Metropolitan Planning Committee (Article 243ZE)

At a Glance

• What it is A committee to plan for a metropolitan area
• Article Article 243ZE
• Elected members Two-thirds, by municipalities and panchayat chairpersons
• Output A draft development plan for the metropolitan area
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Local Government: Panchayats and Municipalities

Where Does It Fit?

This is the tenth topic of the category on Local Government. A large city spreads into neighbouring municipalities and rural areas, so planning for it needs a single body. Article 243ZE provides for a Metropolitan Planning Committee in every metropolitan area.

What Article 243ZE Provides

Every metropolitan area shall have a metropolitan planning committee to prepare a draft development plan. The state legislature may make provisions with respect to the composition of such committees; the manner of election of members; the representation in such committees of the Central government, state government and other organisations; the functions of the committees in relation to planning and coordination for the metropolitan area; and the manner of election of chairpersons. In 2001, the President directed that Article 243ZE does not apply to the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Composition

Two-thirds of the members of a metropolitan planning committee should be elected by the elected members of the municipalities and the chairpersons of the panchayats in the metropolitan area from among themselves. The representation of these members should be in proportion to the ratio between the population of the municipalities and the panchayats in that metropolitan area. Because metropolitan areas include both urban and rural parts, the members are drawn from both municipalities and panchayats, and the state legislature fixes the other members, including representation of the Central and state governments.

Preparing the Plan

In preparing the draft development plan, a metropolitan planning committee shall have regard to: the plans prepared by the municipalities and the panchayats in the metropolitan area; matters of common interest between the municipalities and the panchayats, including coordinated spatial planning of the area, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation; the overall objectives and priorities set by the Government of India and the government of the state; and the extent and nature of investments likely to be made in the metropolitan area by agencies of the Government of India and of the state and other available resources, financial or otherwise. It shall also consult institutions and organisations specified by the Governor. The chairperson forwards the development plan to the state government.

Ministries and Institutions Behind Urban Planning

At the Central level, the subject of urban local government is dealt with by three ministries: Housing and Urban Affairs; Defence, in the case of cantonment boards; and Home Affairs, in the case of Union territories. The Central Council of Local Government, set up in 1954 under Article 263, advises on policy and legislation and on cooperation between the Centre and the states. Training of municipal personnel is supported by national institutions such as the All-India Institute of Local Self-Government (Mumbai, 1927), the Centre for Urban and Environmental Studies (New Delhi, 1967), regional centres in Kolkata, Lucknow, Hyderabad and Mumbai (1968), the National Institute of Urban Affairs (1976) and the Human Settlement Management Institute (1985). The National Commission on Urbanisation (C.M. Correa, 1985-88) examined urban growth. These institutions form the support system within which a metropolitan planning committee works.

Why Separate Bodies?

The Constitution provides separate committees for districts and metropolitan areas because their concerns differ. A district committee blends rural and urban plans in a mixed area, while a metropolitan committee has to coordinate planning where an urban core and its surrounding municipalities and panchayats grow into one system, with national and state investments playing a larger part. The 74th Amendment thus creates two planning bodies at different scales, both drawn from the elected members of local bodies. Both committees are intended to bring planning closer to the people and under elected local representatives.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• Comparison with 243ZD Two-thirds versus four-fifths
• Planning Decentralised planning
• Delhi 2001 direction

What Came Next?

The next topic covers the 97th Amendment Act and co-operative societies.

Key People and Terms

• Metropolitan area Urban region with large population
• Article 243ZE Metropolitan planning
• Coordinated spatial planning Integrated land-use planning
• Two-thirds Elected share
• Draft development plan Proposed plan

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions on this topic usually ask about urban coordination. Use these points to add depth.

• Urban-rural coordination Metropolitan area spans both
• National priorities Plans consider Centre and state
• Representation Municipalities and panchayats
• Limits Not applicable to Delhi