Kerala local bodies face heat of urbanisation, policy reroute inevitable

Thiruvananthapuram: Up to 93 percent of the villages in Kerala have been urbanised by now. With the changing times, desired changes shall be made to the approach towards local self-government institutions and to the policies for regional governance. Help is being sought from national and international level expert committees for the formulation of an urban policy. The state government is preparing to face the challenge of rapid urbanisation.  

Policies are being designed with villages in focus. Out of the 1,200 local self-government institutions in Kerala, 941 are gram panchayats. 

With rapid urbanisation, the authorities will have to establish proper policies for building construction, waste management, and ensuring quality drinking water and proper housing for the citizens. 

It should be noted that the association of architects had already informed the officials of the difficulty in setting up community living buildings in Kerala owing to its unique geographical features. The union government had stipulated precise urban policies for every state in the year 2018. As per the instruction, plans on urban policies were encompassed in Kerala’s latest budget as well.