The Manipur government on Monday signed two agreements for developing Moreh town as gateway to South East Asia and for preparing the GIS-Based Master Plan for the horizon year 2042, to provide urban amenities in all district headquarters other than Imphal East and West.
The agreement was signed between the MAHUD department and the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal at the conference hall of MAHUD minister Y Khemchand at the Old Secretariat in Imphal West in presence of the minister.
MAHUD department consultant N Gitkumar said the district headquarters in the state are rapidly growing without any development regulations and government interventions and have experienced relatively rapid population growth.
As this is expected to increase even further and considering the opportunity arising out of better connectivity networks and the need for planned development, the state government has decided to take up preparation of the GIS-based Master Plan, he said.
Gitkumar further elaborated on the four main objectives of the agreements during the event. He said the agreements seek to develop common digital geo-referenced base maps and land use maps using GIS for all the district headquarters (except Imphal East and West) and Moreh town. It also targets to assist the district administration in developing a concept plan for the provision of urban amenities in all the district headquarters in the Hill areas.
The agreement includes the preparation of a concept plan for developing Moreh town as gateway and into a model township as a gateway to South East Asia under ‘Act East Policy,’ with the proposal to incorporate basic infrastructures like providing commercial hub, tourist infrastructure, cultural centre, medical tourism among others, he said.
It further includes the preparation of GIS Based Master Plan for the district headquarters of all the valley districts (except Imphal East and West) under the Manipur Town and Country Planning (MTCP) Act, 1975, he added.
As regards Greater Imphal, the consultant informed that the GIS Based Master Plan preparation for the horizon year 2041 under Section 22 of the Manipur Town and Country Planning Act, 1975 by the same institute is already completed.
He also announced that objections, suggestions, or opinions from persons or persons affected by the Draft Master Plan will be invited by giving two months’ time as soon as the approval of the draft is obtained from the state cabinet.