Urban Villages-

Indian Villages- Context, Issues, Options and
Strategies for Rational Development
*Jit Kumar Gupta
** jit.kumar1944@gmail.com
Context;
Villages remain critical and relevant for orderly, rational and realistic development of any
urban areas in general and nation as a whole in particular. Housing large population;
producing raw material for the industry to process; providing food, dairy products and
vegetables essential for human living; housing large manpower ; offering largest market
for consumption and production; having close proximity with nature; housing compact
development and numerically being large in numbers, villages remain critical and valuable
for eradicating poverty, generating employment, minimizing problems of cities/towns and
launching nation on the path of fast trajectory of growth and development. Despite
holding distinct advantages on the canvass of national development, still villages find
little room in the agenda defined for promoting planned development of human
settlements and largely remain marginalized in the options put in place for planned
development. There is tendency to forget that villages are settlements, housing human
beings and today’s village are going to be towns of tomorrow, so accordingly they need
to be rationally planned, developed and managed by equipping with all basic amenities
and services essential for human living. Villages need respect, support and attention for
empowerment and development.
Structure of villages
Structure of villages remains unique and distinct. Unfortunately, villages have never been
rationally and objectively analysed in terms of living, working and meeting basic needs of
human living. Looking objectively, structure of villages remains unique and as one of the
finest examples and role model of planning, development and management of human
settlements embedded with sustainability, which has rarely been understood, appreciated
and made applicable in the planning of urban settlements. Adoption of rural structure for
urban planning would have made urban areas more productive , livable, sustainable and
supportive of environment and ecology. Prevailing problems of global warming and rising
temperature would have been marginalized to a large extent, had the rural model of
growth and development made applicable to structuring of the cities and towns.
Looking at the rural areas, a village is primarily and essentially revenue unit, a basic unit
of administration, having a defined area and a defined boundary of ownership. Villages

are identified by the name and in addition with a number called Hadbast , which remains
unique , distinct and different for each village settlement. While names of the villages
may be repeated at different places in different districts but their Hadbast number
remains specific in any bock and is never duplicated/ repeated. Entire land of a village is
documented and identified by khewat, khatauni, khasra numbers, name of owner- both
single/joint; whether the land is partitioned or sub-divided and in that case owner/owners
thereof; quality of land, irrigated/non-irrigated, means of irrigation, revenue rates, crops
sown, etc. With a well -defined number, allocated to each land parcel, the boundary of
each village is defined. Similarly, the land adjoining these boundaries and forming part of
other villages is also defined. In fact, no piece of land of any village, city , state and nation
remains undocumented and undefined.
Once the entire land is defined, each village has a dedicated land earmarked for the
living / housing of the landowners of the said village, where living needs of the village
are to be catered for. This is known as the Abadi-deh area, which has only single
revenue number. There is no sub-division of the land comprising of Abadi-deh. The area
of the abadi-deh varies with the area of the village and also the number of land
owners/population of the village , in order to ensure that each and every resident has
adequate space for living. The land falling in Abadi-deh is held in joint ownership with
ownership defined based on the landholding, but with no ownership document. Abadi-
deh forms most important part of the rural areas. Boundary of the abadi-deh, is defined
by a line, called Lal Lakir. In addition, to defining the boundary of the village, additional
area is also made available adjoining the lal-lakir , known as Extended lal-lakir/ Extended
Abadi Deh. The area between Lal- Lakir and Extended Lal-lakir is defined by the
ownership , to be used for activities sub-servient to living . It is also used by the owners
to accommodate spillover activities of the abadi-deh area of the village. Further the
extended Lal-lakir is encircled by a path , known as Phirni. Phirni, comprises of a road
encircling the entire village, which provides accessibility within the village and also helps
in connecting village with surrounding villages/cities/towns.it acts like a ring road of the
village, beyond which agricultural land starts. Extent of Abadi-deh is defined only when
consolidation of village land is undertaken, which remains very rare.
In addition, each village has a defined area, known as a Village Common Land, held in
joint ownership of village landowners, which can be used for defined purposes. It is said
commons land constitutes more than a third of India's total land area, which include
grazing grounds, some forest land, ponds, rivers, and other areas that all members of a
rural community can access and use. Common land provides food, water, fodder,
firewood, and livelihoods to rural communities, particularly the poor, while also helping
recharge groundwater and maintain the land's ecological balance. With the growth
population and demand for land increased manyfold, common land were taken over for
industrial and development projects, including roads, mines, power plants, and homes.

Access to the common land and its resources has long been a customary right of rural
communities but that right has been increasingly denied. When communities regain
control, their livelihoods improve, and the land regains its original character. Further,
agricultural land in any village is defined/divided in a manner so that each piece of land
has accessibility and remains approachable. In villages, where land consolidation has
been done, all land holdings under the same ownership, are clubbed together defined by
village rastas, for effective and optimum use of land. In case of villages, where
consolidation is not carried out, land holdings, even under same ownership, remain
scatted, causing numerous problems for undertaking effective agriculture.
Looking at the entire structure, each village has an area, earmarked for living, held in
common, surrounded by the agrictural land under the ownership of people living in the
abadi-area. Thus, villages represent perfect relationship between living and working,
which remains integrated and does not require any mechanized travelling for going from
home to place of work and vice-versa. Further, villages produce everything they need for
living. Abadi-deh represent best option of self-reliance and self-sustainability. Holding
abadi area in common, with no division made, representants the co-operative model of
living in human settlements. Planning urban areas with defined area for human living
surrounded by the dedicated agrictural land, would have helped cities becoming
sustainable, eliminating all the needs to import fruits, vegetables and dairy products from
long distances. In addition, it would have limited the size of the city and eliminating all
possibilities of peri-urban development. Approach would have also been useful in
promoting the idea of co-operative cities, minimizing gap between haves and have-nots.
Achieving sustainability, lowering carbon footprints and protecting and preserving
nature/bio-diversity, would have been much simpler and quicker. In addition, cities would
have been free from large number of problems and would have been better places for
living and working.
Village Typologies
Before identifying the problems/issues related to the villages and taking up the agenda
for planned growth, development and management of these villages, it will be
appropriate and essential to understand their structure, fabric, typologies existing in India.
Villages remain different and distinct whenlooking at the entire fabric of the country. Their
origin, growth, development, culture, structure, avocations, economy, food and pattern of
human habitation is largely driven by the climatic zones in which they are located because
climate has been considered valuable and a major determinant of typology of human
settlements. In addition to considering climate and five climatic zones into which India,
as a nation, has been divided, it will also be critical to study the location of such villages
in terms of topography and terrain. Villages in the hill areas remain different and distinct
from villages located in the plains, in terms of population, size, spread, activities, housing,
pattern of living and earning, employment, economy etc., While villages in hill areas

remain small and widely spread, villages in the plain areas remain large in size and
spread. Similarly, villages which are in close proximity to urban areas remain invariably
dense, showcasing numerous shades of urban culture and activities, as compared to
villages which are located away from the urban areas. Pattern of village development
also, varies based on size of the mother city, in proximity to which such villages have
location. Thus, based on these factors and variations, it will be appropriate to redefine
the typologies of villages based on which the issues/roadblocks faced by villages could
be identified and options for their rational development could be put in place. However,
all villages remain different and distinct and would need detailed study and in-depth
analysis for identifying the developmental issues/challenges faced by them, before
putting in required strategies and options for their planned development.
Based on physical and situational analysis , Indian villages can be divided into three
broad categories, Urban Villages; Urbanisable Villages and basic Villages as briefed
below;
 Urban Villages; This category of villages includes and involve those villages,
which were earlier located on the fringe of urban settlements and later on, due to
subsequent, growth, development, expansion of urban areas or due to extension
of the municipal boundaries, such villages came within the fold of urban
areas/limits of a statutory constituted urban local authority. In addition, it also
includes such villages ,which form part of the area selected for development of
new townships/green field development or areas selected for the expansion of
the existing new/old townships. undertaken by the parastatal agencies/
developers. Such villages are known as the urban villages in the parlance of
Indian planning vocabulary. These rural settlements, in majority of cases, don’t
have any agricultural land left with them, which is purchased / acquired primarily,
by the parastatal agencies for meeting the various needs of the urban
development.
 Urbanisable villages. Urbanisable villages, includes and involve those villages,
which don’t form part /fall within urban limits of any urban local bodies ,established
under any statute. including; Nagar Panchayat; Municipal Council, Municipal
Corporation or Cantonment Board These villages invariably have spatial location
outside the notified urban boundaries. However, these villages form part of and
are spaced in the local/regional planning area, declared under any statute, for
the purposes of preparation of the Development Plan/ Master Plan/Regional Plans
of the declared area. However, in these plans, villages which are located beyond
the existing urban limits but are proposed to be urbanized over the years due to
future growth and development of the existing city/town, are known to be
urbanisable villages.

 Basic Villages; Third category of villages, are the remaining villages which don’t
fall under any of the above mentioned two categories including urban villages
and urbanisable villages. These basic villages, by virtue of their location, have
little chance of coming into the urban-fold or being impacted by the urban culture
in the near future and accordingly remain free from numerous urban malice. These
villages represent true breed of Rural India.
Issues involving various typologies of Villages;
Based on the studies made and analysis carried out all the three different
typologies of villages defined above, face numerous challenges/issues related to
their growth and development. These issues largely remain the outcome of the
close interaction between urban and rural settlements leading to change in the
culture of rural settlements. Factors distinguishing the urban and rural settlement
are known to be the intensity, number and concentration of human beings and
typologies of physical/ social/economic activities taking place in such settlements.
Urban areas are marked by high intensity and concentration of such activities
within a given physical space as compared to rural areas, which distinguishes and
make them different and distinct. In the absence of integrated approach, both
urban and rural settlement face numerous development and operational
challenges. In case , urban villages come to be located within well- planned,
residential/commercial neighbourhoods- like in the city of Chandigarh- these urban
villages have created havoc for the adjoining well-planned residential /commercial
neighbourhoods and the smooth operation of the city. Challenges faced by the
various categories of villages are enumerated below.
 Urban Villages; Devoid of entire land resource meant for agriculture and left with
only abadi-deh area, urban villages in the Indian context, undergo rapid
transformation in their fabric, structure, culture, activities, pattern of growth and
development, due to coming into urban-fold and rapid urbanization taking place
around them. In the absence of applicability of appropriate rules and regulations
of development/construction of buildings, lack of adequate management
mechanism, high degree of politicization and vote bank politics, these villages face
perpetual neglect by local bodies, which has focus on urban areas. With the
unplanned development, urban villages, are plagued by and suffer from numerous
developmental hiccups and operational problems such as;
- Growth and development of abadi-deh area of urban villages is marked by high
degree of intensification and densification.
- Devoid of any agricultural land, pattern of activities shifts from agriculture to non-
agriculture and primary to secondary.

- Urban villages are distinguished and marked by large scale migration with
majority of original residents moving out and large number of urban residents
coming into village for living and working.
- Urban villages invariably record enormous rise in land prices due to large scale
land speculation, leading to commercialization of the area.
- Because of coming into the urban fold, urban villages showcase major impact of
urban culture, due to spacing of urban businesses and trades.
--Offering distinct advantages of comparatively cheaper rental options and
availability of larger space, urban villages become attractive destination for
shifting of trade and commerce, primarily led by ready/available market and close
proximity to surrounding urban development.
-- Urban villages showcase high intensity development. However, haphazard and
unplanned development remains the hallmark of such development
-Due to concentration of large urban activities and inadequate road widths; urban
villages face issues related to mobility, traffic and transportation and acute
shortage of parking etc.
- Coming into urban fold, Urban villages become centers of the informal urban
economy and a perennial source of environmental pollution.
- Urban villages remain distinguished by lack of basic infrastructure and services,
high residential/population density; mixing of incompatible land uses and poor
quality of life. In addition to suffering from the problems of congestion, growth and
development, these villages have been found to create major problems of
development in the adjoining areas, where these villages are located.
 Urbanisable Villages; This category of villages, despite the fact having location
in the urban hinterland, are eventually mandated to come within the urban fold in
the near/distant future, with the expansion of the cities. In fact, these are the urban
villages in the making/ future urban villages, considering their proximity to the
urban centre for which master plan/development plan/regional plans are prepared.
Villages, located in close proximity of the urban limits invariably form part of the
peri-urban areas. Land within the Abadi-deh area of these villages command high
premium because such land is considered safe because in majority of cases such
land remains exempted from the operation of the limitations imposed on land for
undertaking development and change of land use. Accordingly, land in these
villages remain valuable and commands high premium in the real estate market.
In addition to the land under abadi-deh, agricultural land of the village also
undergoes rapid change in land use under the impact of rapid urban development.
Since land beyond the urban limits remains outside the purview of urban local
bodies and is not subjected to rigorous developmental controls/building bye-
laws/sub-division regulations, , such land commands preference from institutions/
developers, due to lower prevailing land prices as compared to land within urban

limits and availability of large parcels of land for development. Urbanisable villages
like urban villages also suffer from numerous problems involving land speculation,
non-conforming land-uses, haphazard and unplanned development, lack of basic
amenities and services, narrow streets, problems related to efficient mobility,
traffic and transportation, lack of parking, problems of pollution and congestion,
existence of poor quality of life etc. However, the scale and intensity of these
problems goes on gaining momentum with the reduction of distance between
urban development and urbanisable villages
 Basic villages; Basic villages , by virtue of their location, have little chance of
coming into the urban-fold or being impacted by the urban culture in the near
future and accordingly remain free from urban malice. These villages represent
true hue and culture of rural India. Despite being free from the urban related malice,
these villages suffer from development and infrastructure blues. These villages
largely represent a state of development which remains low and devoid of basic
amenities and services. These villages don’t have the pressure of population and
development activities. In majority of cases such villages suffer from the problem
of limited accessibility and connectivity with nearby urban areas/ villages. Land
values remain low and land speculation remains limited. Quality of housing also
remain largely of low quality. Eduction and health facilities remain marginalized.
The economic fabric of these basic villages is largely marked by poverty, low level
of skilling and large scale unemployment. In number of cases such villages remain
prone to natural and manmade disasters including flooding on regular basis. In
the absence of assured irrigation facilities, the agriculture largely depends upon
the monsoon. Agricultural practices remain ancient/outdated leading to lower
productivity and lower return/income from agriculture. These villages are generally
ignored by parastatal agencies for development and growth. Because of low level
of development, these villages offer better chances of planned growth and
development, provided adequate attention and technical know-how is made
available for empowering these villages
Chandigarh experiment with urban Villages;
 Capital city of Chandigarh, known for innovations and experimentation in the
domain of urban planning, state of art architecture and urban management , was
planned for a population of 5 lakh . Considering the absence of adequate
opportunities for employment and industrialization, entire planning and
developmental framework of the new city was divided into two distinct stages of
land acquisition and city development. Stage-I, was planned and designed for a
population of 1.5 lakh ,spread over an area of 9,000 Acres; whereas Stage -II,
was mandated to be planned for housing remaining 3.5 lakh future residents of
the new city, spread over 6,000 Acres.

 Master Plan of Chandigarh ,2031; made a detailed study and analysis of the
impact of villages falling within UT; historical perspective of the said villages;
growth pattern of existing villages; rules made applicable regarding regulating
constructions of building within the Abadi areas, impact of these villages on the
growth and development of adjoining sectors of Chandigarh and the problems
these villages have created in terms of urban development; mobility and
transportation, parking, availability of basic infrastructure; quality of life etc. Master
Plan has also come-out with suggestions/developmental framework regarding
regulating the unplanned and haphazard development, for putting these villages,
falling within/outside the planned sectors of the city, on the path of recovery and
rational development
 City of Chandigarh was planned on a new site, selected under the shadow of
Himalayas, enclosed/lapped by two choes; namely Sukhna Choe and Patiali-Ki-
Rao. Stage-I of the city was built on a clean slate, without existence of any
physical encumbrances. Not only the entire agricultural land, but also the area
falling under the Abadi-deh of all the 29 villages, coming within the site identified
for Stage -I, were acquired and taken up for development, as part of the city
planning process. Land defined for Stage-II contained four villages and ,contrary
to the policy adopted for Stage I ( where land falling under both agricultural land
and Abadi-deh was acquired); in the case of Stage -II, while agricultural land of 4
villages was acquired, but area under Abadi-deh/habitable Area, was excluded
from the acquisition process. The reason, that led to exclusion of Abadi-deh area
from acquisition was based on the premise that such acquisition of Abadi-deh land
would cause undue hardship/dislocation to the large number of residents of the
said villages . To meet these contingencies and to ensure provision of appropriate
infrastructures and amenities to the residents, area under Abadi-deh was
proposed to be integrated and made integral part of the city planning and
development process. In addition, the residents of the villages were also promised
to share the social and physical infrastructure, including education and healthcare
etc. with the adjoining residential sectors for meeting their basic needs of skilling,
literacy and physical well-being.
 For checking and eliminating the haphazard development in the habitable areas/
Abadi-deh area of four villages, they were notified/declared by the Chandigarh
Administration, as ‘Site of the Capital’, under the provisions of the Capital of
Punjab (Development and Regulation) Act, 1952. However, Abadi-areas of the
villages were excluded from the purview and applicability of Punjab Capital
(Development and Regulation), Building Rules 1952. Accordingly, Abadi-deh
areas were not made subjected to any regulation, control and monitoring in order
to ensure that the construction of buildings in Abadi-deh/ habitable areas of

villages were as per the prevailing bye-laws ,despite the fact that these areas
constituted integral part of city.
 Considering the present status of Chandigarh, union territory of Chandigarh has
in position 23 villages falling within 114 sq kms of area. As it stands today, these
villages have been made part of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation by
extending the municipal boundaries .For all intent and purposes, these villages
are now urban. In the planning of Chandigarh; 70 Sq kms of area stood marked
for capital city whereas remaining 44 Sq kms of area, formed part of the Periphery
Controlled Area. However, over a period of time, Chandigarh administration has
taken up large number of schemes/projects related to urban development within
the Periphery Controlled Area, including the extension of Chandigarh Phase-III,
comprising of sectors 49-56; setting up IT City; developing Rehabilitation
Colonies for slum dwellers, Milk Colony, Education City, Film City etc., despite the
fact, use of land under periphery was prohibited for urbanization, as per The
Periphery Controlled Area Act, 1952.
 Considering the location of villages vis-a-vis the Chandigarh city; for studying the
impact of villages on the development of the capital city of Chandigarh and vice-
versa, these 23 villages have been divided into two distinct categories. First
category comprises of 6 villages, which have location within the planned sectors
of the city (Site of the Capital) whereas other category, represents villages falling
out-side the planned sectors forming part of Periphery Controlled Area). While 4
out of 6 villages namely; Burail (Sector 45) .Badheri (Sector 42), Buterla (Sector
42) and Attawa (Sector 42) form part of Stage-II of Chandigarh, whereas
remaining two villages Kajheri (Sector 52) and Palsora (Sector 56) form part of the
Phase–III of Chandigarh development.
 In order to regulate building construction in these villages, Chandigarh
Administration issued directions, from time to time, relating to the height and land
use of buildings. In addition, running of dairies and keeping milch cattle from Abadi-
deh area of 6 villages, was prohibited for creating appropriate living environment
in the villages and separating animals from human living.
 With the creation of the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh (MCC) in July 1994,
initially nine villages were brought under the control of MCC , but later on with the
extension of municipal limits spanning over the entire area of union territory,
remaining 14 villages were also transferred from Gram Panchayats to
Chandigarh Municipal Corporation.
 In order to rationalize the development within the Abadi-deh area, in 2006, “The
Chandigarh Administration (Erection & Re-erection of building) Rules, 2006, were
framed and made applicable to regulate the construction and use of land falling in
Abadi-deh areas of the villages falling under the Municipal Corporation of
Chandigarh”. These Rules were notified on December 27, 2006. These Rules were
extended to cover the entire unacquired area of the revenue estates of villages

comprised/included in the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh, including the area
under Abadi -deh. These rules were amended from time to time.
 Rules framed lacked objectivity and contained large number of anomalies in the
terms of of height and ground coverage permitted, which were at variance and in
contradictions to the height and coverage permitted in the planned area of the
adjoining residential sectors, in which these urban villages were located. Instead
of rationalizing the development and avoid densification and intensification of
villages and retaining their basic character, the development rules framed for
villages were meant to increase population density and intensity of developmental
activities within the Abadi-deh areas. As against the permitted height of 32’- 3”
for residential buildings within planned sectors, Municipal Rules permitted
maximum building height to 34 feet. Based on relaxation permitted, height of
buildings could go up to 45 feet, as an incentive, if owners along the entire street
surrendered 4 feet 6 inches of land, on both sides of the road for street widening.
 Rules also permitted private developers, undertaking redevelopment of in any part
of an existing village, with maximum height of 72 feet ( constructing buildings up
to 7 storeys) for residential uses and 58 feet for commercial buildings, subject to
fulfilling certain specified conditions.
 Over a period of time, these rules created anomalous situations leading to high
degree of densification of the already congested Abadi area besides promoting
non- conforming uses on large scale . In the absence of effective enforcement,
these rules have been violated with impunity and have emerged as the major road-
block and source of nuisance for the adjoining planned area. Irrational building
rules have led to promoting a culture of unauthorized development with large scale
unauthorised and sub-standard development taking place within/outside villages.
In some of the villages, unauthorized development ,beyond the Abadi areas, has
been recorded to be nearly three times more than that of Abadi area. Village Daria
which has only 4 acres of area under Abadi deh; has already recorded 102 acres
of unauthorized construction around it. Proximity to the railway station, has led to
construction/mushrooming of large number of godowns /commercial
establishments coming up in and around the village Daria, in violation of the
Periphery Control Act,1952 .
 Based on the data sourced, villages in Chandigarh have recorded high rate of
growth in the last decade. During the 1991 -2001 decade, the rate of population
growth of rural Chandigarh was recorded to be almost four times more than that
of the Urban Chandigarh, for the reason, these villages were found to meet some
of the unmet demand for cheaper housing, cheaper land, freedom from
development rules and regulations; low cost of living/doing business ; ease of
doing business, lack of enforcement etc.
 Considering the large population pressure, rural areas of Chandigarh are likely to
be subjected to increase in development pressure in the years to come, due to

lack of space within the sectoral grid and developmental pressure generated by
the neighboring towns of Mohali, Panchkula, Khara, Zirakpur, Dera Bassi etc.
The construction/extension of major roads, along which these villages fall, is also
adding to the intensity of development in these villages.
 Villages falling within the fully developed sectors, having no scope for horizontal
expansion, are fast expanding /growing vertically, changing the morphology of the
area/city/sectors in which such villages are situated.
 Deprived of the cultivable land and barred from keeping livestock, the inhabitants
including migrants to these villages have switched to a wide diversity of
occupations and activities based on the opportunities offered by Chandigarh. In
fact, these villages are no longer villages, but have become as urban bastis
/mohallas /colonies with transformed socio-economic fabrics reshaped through
interaction with the city.
 In the absence of effective development controls and lack of enforcement, these
villages have transformed from merely residential to mixed land use and that too
in a haphazard and unplanned manner. Most villages are experiencing
mushrooming of large number of shops, catering to the basic needs of the
inhabitants and specific needs of not only the villages but also that of the capital
city of Chandigarh also.
 Due to low operational costs, majority of the wholesale business dealing with
different commodities have also been shifted and are operating from these
villages. Even small scale manufacturing, including preparing eatables/sweets
and snacks, which are sold in the city, is also being carried out in these villages.
 Three villages namely; Burail, Badheri and Buterla, located within the residential
sectors, are known to house extensive commercial activities, ranging from
retreading of tyers, car repair, welding, furniture making, selling TVs, upholstery,
etc., along wider peripheral roads with incidental shops and godowns operating
from the narrow internal streets.
 Commercial activities, including Illegal godowns/commercial establishments,
spilling onto the residential areas of the adjoining sector, have emerged as a major
source of nuisance. Illegal godowns/commercial establishments located on narrow
streets with Commercial activity operating from upper floors, having improper
access, are causing enormous problems regarding safety and mobility of people
and goods.
 Location of large number of business/manufacturing units in the absence of
adequate parking is causing enormous congestion on the shopping streets of the
adjoining planned residential sectors. Rapidly increasing ownership of vehicles
and influx of large number of goods/passenger vehicles visiting these villages, has
led to conversion of all available open spaces into parking lots. .

 Large scale conversion of Residential houses into cheap dormitories/single room
tenements - sometimes housing as many as 27 families accommodated in a 12
Marla house- with provision of only one kitchen/toilet- per floor, has caused high
degree of congestion and insanitary conditions in Abadi area. The rooms used for
human habitation invariably lack access to natural light and ventilation , causing
problems of health and hygiene.
 High-rise Guest Houses/Hotels are fast mushrooming in the villages across the
city with little care for parking, congestion, safety, security, air, light and ventilation.
Considering large number of students coming for education /coaching into the city,
these spaces are being used regularly by institutions for boarding and lodging of
the students undergoing coaching.
 Working-class people, unable to afford high rents prevailing in the residential
sectors, find spaces in villages more affordable due to availability of cheaper
accommodation in rural areas, adding to further congestion.
 In the absence of adequate checks and balances, majority of construction remains
substandard and unsafe. With structural safety commanding low priority, life and
property remains in perpetual danger
 In the absence of adequate road space and buildings being constructed on both
sides , with no provision made for parking , village areas are facing perpetual
problem of mobility, traffic congestion and pollution in the area.
 Makeshift arrangements made for drawing electricity, through loose hanging
wires, remains an open invitation to disaster.
 Mushroom location of mobile towers, violating all prescribed norms, placed on the
residential building; dairies and manufacturing units operating from villages
besides mushrooming of non-conforming uses, have emerged as the greatest
safety concern for the residents of villages.
 Poor hygiene/ sanitation/garbage disposal with open storm water drains, leading
to creation of stench and filth, are known to cause unhygienic conditions, posing
great health hazard for the residents.
 Prevailing high land values and large scale land speculation has led to
commercialization/conversion of available open spaces leading to acute shortage
of open spaces.
 Under the impact of haphazard and unplanned development; prevailing quality of
life in these villages remains poor and of lower order.
 Intensity of unauthorised development in these villages remains positively related
to ease of accessibility, location of traffic nodes and proximity to commercial
centers/ work centers, .
 Villages close to Sukhna Wild Life Sanctuary are being subjected to extensive
development activities, leading to considerable loss of flora and fauna around

the sanctuary, posing serous threat and challenge to the eco-system of Sukhna
lake.
Other Major Problems identified by the Master Plan. 2031, Related to Chandigarh
Villages;
 Illegal changes of land use
 Encroachments on public land
 Inadequate infrastructure
 Open drains, poor garbage disposal and sanitation
 Discharge of sewerage into choes
 Filling up of existing ponds/poor maintenance of surviving ponds
 High degree of traffic congestion,
 Large scale non-conforming industrial activities
 Lack of structural safety measures in construction
 Disposal of cow dung into open drains
 Flooding and poor availability of air, light and ventilation for healthy living
 High fire prone areas
Suggested framework for rationalizing the development of Urban Villages falling
within Sectoral Grid;
 Preparing Development Plan for each village; Master Plan Chnadigarh,2031
has proposed that all 6 villages falling within the city grid/site of the capital, and
forming part of sectors, should be planned and developed based on detailed
survey conducted for these villages; involving; existing land use, building
character/height of buildings, ownership;Government /Community land,
Community Facilities / Places of Worship, Open Spaces, Sewerage, Drainage,
Electricity, Road Network, Encroachments etc. While planning, care shall be taken
to ensure that commercial establishments, if any, should be allowed to serve the
needs of those living in the village and developed, in a manner that they do not
open onto main roads and have adequate parking
 Respecting history, unique character of the old Abadi deh of each village
and try to preserve and maintain its best features; Each village of Chandigarh
is dotted with temples, religious buildings, community spaces, old mango groves
and water tanks which provide a distinct character to these villages. These village
icons shall invariably be protected and preserved as integral part of village
development process.
 Retaining the rural character; Few villages still retain their basic character,
carrying out agricultural activities, primarily due to limited impact of urbanization.
These villages should be planned and developed based on principle of retaining,
protecting and promoting their rural character.
 Ensuring energy efficiency in Villages; While undertaking planning of villages,
care shall be taken that new order of village planning defined, shall have focus on

making all these villages a role model of rural development by making them energy
and water efficient by introducing measures such as; use of solar energy,
producing bio- gas , ensuring rain water harvesting, adopting green building
concepts, augmenting green spaces, making appropriate provision of storm water
drainage etc. for addressing the problem of energy, flooding, open spaces etc.
 Strengthen the basic infrastructure in villages; Planning of villages shall
invariably be based on the premise of making available basic infrastructure and
essential services to all the residents of the villages, in terms of piped water
supply, sewerage, storm water drainage and paved streets for providing durable
streets and better drainage system, besides installing solar street lighting as a
measure to conserve non-renewable energy resources and institutionalizing
sanitation and cleanliness
 Promoting Rural Tourism; For generating opportunities of gainful employment,
planning of villages shall also be geared to promote tourism and make villages
hub of rural tourism/ tourist destinations, duly supported with the provision of
tourism related infrastructures and amenities for rendering quality services to the
tourists.
 Framing model building bye-laws for the villages; In order to rationalize the
growth and development of villages and to regulate the buildings to be constructed
therein, a set of well- defined building bye-laws shall be put in operation for
addressing the specific need of these villages and retaining their basic character.
The bye- laws for villages shall be framed after wide consultation with the rural
population and experts having knowledge, understanding, expertise, skill and
experience of rural development. The model building byelaws framed by the
Government of India shall also be considered while framing the rules. The bye-
laws should invariably address the issues related to land use, height, coverage,
set-backs, projections, air, light and ventilation, urban design, structural design,
ethnicity, water conservation sustainability etc., besides integration of villages
with he surrounding development.
Suggested framework for rationalizing the development of Urban Villages falling
outside sectoral grid; In addition to suggesting framework for development of the
Abadi-deh are of 6 villages, Chandigarh Master Plan 2031; has also made
recommendations and defined strategies/options which need to be used for planning
of remaining 17 villages falling outside the defined urban area/sectors. These strategies
include and involve;

 Preparing Development Plan for each village; The growth and development of
the villages falling outside the sectoral grid, shall also be guided by preparing
detailed plan of such villages, based on detailed study and mapping, as
suggested in the case of villages falling within the sectoral grid. These
Development Plans shall include and involve not only meeting the existing
requirements but also will accommodate the future needs of living, working,
leisure, healthcare, education and employment. The development shall focus on
making the villages self- contained and self -sustaining in terms of all human
needs.
 Maintaining the basic Character ; Basic character of the villages shall be
identified, analyzed, preserved, conserved and promoted, while detailing out the
planning and development strategies. Besides creating basic infrastructure, quality
of life shall be the guiding feature of the development. Part of the area around the
Abadi deh shall be identified for future growth and development.
 Defining Planning Parameters; For rational development, defining planning
parameters shall also form integral part of rural development. Land-uses leading
to increased employment opportunities shall be made integral part of the planning
strategy.
 Integrating the existing development of area inside/ outside Abadi ;Village
planning framework shall also look at the possibility of integrating the existing
development outside the Abadi-deh with the Abadi-deh area, to bridge the
existing gap of community facilities, open spaces, upgrading the social and
physical infrastructure of these villages.
 Providing basic infrastructures; Chandigarh administration should continue to
make available basic infrastructure in terms of healthcare, eduction etc. for the
residents living in the villages irrespective of their development status.
 Unauthorised construction; Largescale illegal residential/ commercial
construction, existing outside Abadi-deh area, in the agricultural area, regulated
under the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act 1952, without obtaining
permissions, continue to be treated as unauthorized construction. Based on the
legal opinion, development of the area including unauthorised development
should be permitted/made in accordance with the principle/pattern defined in the
draft Master Plan. However, basic amenities like water supply, sewerage etc.
should be made available, on temporary/provisional basis without recognizing the
right of such unauthorised construction for regularization.
Looking at the entire context of managing the villages falling within the Chandigarh capital
city, it can be seen that stage -I of the city involving sectors 1-30 ( where entire land
including land under Abadi area of the villages was acquired) represent much better,
cleaner and orderly development , when compared to the development of Stage-II

sectors 31-47 ( where area falling under Abadi – deh of 4 villages was exempted from
acquisition). The villages left from acquisition in Stage-II , have emerged as the greatest
eye-sore, adversely impacting the planned character of the city. The manner, intensity
and speed at which these villages are growing, in a haphazard/unplanned manner, pose
the greatest challenge/threat to the planned character and operation of the city. Irrational
bye-laws, framed for regulating the construction of buildings , have invariably led to
intensification of the land- utilisation in these village , besides encouraging vertical
development, contrary to all the prescribed norms specified for planned development of
capital city. All innovative planning and development principles, applied in case of
Chandigarh, were ignored, marginalized and diluted while regulating the development of
these villages. Absence of adequate dedicate mechanism/building bye-laws for the
villages, have led to mushroom growth coming up in these villages.
Handing over the management, development and regulation of the construction of
buildings to Chandigarh Municipal Corporation, was the greatest mistake ever committed
in the parlance of Chandigarh governance, which has led to promoting development
crisis in the city. Despite the fact, city was provided with best of planning input but the
villages falling within the city, were left without any planning and development options.
Villages were never considered and valued for its context, impact, influence , role and
importance in maintaining the planned character of the city. Looking at the manner in
which villages have been allowed to grow and develop, following haphazard and
unplanned pattern of development, it appears that the context, gravity, role and
importance of villages and their integration with the development of the city was never
realistically considered, understood and appreciated. City of Chandigarh is rapidly
moving to a situation, where it will remain both difficult and complex to induct a culture
of orderly and planned development. These villages are likely to pose greatest
challenge/threat/ create development crisis in the future growth of the city; revolving
around ; unplanned/sub-standard development; high population density, high congestion
of both people, buildings and activities, poor quality of life; lack of safety against
manmade and natural disasters; poor mobility; aggravating problems of traffic and
transportation, inadequate infrastructure and service. However, the message remains
loud and clear, that context of villages, coming into urban fold and located in close vicinity
of urban areas, needw to be rationally considered, appropriately analyzed and properly
integrated so that villages and cities remain mutually supportive, making value addition
to the process of urban and rural development besides promoting quality of life. In this
context role and relevance of periphery in regulating the growth and development of
villages needs to be studied, evaluated and made use of , for rationalizing the growth and
development of villages having close connectivity with urban centers.
Options for Developing villages;

Villages have been part of human history, growth and development. Villages are going
to stay, till human beings remain on this planet earth. Being the cradle of human living,
growth and development, villages need care, caution, support and empowerment.
Villages need to be valued , both as a cradle of culture and basis for entire humanity, and
accordingly need focused attention and dedication of architects, planners, professional
and administrators. No nation globally has become great by ignoring its villages. Majority
of ills/problems faced by cities, has genesis and is the outcome of the policy/approach
put in place to marginalize the villages. Developing nations, remain in crisis simply for the
reason, that they promote and pamper cities by ignoring, diluting and marginalising its
villages.
Considering rapid growth and development of cities, and future projections made for
rapid and massive urbanization, it can be safely concluded that large number of villages
will either acquire the status of towns/cities or many villages will go into the urban fold ,
due to uncontrolled growth/expansion of cities or due to extension of urban limits. It
needs to be understood and appreciated that large number of today’s villages, are going
to be towns/cities of tomorrow. Looking at the existing scenario, there exists close
relationship between both the urban and rural settlements and accordingly calls for
making villages integral part of urban planning and development process. Even where
urban and rural areas don’t remain directly connected , still considering the context of
villages, they deserve to be treated with care and caution and require empowerment by
providing the benefit of planned and orderly development duly supported by provision of
all the basic necessities, essentials for quality human living.
In order to launch Rural India on the fast trajectory of planned growth and rational
development, it will be important and relevant to understand different typologies of
villages existing in India, their relationship and context with urban counterparts. All three
typologies of villages namely; urban villages, urbanisable villages and basic villages
defined above , despite being villages in its own right, has different contexts and
challenges and accordingly would need different options for its rational growth and
development. Unfortunately, in the Indian context, very little focus has been given and
effort has been made in the planning profession to evolve appropriate strategies to
rationalize the growth and development of villages in a planned manner. In majority of
cases, effort remains focused on growth and development of the urban areas , leading
to marginalization of villages. Even large number of villages, notified as integral part of
long-term urban planning, in the shape of Master Plans/Development Plans , don’t find
any reference/space regarding their planning, growth, development and management in
such plans, which remain focused only on the core city. Only few Master
Plans/Development Plans, contain reference to villages included in the planning areas,
but even those reference made in the margins remain diluted and muted.

Considering the fact that majority of ills, problems and challenges facing/plaguing the
urban areas have genesis in the neglect of rural areas/settlements, accordingly ,it will be
appropriate that rational and planned growth and development of such villages, should
be made integral part of the urban planning process. In fact, all villages need to be
included in the parlance of planning so that they are provided with appropriate quality of
life, gainful employment and all basic amenities/infrastructure/services related to
healthcare, education, leisure besides roads, water supply, sanitations, solid waste
management etc. which are considered and valued as essentials for quality human
living.
Before defining the agenda of the growth and development for each category of villages,
specifically and individually, it will relevant and prudent to state few of the broad
principles which should be universally made applicable to all the villages existing in the
country, irrespective of its location, size, shape etc. Adoption of these principles of
planning and development shall invariably help in easier integration of the villages with
urban areas, as and when such villages come into the urban fold. These principles will
help in maintaining the basic character of village without losing their identity and culture ,
as and when they will be spaced within the urban limits. In addition, it will help in taking
away majority of urban ills besides making the urban growth more rational and orderly.
These principles could be defined as;
 All villages existing in India, should be mapped to scale, using GIS technology
/satellite imagery, in terms of its location, land holdings, occupation, social
structure, housing , population, streets, mobility, land uses, infrastructure,
amenities, services, institutions etc., available within the village and embedded
into a base plan created for the village. This will be valuable to create a data base
for each village of the country for taking decisions regarding its planning,
development and management. Availability of base plan will help in mapping the
current status of village with regard to its available infrastructures, services,
development and gaps/deficiency , if any. It will also help in making optimum use
of available resources by avoiding duplication/replication of amenities already
existing in the village.
 All villages shall be brought under a well- defined planning and development
framework, defining the vision, objectives, process and approach to
planning/development of individual village.
 Village planning shall invariably include and involve preserving, promoting,
protecting and making value addition to the basic rural character, as part of of
the planning and development strategies. Planning shall also include respect for
history and character of each village besides preserving and maintaining its
unique culture, values and heritage- both natural and manmade.
 Appropriate planning and development , norms and standards for the villages shall
be prepared and defined, based on detailed studies made and analysis carried out

of the basic essential of village living and operations. These norms and plans
should not only meet the existing requirement of the population in terms of
infrastructure and services but shall also accommodate the future needs of quality
living and gainful employment.
 Funding mechanism for development of village should be detailed out along with
the requirement of resources for planned development and made integral part of
the budgetary process for allocation of assured resources.
 Planning of villages shall be based on the principles of making villages self-
sustaining and self-reliant in all physical, social, economic aspects and basic
amenities, essential for day-today quality living. The objective of planning shall
invariably remain; to bridge the existing gap and strengthen the basic
infrastructure in village.
 Planning with nature , promoting environment, ecology and bio-diversity shall
remain the underlying principles of village planning and development.
 SDG 11, shall also be made the objective to be achieved by making villages
inclusive, safe , resilient and sustainable.
 All villages will be planned based on the analogy of having adequate
infrastructures/institutions in the domain of education and healthcare. All villages
will have universal education. Focus of rural education will be empowering and
skilling the villagers, to increase their productivity and preparing them for gainful
learning and employment
 Technology shall be made integral part of village planning, development and
management process .
 Adopting co-operative approach ,based on involving all communities/
stakeholders, shall remain the focus of village planning and management.
 Creating adequate and appropriate institutional framework for development an
management shall be made integral part of village planning and development
process.
 Adequate provision for spacing the industries and shopping area shall be made
within the planning framework evolved for the villages.
 All residential houses shall be retrofitted, planned and designed to be
permanent, having the benefit of fresh air, natural light and natural ventilation.
Each house shall have the provision of open space, toilet, space for cooking and
assured potable water supply besides disposal of waste water and solid waste.
 All villages shall be planned and designed on the concept of zero-energy by
making use of gobar gas and generating its own energy using the natural
resources of sun, air, geo-thermal and bio-mass energy. Organic agriculture shall
be promoted at local level.
 Water conservation shall remain a priority, with waste water integrated with
agriculture. Use of ground water for agriculture shall be minimized. Focus shall

also involve promoting rain-water harvesting and ‘retaining rain water rather than
draining water’.
 Separate provision for animals to be placed at one place , on co-operative
basis, will be made integral part of village planning. Concept of mixing human
beings and animals shall be dispensed with for better health and hygiene.
Provision for installing gobar gas plant and sale/purchase of dairy products shall
also be made integral part of such a complex.
 Large scale plantation of trees shall be made mandatory, with all available space
used for plantation / growing forests, for achieving the sustainability
 All available spaces within the village shall be used on the basis/principle of
24x7x365 days to make optimum use of available land.
 Attempt shall be made to remove all existing social stratification among residents
of the village based on religion, caste, culture. economic and social factor by
mixing of housing and sharing of common facilities for bringing all communities
on a common platform.
 Simplified rules and regulations governing the construction of buildings, use of land
, width of streets, setbacks , height of buildings, ground coverage etc., shall be
defined and made applicable to all villages. Abadi-deh areas of the villages shall
be subjected to simplified provision of growth and development, including rules,
regulations and norms governing the built environment. Building bye- laws framed
shall always, while addressing the specific need of the villages, shall also focus
on retaining basic rural character of village. These bye laws shall be framed
following an intense consultative process with the rural population and experts
having understanding, knowledge, expertise and experience in the domain of
rural development. No building shall be permitted to exceed the height of 35 feet
with number of storeys restricted to three for individual building. Variation of
building height shall be considered on different streets, considering the availability
of street width and considerations of air, light and ventilation.
 All properties including the ownership of land held within Abadi-deh/village and
extent of agricultural land owned in the village and the original pace of residence
shall be documented and paced in the data bank of the village. All transfer of
properties shall be recorded and permitted after following the defined procedure
for the sale and purchase of land. All addition and alterations made in the houses
shall also be recorded.
 Village planning shall invariably be based on promoting pedestrianization and not
using mechanical vehicles. Planning for people and not for vehicles; and promoting
accessibility and not mobility shall remain the governing principle for planning of
the traffic and transportation and defining the mobility within the village.
 Existing ponds in the villages, shall be protected , conserved and preserved by
undertaking dedicated projects. These ponds besides partially meeting the needs

of the water for the village shall also serve the purpose of storing the rainwater
besides and rain water harvesting. Area around ponds shall also be developed for
recreation and leisure for the village by appropriate landscaping and making
provisions of open gyms.
Urban Villages; To deal with existing villages, coming into the urban fold, two options
can be made use of. When the entire agricultural land of the village is acquired , in
such cases , first option shall be to acquire the entire land falling under Abadi-deh
area along with the existing structures, which could be demolished to merge the land
into agricultural land. This option offers a clean slate for the planners to plan and
develop the city besides avoiding the subsequent hassles of unplanned and
haphazard development, as was done in the case of Stage-I of Chandigarh
development. This option has distinct advantages of making the development of the
area free from all encumbrances and avoiding subsequent land speculations.
However, this option has its own limitations, involving lot of hardship to the existing
residents of the village and resistance of the villagers. In a democratic society, this
option also involves political implications and can only be exercised, if political support
is properly garnered. Further, this option should only be exercised, if the village is
small , has limited population, agricultural practices remain marginalized and
residents has low level of income. This option can also be leverages effectively and
efficiently, by providing incentives, involving framing a supportive rehabilitation policy
which involves providing built-up houses to the persons residing in the Abadi-deh
area, depending upon the built areas they hold in the village, along with offering job to
a member in each family. This will require detailed consultation with the local
communities and making them understand the context , contents , objectives and
benefits to the residents of such option.
In majority of cases, option of acquiring the land under Abadi-deh areas remains
remote and rare. In such cases , the only option remains is to adjust such villages
within the proposed new developmental framework. Policy option in such cases
should involve; gelling the existing village land with the proposed new development
while eliminating/minimizing the chances of misuse/abuse of the land falling within
the Abadi-Area . In addition, policy should include minimizing the element of
speculation by original landowners for real estate development by selling the land
to landsharks. For achieving the objectives of rational and planned development,
following framework for urban villages is suggested.
 At the time of acquisition of agricultural land , land falling within the Abadi-deh
area should also be mapped and documented in terms of ownership, area,
extent of construction; housing, existing land uses, setbacks , height of
buildings, available open spaces, road network, institutions etc.

 Sale , purchase and transfer of land falling within the Abadi area, shall be
prohibited and regulated by procedure specified. Initially, a moratorium
period may be prescribed within which transfer of land from villagers to out-
siders from villages shall be prohibited. In case of transfer of abdi-deh land,
no-objection certificate will have to be sourced from the competent authority
before registration of the transfer deed. However, all transfers of ownership
will be subjected to preserving the basic character of the property without
making any change of land use/commercialization.
 Change of land use and sub-division of land shall be prohibited and regulated
by a well-defined policy framework. However, transfer/sub-division of land
within the family shall be permitted, subject to specified norms.
 Area falling under Abadi-deh shall be planned and integrated with the
planning of the adjoining area/ neighborhood.
 Planning framework for the Abadi-area shall be based on the principle of
retaining, preserving, promoting and making value-addition to the rural
character and rural culture in the area. All concepts leading to
commercialization and urbanization shall invariably be avoided.
 Detailed land-use plan shall be prepared , with all open spaces preserved and
enhanced/used for creating institutions and facilities lacking in the village. All
efforts of planning shall be directed to make value addition to the area and
improving the quality of life of the rural residents
 Uses related to preserving heritage, promoting tourism, showcasing the life
of Indian villages and promoting the basic activities/rural art, shall be
integrated in the planning process,
 Focus of village planning will be to create avenues of gainful employment,
skilling of villagers and economic empowerment of the rural communities.
 Planning shall also focus on making available all the basic and facilities and
amenities essential for education and healthcare and meeting day-to-day
needs of the village communities besides making village communities self-
reliant and self-sustaining.
 Detailed building by-laws regulating the construction of buildings shall be put
in place on priority. All commercialization of buildings, by changing its land-
use, increasing the footprints of the buildings and changing its length, breadth,
depth and volume shall be strictly controlled and regulated. All changes,
additions and alterations to the buildings or adding new construction shall
be subjected to prior approval. While framing the bye-laws, care shall be
taken that existing culture and character of buildings shall not be
changed/destroyed by the induction of glass or other facades etc.
Accordingly, urban design guidelines along with materials to be used in the
façade of buildings shall be specifically specified and made part of said

building rules. Building bye-laws shall be prepared with care and caution to
avoid commercialization of built up space and changing the sky-line of the
building.
 A dedicated team with domain expert shall be put in place for regulating ,
monitoring, guiding and assisting the landowners regarding all the issues
related to growth and development in the village.
 Villagers shall be permitted to source advise , assistance, guidance, co-
operation, collaboration and support from outside expert
agencies/institutions, for under-taking activities regarding promoting ethnicity
and tourism in the village.
 Promoting handicraft and village art shall be permitted on priority for
generating employment and raising economic standards of the rural
communities.
 Violations or unauthorized additions/alterations made in the built
environment, if any, shall be dealt on priority with all unauthorized
development demolished, with penalty.
 No regularization/compounding of the unauthorized development and change
of land use shall be permitted, within Abadi-deh area.
 Detailed landscape plan for the village shall be prepared and implemented to
improve the micro-climate and retain the ethnic character of the villages. All
options of creating congestion and concentration of commercial activities shall
invariably be dispensed with.
 All common land vested with the village Panchayat shall be transferred to the
urban local body/ Development Authority, regulating the planning and
development of the said area. Revenue generated out of the use of common
land shall be kept in a separate account and shall be used only for the
development of village and infrastructure required to be provided for the use
of village community and for no other purposes. A dedicated fund for the
orderly growth and rational development of urban villages shall be created.
Urbanisable Villages; As already defined above, urbanisable villages are those
villages , located in close proximity to the urban areas and forming part of peri-urban
areas. This also includes, villages which are located in the planning areas, notified under
the provision of the State Town Planning Act/ Development Authority Act ,for the
preparation of Development Plans/ Master Plans, and fall under the extended
urbanisable area in the said plan.
Considering their location and context, these villages are going to be urban villages in
the near future. Since these villages form part of the defined extended urban area, such

villages invariably will face challenges similar to the one encountered by the urban
villages but to a limited extent. For rationalizing the growth and development of such
villages; strategies and options defined for managing urban villages, shall also be made
applicable to such villages. The character of such villages shall be maintained only rural,
and all efforts shall be made to promote rural and ethnic culture prevailing in the said
village. Since all villages remain different and distinct, studies made and planning options
used for the village shall invariably focus on identifying, preserving and promoting the
identified culture of the village.
Biggest roadblock in managing the orderly growth and development, is the location of
such villages outside the urban limits and under the jurisdiction of rural Panchayats.
Since these Panchayats have no knowledge understanding , expertise, resources and
manpower available for managing the developmental issues, the situation is exploited
by developers for obtaining the approval of Panchayats for setting up institutions and
creating commercial spaces. In order to check this malice and jurisdictional issues , it
will be appropriate to declare the Development Authority/ department/agency having
ownership of the Master Plan/Development Plan, to be competent authority and vested
with the role, authority and responsibility for regulating and managing the development
in the planning area as per the provision of the said plans, so that planning and
development of such villages is appropriately regulated.
 All these villages shall be mapped, on individual basis, on the analogy of urban
villages, in terms of ownership, area, extent of construction, open spaces available,
existing land uses, setbacks , height of buildings, , road network, institutions,
infrastructure, services etc.
 Detailed land use plans for these villages shall be prepared within the framework
defined in the Master Plans/ development Plans.
 Planning of the villages shall be dictated by the principle of maintaining the identity
and culture of the village.
 Focus of village planning will be to create avenues of gainful employment, skilling
of villagers and economic empowerment of the rural communities.
 Planning shall also focus on fulfilling the bridging the gap and making available
all the facilities and amenities essential for education, leisure, recreation,
healthcare and meeting day-to-day needs of the village communities besides
making village communities self-reliant and self-sustaining
 While framing the bye-laws, care shall be taken that changing the character and
culture of buildings shall not be changed/destroyed by the induction of glass or
other facades etc. Accordingly, urban design guidelines along with materials to be
used in the façade of buildings shall be specified and made part of said building
rules.
 Additions and alterations leading to changing the character and
commercialization of the villages shall be rejected.

 Building bye-laws, regulating the new construction and making additions and
alterations in the existing buildings, shall be made integral part of preparation of
master plans.
 Sub-division of land and change of land use shall be prohibited, except in
accordance with the development plans, subject to prior approval of the competent
authority.
 Detailed landscape plan for the village shall be prepared and implemented to
improve the micro-climate and retain the ethnic character of the villages. All
options of creating congestion and concentration of commercial activities shall
invariably be dispensed with.
 All common land vested with the village Panchayat shall be transferred to the
urban local body/ Development Authority, regulating the planning and
development of the said area. Revenue generated out of the use of said land,
shall be kept in a separate account and shall be used only for the development of
village and infrastructure required to be provided for the use of village community
and for no other purposes. Out of the resources generated, a dedicated fund for
the orderly growth and rational development of the village shall be created.
 Dedicated manpower shall be put in place to approve/ regulate, aid, advise the
construction, making addition and alterations to the buildings as per the prescribed
building rules.
 Villages shall be permitted to practice agriculture in the village land, outside Abadi-
deh area till the agrictural land is acquired or sold for urbanization purposes.
However, checks and balances will be put in place to check unauthorized activities;
haphazard and unplanned development; unauthorized sub-division/change of land
use, speculation/urbanization/commercialisation of land.
Basic Villages; Excluding the above two categories, all remaining villages in India, fall
within the domain and definition of basic villages .In fact these villages represent the
essence of rural India, because these villages remain free/untouched from the
shadows/colours of urbanization. These villages remain rooted to land and agricultural
practices. In majority of cases, these villages have population less than 500 and lesser
concentration of activities. Due to limited accessibility, these villages face lot of
developmental challenges besides high degree of deficiency in healthcare, education and
skilling besides low per capita income. These villages also remain plagued with high
degree of poverty. Quality housing in such villages remains a major problem. Agricultural
practices also remain old, outdated and inefficient. These villages remain prone to
disasters both natural and manmade. Haphazard and unplanned and sub-standard
development/ housing remains the hallmark of such villages. Because of low level of
development , these basic villages offer enormous opportunities of rational and orderly

development of rural India. Accordingly, basic villages need support, care and
empowerment for emancipating rural India and removing rural poverty.
However, looking at the entire context, these basic villages need planned development
and spaced within the planning framework. Accordingly, these villages need to be made
integral part of the regional planning framework for empowerment and development.
Basic villages need to be planned and designed on the principles with growth and
development made to revolve around;
 All the Abadi-deh area of the basic villages need to be mapped in terms of its
existing framework including different land uses; built environment; road
network, basic infrastructure services, amenities and facilities; land ownership;
households; institutions etc.
 Planning of such villages shall be carried out based on conducting detailed study
and analysis of existing status of development, identifying issues and road-blocks
hampering the rational growth and development of village ; recording gap in the
infrastructure and amenities and missing opportunities for employment. Based
on studies conducted and analysis carried out, strategies to place village on the
fast track of growth and development shall be framed and made operational.
 Orderly growth and development besides creating opportunities for gainful
employment and maintaining the culture and basic rural character shall remain
the focus of such planning and development. All planning strategies put in place
and made operational in basic villages shall invariably be based on intensive
consultation with local residents for achieving the defined objectives of growth and
development.
 Defining building bye-laws in simple and systematic manner shall remain the
agenda for modulating the built environment.
 Since these villages falls under the domain of the Panchayat/Rural Development
Department, accordingly on the analogy of Department of urban local bodies, a
dedicated Planning and Designing unit within the fold of Rural Development
Department should be created , for mapping all the basic villages and carrying out
detailed planning of such villages. The planning unit created in the department,
should be equipped with adequate manpower and resources- both technical and
financial -to map and plan these villages. The unit will also be mandated to
handhold the Panchayats , working at local level, besides advising the people
seeking technical support regarding construction of housing etc.
 All yojnas, missions and program focused on development of the rural areas shall
be converged at the village level and embedded into the planning and
development framework evolved for the village.

 Dedicated funds shall also be marked in the budget of the respective Panchayats
for making available assured funds for development.
 Existing ponds in the villages, shall be protected , conserved and preserved by
undertaking dedicated projects. These ponds besides partially meeting the
needs of the water for the village shall also serve the purpose of storing the
rainwater besides and rain water harvesting. Area around ponds shall also be
developed for recreation and leisure for the village by appropriate landscaping
and making provisions of open gyms.
 Sale , purchase and transfer of land falling within the Abadi area, shall be
regulated by procedure specified. However, all transfers of ownership will be
subjected to preserving the basic character of the land without making any
change of land use/commercialization
 Planning framework for the Abadi-area shall be based on the principle of
retaining, preserving, promoting and making value-addition to the rural character
and rural culture in the area. All concepts leading to commercialization and
urbanization shall invariably be avoided.
 Detailed land-use plan shall be prepared , with all open spaces preserved and
enhanced/used for creating institutions and facilities lacking in the village. All
efforts of planning shall be directed to make value addition to the area and
improving the quality of life of the rural residents
 Uses related to preserving heritage, promoting tourism, showcasing the life of
Indian villages and promoting the basic activities/rural art, shall be integrated in
the planning process,
 Focus of village planning will be to create avenues of gainful employment, skilling
of villagers and economic empowerment of the rural communities.
 Villages will be planned with focus on making them self-reliant in the domain of
energy to make them zero-energy. Gobar gas shall be used for cooking/lighting
whereas generating electrify from renewable resource shall be taken up on
priority.
 Waste water from houses shall be integrated with agriculture to reduce the
pressure on ground water resource.
 Adequate space shall be created for setting up agro-based industry to create
options for gainful employment and promoting rural economy.
 Adoption of Co-operative approach and bringing all stakeholders operating in the
villages on common platform to synergies their strength shall remain the priority
area.
 Making available Housing ,employment, basic infrastructure, healthcare ,
education and food for all shall remain the agenda for the planned development
of the villages.

Conclusion;
Looking at the entire context , it can be visualized that rural India remains critical and
important for the growth and development of Urban India and banishing poverty from the
nation as a whole. This calls for putting all the villages within the fold of planned
development to achieve the desired result of rapid development. Considering the
physical area, of India as a nation, standing at 32 lakh Sq kms and number of villages
standing at nearly 6,41,000; average area for physical spacing by each village works out
to be merely 5 sq kms. If the number and physical extent of cities is also considered,
then the area per village shall get further reduced /diluted. Looking at the intensity,
density and spacing of villages, planning, development and effective management of
villages in India can be easily promoted, adopting a cluster approach, in planning and
physical development.
Villages have been and will remain relevant for the development of India, as a nation
and accordingly calls for putting in place an effective framework for leveraging and
ensuring planned growth and development of all the villages. Master plans prepared/
being prepared must space village development in the planning and development process
and make village planning integral part of the urban planning process. Accordingly, all
master plans should invariably include a dedicated chapter dealing with various
categories of villages; documenting its strength, weaknesses, opportunities and threats
besides defining the agenda for its growth and development. In fact, states should focus
on defining regions existing in the state; undertake regional planning of said regions on
priority and then take up development of urban centers and rural areas within the
framework defined for the urban and rural sentiments in the Regional Plans. Constitution
of India has also mandated preparation of District Development Plans and Metropolitan
Development Plans for integrating the development and provision of infrastructures in
both urban and rural areas.

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