KOCHI: The state government has submitted a review petition against the Kerala High Court order for setting up a Kochi Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and a Metropolitan Planning Committee (MPC). The petition said the government is not willing to form the KMDA, which is not mandated by the Constitution.
However, experts believe that both MPC and KMDA are essential, as the first acts as the brain involved in planning of the Kochi urban agglomeration (UA), and the latter is the body ensuring the implementation of the planned projects.
The government, in its review petition, said that steps have been taken to constitute an MPC for Kochi, as mandated, and the modes of operation and execution of the development activities, their implementation, coordination, and supervision can be independently decided and carried out by the government.
“By only forming MPC, the state government intends to establish a dormant body for its namesake and not do anything for the betterment of the city. A prime example of this exists in the city — the Kochi Metropolitan Transport Authority (KMTA), inaugurated in 2020, which remains inactive till date,” said Richard Rajesh, one of the original petitioners.
“MPC will prepare a development plan for the metropolitan region, and MDA will implement the planned projects. Other cities, including Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, etc, have both these bodies. MPC will remain solely a planning body. The Kerala government is not interested in forming such a development authority and is only interested in the overall development of the state,” said Dr May Mathew, former senior town planner with Greater Cochin Development Authority.
“A study conducted by a consortium of experts from the Kochi area, under the aegis of the ministry of environment, forests, and climate change (MoEFCC), identified an area of 14,931 sqkm, which has been named the Greater Kochi region. According to India’s 1991 census, Kochi UA is a million-person city. As per the census report, this is the only UA in Kerala with a million-plus status in 1991. After the Government of India’s 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992 and Kerala Panchayat Raj and Municipalities Acts of 1994, the Govt of Kerala declared Kochi Metropolitan Area extending to 732 sqkm,” she said.
“The irony is that the area jurisdiction remains the same. With the formation of MPC and MDA, there could be a significant change in Kochi similar to other major tier I cities like Delhi and Mumbai,” she added. Meanwhile, government officials say that for Kochi, forming an MPC or MDA shouldn’t be a concern. Instead, the form and substance of metropolitan regional planning should be changed.
“Kochi still does not have a master plan. Everyone talks about spatial planning, which is limited to the notion of physical planning. Kochi needs “eco-spatial planning”, which is formed of three factors: economic dimensions, ecological dimensions, and power dynamics,” said Dr Ravi Raman, member of the State Planning Board. He also said that we should rescue urban planning from physical and spatial planning. “Only an all-encompassing ‘eco-spatial planning’ can resolve the emerging challenges,” he said.
“The district needs an umbrella agency under which local bodies can coordinate and work. The government is looking at possibilities beyond KMDA. If the government realises the need to form a bigger authority to encompass development, it will form one,” he said.
When asked how MPC will work when Ernakulam has several local bodies and agencies, Raman said, “The government has to make sure that these agencies don’t compete with each other in terms of functions. The functional autonomy for various governance structures should work in a new synergy across governance structures and strengthen local bodies.”