Question

What is the planning approach for peri-urban areas, as recommended by URDPFI guidelines?

• A. The plan shall be prepared by the village authority and implemented by the municipal authority
• B. The plan shall be prepared by the municipal body and implemented by the village authority
• C. The plan may be prepared by the village body or municipal authority and implemented jointly
• D. The plan shall be prepared by the municipal body and implemented by the same authority

Hint:

Peri-urban areas sit at the intersection of rural and urban administrative boundaries. The URDPFI guidelines recommend a integrated, joint-implementation approach to prevent uncoordinated sprawl and ensure consistent infrastructure planning.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Concept: The Urban and Regional Development Plans Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines are published by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India. They offer a comprehensive framework for spatial planning, infrastructure standards, and administrative coordination across cities and regions.

Step 1: Defining the Peri-Urban Challenge
Peri-urban areas are transition zones situated at the shifting boundaries between rural countryside and expanding urban centers. These zones experience rapid land-use conversion, population growth, and infrastructure strain. Administratively, they present a challenge because they often sit outside formal municipal city boundaries but are too dense and integrated to be governed effectively by isolated rural panchayats alone.

Step 2: Applying the URDPFI Collaborative Approach
To prevent fragmented and uncoordinated development in these critical transition zones, URDPFI guidelines emphasize inter-agency cooperation rather than isolated planning:
• Plans require input from both rural and urban bodies to ensure land-use zoning aligns with regional growth trends.
• Option (C) is correct: The guidelines recommend that spatial development plans can be initiated and drafted either by the corresponding rural/village body or the contiguous urban municipal authority (often overseen by a regional District Planning Committee or Metropolitan Planning Committee). Crucially, the subsequent development control and enforcement must be implemented jointly through shared jurisdictional mechanisms, ensuring that infrastructure linkages connect smoothly across rural and urban borders.
• Other options create artificial separations between the planning and execution phases, which can lead to coordination gaps and unregulated urban sprawl.