PLANNING FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF MIRZAPUR DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH

Abstract

Development of a district implies the development of a unit that simultaneously exists as both - a part of the whole, as well as a whole with several parts - Urban and Rural. While the two parts mutually complement each other and function in unison, it becomes important to plan the two as a composite system. The city as well as the district of Mirzapur has been under neglect since the independence. Under the shadows of fulfilling more important needs and aspirations, the region suffered the misuse and mismanagement of funds sanctioned for the development of the region. As a result, while the neighbouring cities and districts of Allahabad and Varanasi flourished, the already rich and bountiful district of Mirzapur failed to keep pace with the development taking place across the country and across the world. The district of Mirzapur has potentials in diverse fields that can be built upon to bring about a considerable change in the existing development status of the district. (The district is enlisted among the 250 most backward districts of India). The research work is oriented towards analysing the district as a composite system; understand its functioning and integrating different aspects of the district to ensure a sustained development. The research methodology for "PLANNING FOR INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF MIRZAPUR DISTRICT, UTTAR PRADESH" has been evolved based on the several studies parallel to the context. Every detail of the steps involved in the research process has been inked in the form of flowchart and interconnected/ synchronised with the full anatomy of the research structure. The literature study is sub-categorised and separate inferences from Research Papers, Thesis Reviews, Theories, Concepts and other studies are separately organised and analysed. These studies have been in diverse aspects, all related with the context and the study area. Some of these aspects of study have been - Rural Development, Community Development, Rural-Urban Integration, System's Concept, Integrated Development Approach, etc. Similarly, as a single case study cannot offer to cover all the different aspects of the study area, the case studies from varied fields relevant to the study have been identified - Rural Tourism (Malegaon), Community Upliftment (Raghurajpur Village, Orissa) and District Planning (Chandrapur District of Maharashtra). The findings from these case studies and literature review are contemplated for their application in the final proposals and guidelines. The study area is comprehensively studied and its Study Area Profile is prepared. The secondary data associated with the district are analysed both, in isolation - system subsystem wise as well block wise. The district data is categorised into Physical, Social, Economic, Environmental, Ecological, Infrastructural and Institutional subsystems, which are further subcategorised and analysed. Block wise analysis is carried out through GIS generated maps of the different aspects of the district. iv Based on the studies, the Potentials and the Shortcomings of the Study area are evolved. These potentials and shortcomings are analysed in quantified terms and their scope for exploitation/ interference with the development of the district is assessed evolving a comprehensive list of all the control parameters. The population projection is made for the three decades up to the Year 2041. Based on the population projection and the control parameters the recommendations are made. The recommendation envisioning the development of the district is in three parts - system subsystem wise policy guidelines, block wise policy guidelines and finally, control parameter based policy guidelines. These guidelines are also derived based on the initial studies - literature and case studies, parallel/ in line with the context of the study area. A sustained and integrated development of all the different aspects of the district is expected based on the research carried out.