49% posts vacant across urban development authorities in Gujarat
At 49.49 per cent, a significant share of sanctioned planning posts across Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) and Area Development Authorities (ADAs) are lying vacant in Gujarat.
Of the total 683 posts on deputation and 457 regular posts sanctioned in the Town Planning and Valuation Department (TPVD), 439 and 125, respectively, are vacant. Lower-level positions, such as Junior Town Planners and Planning Assistants, have the highest vacancies, revealed a report by a high-level committee (HLC) on urban planning under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
'In view of the rapid urban and economic transformation in Gujarat, the capacity of planning and governance in Urban Development Authorities needs to be scaled up and professionalised. Analysis of the current sanctioned planning capacity and required capacity shows a gap in the projected demand and current supply. It is estimated that urban Gujarat would require between 1,300-2,100 planners by 2047 to cater to the projected urban population,' the report highlights.
Taking into consideration the current vacancy rates across planning departments and future demand for higher number of urban planners, the HLC pointed out to the need to 'incrementally bridge the demand-supply gap'.
'It is recommended that the government streamline the hiring processes in the constituted urban and area development authorities and expedite the filling of vacancies and strengthen urban planning capacities,' it suggested.
Among key steps, the HLC has suggested mapping of sanctioned versus filled posts across all UDAs and ADAs, prioritising recruitment in high-growth regions and under-capacitated authorities and establishing a state-level monitoring cell within the Urban Development department to track recruitment progress and address systemic hiring delays.
'The growing scale and complexity of Gujarat's urban transformation driven by high-speed rail, Special Investment Regions (SIRs), smart cities, and large-scale infrastructure indicate that the present structure of the TPVD may require creation of new verticals within the department focused on regional zones and special infrastructure projects,' it further stated.
To effectively steer the urban transformation envisioned under the Viksit Gujarat 2047, there is a long-term need for enhanced institutional capacity of the TPVD, the HLC suggested.
The TPVD is the main technical wing of the state government for urban planning and works under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of the Gujarat government, with the Chief Town Planner (CTP) as head of the department and its jurisdiction covering the entire state. The main aim of the department is to secure a well-balanced and planned development of the major urban centres of the state as well as small and medium towns.
The HLC has also proposed the Gujarat State Urban Observatory (G-SUO) to be housed within the TPVD and operated under the strategic oversight of the Additional Chief Town Planner (Research).
The state urban observatory aims at serving as a statewide urban intelligence network responsible for producing, managing and disseminating high-quality urban data expected to support evidence-based decision-making and policy design for the state government and urban local bodies through a knowledge repository system that it builds.
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