Paper was written when Amritsar development Authority was not created and Amritsar Master Plan was in evolution. Paper was written primarily to focus on the need of creating a dedicated agency for promoting the planned development of Amritsar Metroplis. Paper is being published by adding the post srcipt in the already published text

1. COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENTOF AMRITSAR -- NEED FOR A
PLANNING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
**JitKumar Gupta
1. INTRODUCTION
 Cities are reservoirs of skill and manpower. Accordingly, have been reckoned as engines of
growth and development. They have also been reckoned as generators of wealth and major
contributors to the economy. These cities ultimately determine the economic health and
social well being of any society. Accordingly, growth and development of any area, state
and country ultimately depends upon the efficacy, efficiency and productivity of its urban
centers. Considering the contribution of urban India to annual G.D.P. to the tune of 60%,
housing only 31.1% population, clearly indicates the need for improving the operational
efficiency of urban centers. Since operational efficiency of any urban center hinges on its
planned development, therefore, planned development has a major role in improving the
productivity of urban centers. It will be appropriate that major focus should be placed on
the area of planned development of urban centers so that these centers are able to provide
optimum conditions for human beings to live and operate in the most conducive
environment and ultimately help them in improving their productivity and living. In this
background paper looks at the various options and strategies which could be used to promote
the planned development of urban centers in general and Amritsar in particular.
 Amritsar, as one of the premier city of the state of Punjab in terms of economy, trade &
commerce and history, has been considered as the political and religious capital of the state.
Amritsar was the only city at the turn of the century i.e. 1901 when its population recorded
was 1,62,429. Ludhiana’s population at that time was merely one third of Amritsar
population. Even in 1991 Amritsar with a population of 7,08,835 ranked 37 in the entire
country in terms of population. Its share in urban population of the state was recorded as
11.8% second only to Ludhiana, which became a metropolis in 1991 itself. Amritsar over the
years has shown a declining trend, both in terms of its population and economy, despite
enormous potential the city has. City has suffered the most in the turbulent years, which
spanned more than a decade. This is the prime reason for the city recording a declining
growth of only 19.27% in 1981-91 as against 31.19% during the previous decade. City is
likely to attain the status of metropolis in the current census.
 Amritsar, being the hub of trade and commerce at the time of partition of the country and
state, has suffered enormously due to its positioning on the border and hostile neighbors.
Despite all hostility, city has not lost its grandeur, culture and position of power in the state.
Being the home of Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh, it attracts large number of visitors

2. on regular basis. Amritsar has always occupied a prominent place on the visitors list, both
dignitaries and ordinary mortals. It has emerged as an important tourist destination. Walled
city with 12 gates has always been full of life with a typical culture of business and living.
However, with the invasion of automobiles and rapid increase of population besides high
density within walled city, the area has witnessed large scale degeneration in quality of life.
Large number of slums have grown along the wall, right at the entry gates and has adversely
affected the city life and its functioning. With narrow streets, increasing number of
automobiles within the congested walled city, large number of developmental problems are
likely to be witnessed in years to come. It is not only the walled city which has become the
hot bed of unregulated development, but most of the development around the walled city has
also been disorderly. In the absence of proper direction and management, city is suffering
from a syndrome of unplanned, unregulated, haphazard and unauthorized development. In
fact illegal development has emerged as the preferred order of the day. Multiplicity of
agencies operating with an overlapping area of operation, has added to the prevailing
environment of liaise -faire. On this account, city growth and development is marked by a
quality, which is both substandard and haphazard. This kind of growth is adversely
impacting the quality of life in the city and consequently its productivity. Major city areas
are suffering from inadequacies of road network and basic infrastructure and services. There
is, in general, lack of open spaces and social infrastructures. The city life is marked with
duality and contraction where major investment has gone in individual houses but with very
little money going in supporting infrastructure. Movement within and outside the city has
emerged as the major bottleneck. Garbage mismanagement has overtaken the city. The open
drain system is leading to lot of environmental problems, adversely affecting the health of its
residents. City can be said to be plagued by mismanagement. Due to paucity of resources,
authorities are unable to cope with ever increasing demand for increased investment on basic
infrastructures. All this calls for evolving a kind of planning and developmental mechanism
which will effectively take care of future planning and developmental needs of the city. This
is important for tapping the hidden potential of the city, both as a tourist destination as well
as a centre of trade and commerce, for restoring the city to its old and lost glory and to put it
on the pedestal of the leading and premier city of the state not only as a political capital but
also as center of excellence for infrastructures / trade & commerce.
2. STRATEGIES
 Due to the absence of a unified agency for planning and development the planned growth of
the city has suffered enormously. In the current scenario large number of agencies have been
found to be operating without any coordination and without any operational framework. All
these agencies have used the city as a place for generating money with little or no
contribution made towards its development. In fact most of the agencies have operated in a
way which has largely harmed the city growth. In the absence of master plan of the city,

3. developmental of city level infrastructures and services have suffered the most. In the
absence of any uniformity in the planning and developmental norms adopted by the various
agencies in the city, one can see district islands of prosperity within a sea of poverty.
Amritsar Improvement Trust, which did a marvelous job under the Damaged Area Act and
executed schemes like Approach Road to Golden Temple and Jallianwala Bagh has
slackened over the years. Municipal Corporation, which did a wonderful job under the
Municipal Act in the shape of numerous Town Planning Schemes, has become handicapped
due to Supreme Court striking down a Section 192 (1) of the act and corresponding section
of Corporation Act under which one cannot take away land of an individual without paying
compensation. It has also, by and large, failed to control and regulate the growth and
development in a planned manner due to various reasons. Permitting change of land use
from residential to commercial with minuscule charges, has changed the overall character of
the city with all streets without any provision for parking and without any consideration,
whether the streets will be able to take up the traffic load of a commercial use. In fact
municipal corporation bye-laws have played major role in promoting haphazard and
unplanned growth. Lack of enforcement has also lead to the unregulated and unauthorized
sub-division of land resulting in the mushrooming of unauthorized colonies lacking adequate
road network, basic infrastructures, parks, open spaces and space for education, health and
recreation facilities. Due to political patronage and lack of administrative will, most of the
city growth is marked by substandard and haphazard development.
 State of Punjab enacted a comprehensive planning and development legislation in the name
of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development, Act 1995 to promote planned
regional and urban development in the state. The Act provides for setting up of a High
Powered Regional and Town Planning and Development Board under the Chairmanship of
Chief Minister at the state level for evolving policies and programmers for Regional &
Urban development and to aid, advice and assist the state government on all issues related to
urban and regional development. Board is also the agency for declaring planning area for
preparing the Regional plans and Master plans in the state and undertaking the job of co-
ordinating the activities of all planning and development agencies/ authorities to be set up in
the state. Act further provides for setting up of a State Level Planning and Development
Authority in the name of PUDA besides other authorities for new town and for special areas.
For new towns, New Town Planning and Development Authority can be set up and for
existing towns, Special Area Planning and Development Authority. The Authority may be
vested with the function of preparing Master Plans and implementation of master plan
outside municipal limits, vests with the Authority. So far in the state of Punjab only two
local level authorities have been set up i.e.Anandpur Sahib Planning and Development
Authority and Anandgarh New Town Planning and Development Authority.

4.  In the given circumstances and to promote orderly growth of the city of Amritsar it, is
essential that a unified Special Area Planning and Development Authority should be set up
for Amritsar without any further delay. It is beyond the capacity of Municipal Corporation
and Improvement Trust, in its present shape, to take care of the comprehensive development
of the city. It is also impossible for a state level Authority like PUDA to take care of a city
level developmental needs. All local needs of planning and development can be effectively
met by only a local level agency which is close to the people and understands clearly their
needs and aspirations. It would be appropriate that in order to make use of the available
institutional framework, Amritsar Improvement Trust should be declared as a Planning and
Development Authority with its structure changed to bring it in conformity to the
requirements of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act. However,
the Trust would require strengthening in terms of technical/ trained manpower and fiscal
resources to take care of the needs of the planned development. The state town -planning
department through its local offices can provide technical support for preparing the master
plan for the city which would then become the key instrument in promoting the planned
development. Framing the Town Development Schemes under the Act can help in land
pooling and promoting planned development of the city without acquiring the land. Scheme
also helps in generating resources for developing the area without any burden on the local
authority. The Authority being the nodal agency, would oversee the planned development of
the city. Levying of Internal and External Development charges will help in generating
much needed resources for the authority in creating city level facilities. All development
agencies ,both by private and public sector, should be made liable to pay EDC by creating a
city level Development Fund which would help in making available resources for the
Authority. All agencies would be required to take prior permission from the Authority so
that provision made in the master plan are complied with and all infrastructures are created
in the process. Thus it would be essential that for promoting the planned and orderly growth
of the city in future, Planning and Development Authority is created on priority for the city
of Amritsar.
 Seventy fourth Constitutional Amendment Act does provide for creation of a Metropolitan
Area Planning Committee which would take care of the needs of Regional Development.
Metropolitan Area Planning Committee would take care of the needs of Regional
Development of the Metropolitan centers of the country. Amritsar does qualify to be a
metropolitan region and accordingly it is essential that in order to regulate both urban and
rural areas growth of the Metropolis, Authority should also be created. This would help in
the preparation of Metropolitan Area Plan which would provide a basic framework for the
balanced regional growth, rationalizing the migration and working- living relationship
between the mother city and the region ie. rural and urban settlements.

5.  Urban Planning and Development are specialized tasks which require specialized agencies to
discharge them. In the absence of these specialized agencies it is not possible to achieve the
target of planned development. It has been seen that cities have suffered in the absence of
such agencies and their role as engines of growth have been marginalized. As a result the
city economy has suffered and people of the area continue to real under adverse conditions
of living and working. Poverty has invariably been the outcome of life,elusive to majority of
residents. Thus it is essential that mechanism of planned development is effectively used in
promoting the well being of the urban centers. How quickly this is placed in position would
determine the capacity of Amritsar to restore its past glory not only as the premier city of the
state but also its economic and cultural capital.
3. POST SCRIPT
Since this paper was written, Amritsar Master Plan has been prepared in the year 2011 and
Amritsar Development Authority has also been set up, but the city continues to face the
developmental challenges already enumerated above. In certain cases the situation, instead
of improving, has become worst. City continues to face multiplicity of agencies with
overlapping areas of influence. Amritsar Development Authority does not function as local
level authority, but has been made regional level authority catering to districts of Amritsar,
Taran Taran, Gurdaspur and Pathankot besides the urban settlements falling in these
districts. Implementation of the Master Plan within urban limits has been vested with the
Municipal Corporation whereas outside it is given to the Amritsar Development Authority.
Number of Missions/Yojnas have been made applicable to urban areas. Amritsar has been
designated as smart city besides being the only city in Northern India to be recognized as
heritage city under HRIDAY. PMAY, NULM and AMRUT have also been made applicable
to the city. Funds have been allocated by the government to make Amritsar, a role model of
urban development. Under all centrally sponsored schemes, Amritsar Municipal Corporation
has been designated as the nodal agency. However, Corporation neither has the capacity,
capability, manpower nor resources to promote the planned development. Town Planning
Department remains independent of Department of Urban Local Bodies and has been at
variance in approach and understanding of the developmental needs of the city. Amritsar
Development Authority does not have adequate resources and manpower to look after the
planned development of the city. With area of operation extending to four districts, its focus
on Amritsar stands totally diffused. The real purpose of creating a dedicated planning and
development agency for Amritsar Metropolis is already lost. It is time for state government
to rationalize the development of Amritsar, by reconstituting a dedicated agency for the city
and redefine the agenda for the planning and development of Amritsar metropolis in order to
restore its lost glory
 Author:* Jit Kumar Gupta; former Chief Town Planner, Sahara
Prime City Limited# 344, Sector 40-A, Chandigarh-160036.
E.mail: jit.kumar 1944@ gmail.com