No reliable data, even govt bodies demand money for info; Kerala urban policy commission at conclave
M Satish Kumar, chairman of the commission, said that due to physiological reasons, the Kozhikode–Kannur–Kasaragod corridor has the capacity to absorb urbanisation that the southern districts cannot.
M Satish Kumar, chairman of the commission, said that due to physiological reasons, the Kozhikode–Kannur–Kasaragod corridor has the capacity to absorb urbanisation that the southern districts cannot.
M Satish Kumar, chairman of the commission, said that due to physiological reasons, the Kozhikode–Kannur–Kasaragod corridor has the capacity to absorb urbanisation that the southern districts cannot.
The Kerala Urban Policy Commission has bemoaned the lack of plausible data in the preparation of the draft report. Speaking to Onmanorama on the sidelines of the Kerala Urban Conclave, M Satish Kumar, chairman of the commission, said that the lack of reliable and accessible data was a significant hurdle.
He recalled how even some government agencies resisted cooperation. “Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC) asked us ₹34 lakh for maps and metadata, though it was for a government study. Not a single civil servant could intervene to get us that data,” he said.
“Urban planning must be evidence-driven. But we were forced to fall back on Census 2011 as our baseline because more recent, decentralised data simply wasn’t available. Data in India is not democratic,” Kumar said.
KSREC functions as an autonomous body under the department of planning and economic affairs. The Chief Secretary heads the Governing body of KSREC. One of the main objectives of the body is to collect and collate data and to guide research, planning and developmental activities on land use and environment.
Sandip Kumar, Director, KSREC was reached for a comment. His office said he was on leave.
KSREC officials, however, said that the body is empowered by a government order to collect the prescribed fee for providing data to government departments or any other agencies. The officials, however, couldn't verify specifically if a request for data was received from the urban policy commission.
While the urban conclave was held to publicise the recommendations of the commission to the civic body representatives and the officials, the LSGD has not made the report public. The report will be presented to the cabinet.
The LSGD issued an order on September 7, sanctioning ₹1 crore to be used from the plan fund of Kerala Institute of Local Administration (KILA) for the conduct of the urban conclave. In addition to this, local bodies were directed to cover the expenses for the travel and accommodation of heads of municipalities and corporations from their own funds.
Satish Kumar, while deliberating on key findings, said that Malabar is set to be Kerala’s new urban frontier as the state’s urbanisation is greatly shifting towards North Kerala. “Southern Kerala has reached its ecological and environmental thresholds. Land and resources are constrained. In contrast, northern districts still have physiographical space to accommodate growth. This is where Kerala’s urbanisation is now heading,” he told Onmanorama at the Kerala Urban Conclave in Kochi.
Kumar noted that this northward shift would finally balance the lopsided pattern of development in the state. “Urbanisation so far has been concentrated in the south, leaving Malabar relatively underserved. The natural progression of cities northward will create a healthier equilibrium,” he said.
Kerala, with nearly 350 census towns, is the second highest in India after Tamil Nadu. These settlements meet all the criteria of being urban — like a minimum population of 5,000 and where 75 per cent of the population is engaged in non-agriculture activities —but remain outside the official definition. “The Centre still has no clear roadmap on how to transition census towns into declared municipalities. In the policy, we have recommended a special transition fund to help them, since many fear losing the centre's various rural development grants if they shift status,” Kumar said.
The policy formulated by the commission aims at a 25-year urban vision, also placing climate change, ageing demographics, and limited finances at the core of planning. “Kerala is ageing fast, and development resources are scarce. Our cities must be made economically sustainable to keep the youth engaged and employed,” Kumar said.
Identifying urban clusters and economic corridors has been one of the commission’s key recommendations. “Kerala has four or five natural growth corridors. Developing their local economic base is crucial for creating jobs and sustaining balanced urbanisation,” he said.