The KUSP (Kolkata Urban Services for the Poor) program is an endeavor to bring about a positive change in urban planning and governance, access to basic services for the poor and to support enabling environment for economic growth in the non Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA). The distinctive feature of this project is to support a metropolis wide approach that addresses multiple dimensions of poverty while developing strategies for the inclusion of the poor and most marginalized.
A major thrust in this regard has been on developing Draft Development Plans (DDP), which shall serve as comprehensive plan for the ULBs that will set forth the path to comprehensive municipal development
While venturing upon such a gigantic people friendly exercise, our Municipality, though very old, had to face a number of constraints at the preparatory stage as we were not conversant with such a planning process. It is a fact that we have been preparing and implementing annual development plans over the years, but our experience and expertise was quit insufficient to cope with the new pattern of the programme and a different method to be followed in completely new arenas of urban planning like livelihood improvement & poverty alleviation, local economic development, organization development including improvement in the behaviour of the employee, working process and system improvement, financial planning and so on.
But our Municipality did not fall back upon in the face of the new challenges since we paid importance to people’s interests. And it is with strong determination we have summoned our existing strength and embarked upon this new venture never exercised and experienced before in the urban development history. In this aspect the set steps and procedures as delineated in the KUSP guidelines have gone a long way in standing us in good stead through different, time bound schedules or works like launching workshop, orientation and sensitisation workshops at ward level to roll out the process of participation at the grass root, constitution of DDP policy group, DDP technical groups and stage wise holding ward level workshops on problem identifications and interventions to be needed with the stakeholders concerned.
We have in tune with the time frame formulated the Municipal Vision and sub component wise objectives for effective and efficient Municipal performances in respect of both the service and development systems.
