KUSP

KUSP Goals:

• Reduced Poverty in West Bengal.
• Improved Quality of Life and opportunity for poor people in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area.
• Improved Urban Planning and Governance in the KMA.
• Improved access to Urban Services.
• Economic Development promoted.

The KUSP project is so designed that sustainability becomes a part of its makeup, or you may call ‘the’ obligatory part. Project aims to reach this goal by interacting at different levels of governance and as well as with different set of stakeholders. The proposed courses of actions are as follows:

Strengthening of Urban Governance:

1. Municipal Level Reforms – Administrative, Technical, Revenue and Accounts.
2. Identification of the responsibilities of –
   1. Urban Local Bodies (ULBs).
   2. State Level Agencies.

The project aims to become sustainable by interacting at different levels of governance and as well as with stakeholders

• • Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Committee (KMPC)
  • Municipal Affairs Department (MAD)
  • Directorate of Local Bodies (DLB)
  • Institute of Local Govt. & Urban Studies (ILGUS)
  • State Urban Development Agency (SUDA)
  • Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA)
  • Municipal Engineering Directorate (MED)
  • West Bengal Valuation Board (WBVB)

3. Tools required to facilitate capacity building
   1. Training
   2. Additional Manpower
   3. Computerization
   4. Creation of Database.

KUSP envisions to improve the livelihood status of urban poor by appraising different sectors in a focused manner. Some important aspects are specified below:

• Social Development – Strengthen policy framework for informal settlements, institutionalize pro-poor planning, develop framework for poverty monitoring, develop uniform procedures and capacity of ULB functionaries, Consolidate BPL surveys, empower the poor through neighborhood groups.
• Governance – Capacity building of ULBs and facilitators like DLB, ILGUS, SUDA, MED, WBVB, networking of stakeholder agencies.
• Economic and Finance – Facilitate policy changes for revenue enhancement of ULBs and better accounting and financial systems, self-sufficiency of The ULBs , maximum benefits for the poor.
• Enterprise Development – Develop sustainable and cost-effective strategies to evaluate the citizens’ needs in general and in particular for encouraging entrepreneurship; market integration linkages, Identify the job oriented informal and manufacturing sectors for the poor especially women; SCs; minorities and slum dwellers, participation of local private sector to improve civic services.
• Environment – Prepare strategic environmental plan for the KMA and ULBs, include environmental considerations into planning at municipal and trans-municipal levels, preparation of a simple but cross-sectored ‘state of the environment’ report and ensuring that ULBs have the skills and resources necessary to plan and manage the urban environment.
• Water Supply – Improve efficiency of distribution and rehabilitate water supply infrastructure.
• Sewerage and Sanitation – Improve access, identify least-cost solutions, rehabilitate existing infrastructure.
• Solid Waste Management (SWM) – Increase community awareness and partnerships between SWM operators, Community Based Organizations and the municipalities.
• Transport – Improve access for the poor.
• Slums – Take improvement projects with a broader perspective.