to that of London, is a long-term goal

Conclusion

Because of the complexities of the metropolitan metropolis, a metropolitan-wide viewpoint, planning, campaigning, and action are required. Water supplies, garbage disposal, transportation and traffic, air pollution control, drainage and so forth are only a few instances of sectors where a single municipality cannot do well all by itself. Therefore, the importance of metropolitan planning committee was envisioned as an inter-institutional forum with comparable goals.

The Metropolitan Planning Committee members are in charge of creating and presenting the development strategy to the state authorities. The inability to form a Metropolitan Planning Committee is considered a violation of the constitution.