Thiruvananthapuram: Development planning in Kerala is set to receive a heavy dose of technology. Signalling a reform of the decentralised planning process, the Government has decided to take up the preparation of Integrated District Development Plans (IDDPs) using state-of-the-art technology. The district-level plans will form the basis of the Eleventh Five-Year Plan for local bodies.

The new approach will see extensive use of modern technologies like GIS (Geographical Information System), GPS (Global Positioning System) and remote sensing imagery to create digital maps of each district. Sectoral projects and proposals prepared by line departments, local bodies and research organisations are to be integrated to create a spatial plan with a long-term perspective.

The project will follow the participatory approach to planning. Elected representatives, government officials, NGOs and stakeholders will be involved in data collection, analysis and formulation of spatial plans. The pilot project is already underway in Kollam.

The primary data for the IDDPs consists of remote sensing images to assess the land use pattern. The Town and Country Planning Department is finalising an agreement with the Land Use Board to procure satellite images. The secondary data for the exercise includes project reports from line departments, development reports and vision documents from local bodies, and proposals submitted by research organisations.

Principal Secretary of the Department of Local Self Government S.M. Vijayanand said the IDDPs would integrate different levels of planning for regional development. The concept of the new planning method is based on a combination of `top-down' and `grassroots-up' approach as proposed by the National Commission on Urbanisation.

"While the thrust areas will be identified by panchayats, technical support will come from above. It will be the first technology-driven initiative of its kind in the State. We hope to get the project off the ground this year," Mr.Vijayanand said.

The IDDPs will have two basic components. While the first one is a regional perspective plan for 15 to 20 years, the second element is an execution plan for five years.

According to the proposal before the Government, the District Planning Committee will be the apex body for the project, with the Town and Country Planning Department acting as the nodal agency. The organisational set-up would comprise an Integration Committee and a Technical Advisory Committee, both chaired by the District Collector. These would be backed by spatial planning sub-committees and working groups.

Official sources said the integrated district-level plans were designed to rectify the drawbacks of both the conventional town planning approach and the People's Plan Campaign. According to a study reported in the Spatio-Economic Development Record, the 30 development plans prepared by the Town and Country Planning Department over the last four decades were largely a departmental exercise without people's participation. The conventional plans were seldom integrated with the Five-Year Plans, making implementation difficult. On the other hand, the People's Plan Campaign was a success in terms of both public participation and allocation of funds for decentralisation, but lacked a spatial planning approach. No attempt was made to identify a key sector based on the character of the area or to integrate with the allied sector of a local area. Local experience and indigenous knowledge were not taken into account. The campaign witnessed a predominance of individual beneficiary projects rather than ward, panchayat or town level projects, the study reported.

The IDDP project will be followed by a similar exercise in preparing local development plans for panchayats, municipalities and corporations.

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