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City Development Plan Guwahati
July 2006
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1 : Need & background of City Development Plan 5-7
1.1 Background 5
1.2 Objectives & Goals 6
1.3 Strategic Aims & Implementation Programme 7
1.4 Evolvement of CDP through a Consultative Process 7
Chapter 2 : Introduction to the Region 8-15
2.1 Guwahati Metropolitan Area 8
2.2 Population 9
2.3 Geographical Location 9
2.4 Climate of the Region 11
2.5 Soil Profile of the Region 11
2.6 Institutional Responsibility 12
2.7 Regional Linkages 13
2.7.1 Roads 13
2.7.2 Railways 14
2.7.3 Airways 14
2.8 Seismic Zone 14
Chapter 3 : Demography 16-27
3.1 Overall Decadal Population & Growth Rate 16
3.2 Population Density 18
3.3 Population Projections 19
3.4 Migrations 20
3.5 Urbanization 22
3.6 Age Mix and Sex Ratio 22
3.7 Literacy Rate 24
3.8 Work force Variance 24
3.8.1 Work Break-Up 25
3.8.2 Income Variance 27
Chapter 4 : Economic Base 28-34
4.1 Background 28
4.2 Industry 28
4.3 Key Industries 30
4.4 Informal Sector 34
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Chapter 5 : Profile of Urban Local Bodies 35-42
5.1 Background 35
5.2 Introduction to Guwahati Municipal Corporation 35
5.3 Financial Profile Guwahati Municipal Corporation 37
5.4 Summary of Key Observations 39
5.5 Action Plan 40
5.6 Funding for Capacity Building 40
Chapter 6 : Situation Appraisal 43-76
6.1 Environment 43
6.1.1 Disaster Management 45
6.2 Tourism 48
6.3 Water 49
6.4 Housing 53
6.5 Transportation 55
6.6 Drainage & Storm water Drainage 64
6.7 Sanitation & Sewerage 69
6.8 Basic Services for Urban Poor 70
6.9 Solid Waste Management 71
6.10 Water Front Development 75
6.11 Urban Renewal 75
Chapter 7 : Environment 77-80
7.1 Introduction 77
7.2 Background 77
7.3 Action Plan 77
7.3.1 Water Pollution 77
7.3.2 Drainage and Dredging 78
7.3.3 Air Pollution 78
7.3.4 Forest, Soil erosion & Hill Cutting 78
7.3.5 Water Bodies 79
7.3.6 Disaster Management 79
Chapter 8 : Vision & Perspective 81-83
8.1 Background 81
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Chapter 9 : Land Use and Availability 84-88
9.1 Background 84
9.2 Present Scenario 84
9.3 Land Use 2025 86
Chapter 10 : Tourism 89-93
10.1 Background 89
10.2 Vision 89
10.3 Waterfront Attraction 89
10.4 Religious Places 90
10.5 Other Places (Outside GMA) 91
10.6 Action Plans 92
Chapter 11 : Water 94-98
11.1 Background 94
11.2 Vision 94
11.3 Action Plans 94
11.4 Schemes 98
Chapter 12 : Housing 99-99
12.1 Aims and Objectives 99
12.2 Background 99
12.3 Situation Appraisal 99
Chapter 13 : Transportation 100-107
13.1 Background 100
13.2 Vision 100
13.3 Major Action Points 100
13.3.1 Traffic Management System 101
13.3.2 Integrated Transportation System 103
Chapter 14 : Drainage & Storm Water Drainage 108-113
14.1 Background 108
14.2 Action Plans 108
14.3 Background Storm Water Drainage 109
14.4 Action Plan 110
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Chapter 15 : Sanitation & Sewerage 114-115
15.1 Background 114
15.2 Action Plan 114
Chapter 16 : Basic Services to the Urban Poor 116-120
16.1 Background 116
16.2 Vision 116
16.3 Key Interventions 117
16.4 Key Actions 117
Chapter 17 : Solid Waste Management 121-127
17.1 Background 121
17.2 Action Plans 122
Chapter 18 : Waterfront Development 128-130
18.1 Background 128
18.2 Action Plans 128
18.3 Major Action Points 129
Chapter 19 : Urban Renewal Programme 131-133
19.1 Vision 131
19.2 Background 131
19.3 Major Action Points 131
Chapter 20 : Reform Program 134-142
20.1 Background and Reform Goals 134
20.2 Reform Agenda 134
Chapter 21 : City Investment Plan 143-152
21.1 Background 143
21.2 Sustainability & Financial Options 143
21.3 Sector Wise Utilisation 148
21.4 Financial Operating Plan 151
ANNEXURE 1 : CDP Through a Consultative Process 155-160
ANNEXURE 2 : Table on Institutional responsibility 161-161
ANNEXURE 3 : Analysis on Air Samples, Standards & Ambient Air Quality 162-162
ANNEXURE 4 : Details on Receipt & Expenditure of GMC (2002-2004) 163-164
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1. Need & background of City Development Plan
1.1 Background Cities and towns play a vital role in the countrys socio-economic growth, its
transformation and change. The exponential increase in population and
unplanned growth over the years have created enormous pressure on the
availability of land and infrastructure with the result that most cities and towns are
severely stressed in terms of available infrastructure and delivery of basic
services.
Guwahati is recognized to be the most critical city in the Northeast India. The city
has a well-developed connectivity with the rest of the country and acts as the
gateway to the entire North Eastern India. Hence, the development of the city is
not only critical to the state of Assam but also to the entire Northeast. Given the
criticality of the city to the entire region, it is quite evident that population of the
city would continue to grow rapidly in the future.
It is therefore extremely important that for the entire region to grow, the city
needs to adopt a holistic and an all round Plan for development. An Integrated
City Development Plan laying down a long-term vision for the city and also
identifying key Strategies and Action Plans for achieving the same is important.
Absence of the same would lead to Piece-meal and Skewed development.
In order to encourage planned development of the urban sector across the
country, the Government of India has recently launched the Jawaharlal Nehru
National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The Mission aims at bringing about
fast track planned development of identified cities with a clear focus on bringing
efficiency in urban infrastructure and service delivery mechanisms, community
participation, and accountability of ULBs/ Parastatal agencies towards citizens.
Guwahati is one of the 63 cities, which have been identified under the said
mission. The mission has also identified drawing up a City Development Plan as
one of the critical milestones in this regard.
In view of the above, Guwahati has taken up a programme of a City
Development Plan (CDP). The CDP focuses on the development of infrastructure
and builds up strategies that deal specifically with issues affecting the urban
poor, strengthening of municipal governments, their financial accounting,
The City Development Plan
if efficiently and equitably
managed, will trigger
collateral development of its
adjoining hinterland mostly
through trickling down
effect- which will in turn
help raise the level of over
all welfare in this part of the
region directly, and all over
the State as well as the
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budgeting systems and procedures, creation of structures for bringing in
accountability and transparency, and elimination of legal and other bottlenecks
that have stifled the land and housing markets. It provides a basis for cities to
undertake urban sector reforms that help direct investment into city-based
infrastructure using the Public Private Partnership (PPP) route.
1.2 Objectives & Goals
The objectives and Goals of the CDP are in line with that of the
JNNURM and form the basis of the Strategies and Action Plans being
drawn herein.
Specifically, the CDP aims at achieving the following objectives:
The prime strategic goals are
Promote focused, balanced and sustainable economic and infrastructure
development that will enable Guwahati to fulfill its role as the Gateway to
the North-East (N-E) India and possibly to the South East Asia under the
look east policy of the Government of India;
Provide for and build a natural environment that contributes to providing
a good quality of life for the residents and visitors;
Provide Basic Services to the Urban Poor through quality delivery of civic
amenities and provision of utilities with emphasis on universal access at
an affordable price
Planned development leading to dispersed urbanisation and reduction of
congestion;
Improving Inter and Intra regional accessibility;
Raise adequate funds for meeting the investment requirements in the
infrastructure sector;
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Ensuring a mechanism for maintenance of assets created, so as to
ensure long term project sustainability;
1.3 Strategic Aims & Implementation Programme The overall goals are in turn integrated into the strategic aims of what the City
seeks to achieve in the lifespan of the Mission and beyond. These aims also form
the basis for the identification of various schemes and programs besides
formulation of policies to be taken up over the Mission Period.
The plan includes strategic aims for each of the sectors as has been recognized
by the Mission and in order to achieve the same a number of schemes and
programmes have been identified.
It may be recognized that the CDP is a dynamic document and has been
designed to be responsive to ever-changing requirements of the citizens of
the city. To the extent that the requirements change, the Plan will be
continuously reviewed and developed to ensure that it is in line with the
changing aspirations of the people.
1.4 Evolvement of CDP through a Consultative Process
In order to develop a shared vision of the area, views of stakeholders consisting of
- Citizens/Beneficiaries, Peoples Representatives, key member of local industries,
Academic & Research Institutions and members of the respective Urban Local
Bodies have been taken. Suggestions, issues, interventions, views, ideas,
proposals etc. emerging from consultation has been provided in the Vision as well
as taken into account while formulating the CDP.
DETAILS OF CONSULTATIVE PROCESS HAVE BEEN
PROVIDED IN ANNEXURE-I
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2. Introduction to the Region
2.1 Guwahati Metropolitan Area The City Development Plan (CDP) focuses on the Guwahati Metropolitan
Development Authority jurisdiction, comprising of Guwahati Municipal
Corporation Area (GMCA), North Guwahati Town Committee area, Amingaon
and some revenue villages. The area is known as the Guwahati metropolitan
area (GMA) and covers an area of 264 kms.
Guwahati is a part of Kamrup District and is situated between 25.43 and
26.51 North Latitude and between 90.36 and 92.12 East Longitude. Located
on the banks of the Brahamaputra River, it is the largest commercial, industrial
and educational center of the N-E region.
Guwahati is easily accessible by air, rail & road. Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi
International Airport is a modern airport and most airlines have daily flights from
all metros across India via Delhi and Kolkata. In addition, it also has regular
connectivity with the South East Asia with twice a week flights connecting
Bangkok with the region.
The Guwahati
Metropolitan Area
covers a jurisdiction
of 264 sq km and
comprises of
Guwahati Municipal
Corporation Area,
North Guwahati
Town Committee,
Amingaon.
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2.2 Population
As per Census 2001, the population of Kamrup district is 25,15,030,
contributing to 9.44% of the state population; Kamrup is the most populous
district of the state. Also among the districts of Assam, Kamrup shows the
maximum decadal growth rate (28.73%) during 1991-2001.
The total population covered under the Guwahati Metropolitan Area as per
2001 census is 8,90,773.
2.3 Geographical Location
Guwahati is situated on the banks of river Brahmaputra with its cardinal points as
26010 north latitude and 92
049 east longitude. It is located towards the South-
Eastern side of Kamrup district, which is surrounded by Nalbari district in the
North, Darrang and Marigaon districts in the East, Meghalaya State in the south
and Goalpara and Barpeta districts in the West.
The city is situated on an undulating plain with varying altitudes of 49.5 m to 55.5
m above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The Southern and Eastern sides of the city are
surrounded by hillocks. Apart from the hilly tracts, swamps, marshes, water
bodies like Deepor Beel, Silpukhuri, Dighali Pukhuri, Borsola Beel and Silsakoo
Beel etc also cover the city.
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Map 1: Map of Guwahati
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2.4 Climate of the Region The climate of the state is characterized by a warm and humid feeling. As the
tropic of cancer runs through the state, the climate is temperate but pleasant.
The monsoon brings heavy rains to Guwahati. The average temperature is
31.5C to 24.7C in summers and 24.9C to 12.5C in winters.
The city has four well-defined seasons, summer, monsoon, winter and spring.
Winter season is from October to March and spring starts from April and this is
the best time to visit Guwahati. A mild and moderate climate never given to
extreme cold or heat is the main feature of Guwahatis climate.
Table 1: Climate of the Region
Mean Temperature oC
Month Daily
Minimum Daily
Maximum
Mean Total Rainfall
(mm) Mean Number of
Rainy Days
Jan 9.8 23.6 11.4 1.2
Feb 11.5 26.4 12.8 1.3
Mar 15.5 30.2 57.7 4.6
Apr 20.0 31.5 142.3 9.0
May 22.5 31.0 248.0 14.3
Jun 24.7 31.4 350.1 16.1
Jul 25.5 31.8 353.6 16.8
Aug 25.5 32.1 269.9 13.9
Sep 24.6 31.7 166.2 10.3
Oct 21.8 30.1 79.2 5.3
Nov 16.4 27.4 19.4 1.5
Dec 11.5 24.6 5.1 0.4
Source: Regional Meteorological Centre Guwahati 1951 -1980
2.5 Soil Profile of the Region
The city is situated on an undulating plain with varying altitudes of 49.5 m to 55.5
m above mean sea level (MSL). The southern and eastern sides of the city are
surrounded by hillocks. The central part of the city also has small hillocks like
Sarania hill (193 m), Nabagraha hill (217 m), Nilachal hill (193 m) and Chunsali
Hill (293 m). Apart from the hilly tracts, swamps, marshes and small water bodies
like Deepar beel, Dighali Pukhuri and Silsakoo beel etc also cover the city.
The city is situated on
an undulating plain
with varying altitudes of
49.5 m to 55.5 m
above mean sea level
(MSL).
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The construction activities on the hills in Guwahati have resulted in the removal
of vegetation cover in the forest area thereby exposing the surface. It has been
observed that the soil loss is more on theexposed slopes than the vegetation
covered slopes. The problem of soil erosion is significant not only from the view
point of loss of soil fertility but also with respect to from the several
environmental issues such as water logging, flashflood, siltation, decrease in the
ground water table and the dusty environment on sunny days.
2.6 Institutional Responsibility The primary development agenda of Guwahati city is carried out by two main
agencies, the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) and the Guwahati
Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA). The area covered under GMDA
includes the GMC area of 216 sq kms and an additional 48 sq kms.
Table 2: Institutional Framework
AUWSSB- Assam Urban Water Supply and Sewerage Department
GMC- Guwahati Municipal Corporation
GMDA- Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority
PHE- Public Health Engineering
PWD- Public Works Department
FCD- Flood Control Department
T&CP: Town and Country Planning
Note: The area responsibilities are provided in annexure 2
Infrastructure Planning and
Design Construction
Operation and Maintenance
Water supply
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC PHE/AUWSSD/GMC PHE/AUWSSD/GMC
Sewerage
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
Drainage
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
PHE/AUWSSD/GMC/ FCD
Storm water drainage
GMDA/GMC/T&CP
GMDA/GMC GMDA/GMC
Solid Waste disposal
GMC GMC GMC
Municipal roads (Including flyover)
PWD/GMDA/GMC PWD/GMDA/GMC PWD/GMDA/GMC
Street lighting
PWD/GMDA/GMC PWD/GMDA/GMC PWD/GMDA/GMC
Town Planning GMDA & T& CP GMDA GMDA
The Guwahati Municipal
Development Authority
(GMDA) is the nodal
agency for the
development of the area.
Major portion of the
region however forms
apart of the GMC area
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The presence of multiple agencies while discharging similar duties has compounded the problem
of service delivery in the city of Guwahati. Though each of the agencies in question has a clear
demarcation with respect to service delivery in specific locations, for example, the PHE supplying
drinking water to State Government installations, many a time, there are duplications of effort.
The problem is compounded more so with respect to consumers, who have to deal with a number
of agencies for redressal and service delivery.
The need of the hour with respect to the functioning of the various agencies concerning the
discharge of civic functions is to bring about accountability of service delivery. In addition,
wherever possible, the functioning of the agencies need to be streamlined to bring it under one
agency, which will not only help in improving service delivery but also bring about accountability.
Further, some of the specific activities further streamlined with entrustment to individual agencies.
For example, the planning and design for drainage could be entrusted to the PHE department
and the construction could be with the PWD.
It is, however, apparent that each of the agencies operating in the city has predefined areas in
which they operate, and hence there is a broad clarity on their roles and responsibilities. But it is
recognized that the various agencies need to be brought under the ambit of the Guwahati
Municipal Corporation, which should have the overall responsibility of providing infrastructure
services in Guwahati and shall utilize the services of other agencies on a need basis.
2.7 Regional Linkages
Guwahati being the most important city of the Northeast has fairly well developed
road, rail and air connectivity with the rest of the country and other cities and
towns of the region. This is one of the major benefits of the Guwahati
Metropolitan Area, since it offers good connectivity and related privileges for the
development of the entire region.
2.7.1 Roads
Guwahati Metropolitan Area has been touched upon by National Highway 31,
National Highway 37, and National Highway 40. National Highways 31 and 37
connect GMA with the rest of the country, while National highway 40 and State
Highways connect the area with other north-eastern states of Tripura,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh and other
cities and towns of Assam. National Highway 40 is a major link connecting
The city has a
well-developed
connectivity with
the rest of the
country. The city
acts as the
gateway to the
North-East
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Guwahati City with Shillong, Mizoram and southern parts of Assam. Whereas
National Highway 31 connects the city with Bongaigaon, Dhuburi and enters
West Bengal in the west. All the census towns and other important areas are
located on or along the National Highways 31 and 37.
2.7.2 Railways
A broad gauge railway line connects Guwahati with other nearby major towns like
Rangia, Bongaigaon, Khetri, etc. and further with the rest of the country. The
Broad Gauge Railway Track also connects Guwahati with Dibrugarh Tinsukia
in the East.
2.7.3 Airways
Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport at Guwahati is the largest
besides being the busiest airport in the entire North Eastern region. It connects
the city with major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata as well as with other cities in
Assam and the North-Eastern region like Agartala, Imphal, Silchar, Tezpur,
Jorhat, Dimapur, North Lakhimpur and Dibrugarh. Guwahati airport caters to both
private and national airlines and has been recently converted in to an
international airport with direct connectivity to South East Asia.
2.8 Seismic Zone
The Brahmaputra valley and its adjoining highlands
constitute a highly active seismic zone. Guwahati falls
in the Seismic Zone V, where earthquakes of
magnitude 8 or more can occur i.e. the zone with
highest intensity along with the entire north-eastern
region. Guwahati and its surrounding area are situated
on the fringe of hard rock formation. Its vulnerability to
the sesmic activity is excerbated due to congestion
brought on by topography, with poorly build housing
and narrow streets. Earthquakes measuring upto 8.7
on the Richter scale occurred here in 1897 and 1950.
Between 1920 and 1980 as many as 455 earthquakes
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of magnitude 5 on the Richter scale were recorded in the region, an average of 8
per year
Since, earthquakes are among the most dangerous and destructive natural
hazards and are also the least easy to predict, warnings against it or
preparations against physical destruction are difficult. Thus this calls for an
attention to such natural disasters so that necessary precautionary disaster
management steps can be undertaken.
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3. Demography
3.1 Overall Decadal Population & Growth Rate
The State of Assam has been consistently witnessing a balanced growth in
population. Assam accounts for over 70 % of the population of the Northeast
(census 2001). The District Kamrup is one of the most densely populated regions
of Assam.
Guwahati is a fast growing metropolis and the most important city of the region.
The city with a population of 8.9 Lakhs (Census 2001) is by far the largest
settlement, while Shillong and Imphal, with population size of only 2.7 and 2.5
lakhs respectively are second and third largest cities in the North Eastern region.
With substantial increase in population in the last few decades and poised to grow
further, the City needs a well-structured development plan in its infrastructure to
sustain this rapid growth.
The population of Guwahati Metropolitan Area has grown almost 6.5 times
between 1971 and 2001. The municipal limit of the city during the period
increased from 43.82 sq.km in 1971 to 216.79 sq.km in 1991. The Decadal
Growth in the GMA is otherwise quite balanced. The following Graph shows the
population trend of the city over the decades.
Population growth in Guwahati vis--vis India, Assam and Kamrup
1971 1991 2001
Name Population Population
Average Decadal
Growth Rate Population
Decadal Growth Rate in Percent
India 548.15 846.3 24.25 1,027.01 21.35
Assam 14.63 22.41 23.8 26.64 18.85
Kamrup 1.21 2 28.73 2.52 25.75
GMA 0.29 0.65 48.45 0.89 37.85
GMCA 0.12 0.58 117.27 0.81 38.6
Table 3: Population Growth
Source: Various issues of the Census of India No census was carried out during 1981
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Fig 1: Population breakup of the GMDA from 1921 to 2001
Source: Various Issues of Census of India
Table 4: Growth of population in Guwahati: 1921 to 2001
Source: Census Statistical Hand Book and Zoning Regulations for Guwahati
Year Population in GMCA
Decadal Growth (%)
GMA excluding GMCA
Decadal Growth (%)
GMA Decadal Growth (%)
1921 16,480 - -
1931 21,797
1941 29,594
1951 43,615 53,774 97,389
1961 100,707 130.9 98,775 83.69 199,482 104.83
1971 123,783 22.91 169,436 71.54 293,219 46.99
1981* 268,945 117.27 102,351 -39.6 371,296 48.45
1991 584,342 117.27 61,827 -39.6 646,169 48.45
2001 809,895 38.6 80,878 30.81 890,773 37.85
97,389
199,482
293,219371,296
646,169
890,773
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
800,000
900,000
1951 1961 1971 1981* 1991 2001
1951 1961 1971 1981* 1991 2001
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The decadal population growth in Guwahati Metropolitan Area is nearly, 37.85%,
which is substantially higher than that of the National decadal growth of 21.35%.
Table 5: Decadal Growth
Name Decadal Growth Rate in
Percent (2001)
India 21.35
Assam 18.85
Kamrup 25.75
GMCA 37.85
GMDA 38.6 Source: Guwahati Master Plan
3.2 Population Density The Population Density of Guwahati has been steadily increasing. The following
graph shows trends in Population Density since 1981
Fig 2: Decadal Growth
2558
2705
3741
0 1000 2000 3000 4000
1981
1991
2001
Population density Of Guwahati
Source: Various issues of the Census of India
The above density of 3741 is moderate. However the growth in density has been
on an increasing trend as can be observed in the table given above. Further, the
growth has been largely skewed resulting in congestion in certain pockets.
With such high increase in population coupled with inequitable growth in the city,
congestion has been the order of the day at present not only on the city roads but
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with respect to living conditions as well. In addition, there has been unplanned
urbanization all across the city leading to skewed development and congestion.
Hence, a decongestion programme backed by a systematic development plan in
basic infrastructure is required.
3.3 Population Projections The GMA region has been experiencing an above average growth in population
due to a mix of factors such as annexation, natural growth and migration. The
population of GMCA and GMA (excluding GMCA) has been computed from the
previous census 2001 and then the trend has been formulated on an exponential
series to forecast the future projections. This has been done in order to develop a
projection trend in line with the trend observed in the past. The last Decadal
growth rate is only considered for this projection i.e. 38.6 % for GMCA and nearly
30 % for the other region. Based on the above, the total population of the GMA
Area is expected to reach a total of 27 lacs by Year 2031.
Table 6: Population Trend and Projections
Year Population in GMCA GMA excluding GMCA GMA
1951 43,615 53,774 97,389
1961 100,707 98,775 199,482
1971 123,783 169,436 293,219
1981 268,945 102,351 371,296
1991 584,342 61,827 646,169
2001 809,895 80,878 890,773
2011 1,191,418 110062 1,301,480
2021 1,752,668 149776 1,902,444
2031 2,578,310 203821 2,782,131
Source: Various issues of the Census of India *No Census could be conducted in Guwahati in 1981. The 1981 population figures have been
extrapolated on the basis of the 1971-1991 CAGR. The figures from 2011 to 2031 are projected figures.
The table shows projection for i.e. GMCA and the GMA. The total projected
population of the GMA would stand at over 27 Lakhs by 2031.
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Fig 3: Population Trend & Projections
3.4 Migrations One of factors accounting for the rapid growth in population has been migration
from other areas to the GMA Region. The following table gives a vivid picture of
people migrating to the region and the composition of migrants for the last
decade.
Table 7: Change in pattern of Migration in Guwahati City
Proportion of migrants (%) Migrants
1971 1991
Proportion of migrants in resident population 58.79 47.38
(a) Males 63.46 48.19
(b) Females 51.86 46.34
Total Migrants (a+b) 100 100 Source: Guwahati Master Plan
The below table demonstrates the reason of Migration. It has been observed that
a large section of people have migrated for reasons such as family connection,
marriage, employment, education and business.
Note: Migration has been computed at around 25% of the population
584,342809,895
2,578,310
1,191,418
1,752,668
20382114977611006261,827
80,878
646,169890,773
1,301,480
2,782,131
1,902,444
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
1991 2001 2011 2021 2031
Population in GMCA GMDA excluding GMCA GMDA
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Table 8: Migrants by place of last Residence to Guwahati City by reasons for Migration
Employment Business Education Family
movement Marriage
Natural Calamities
Others
Total (%)
(%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%) (%)
Total 100 22 8.8 6 22.5 17.3 0.4 22.9
A Last Residence in India
Total 100 22.4 8.8 6.3 22.3 17.5 0.4 22.3
Rural 100 24.3 9.6 6.6 20.6 17.1 0.4 21.4
Urban 100 19.9 7.8 5.9 24.8 18 0.4 23.2
1 Migrants from within Assam
Total 100 24.7 6.4 7.5 20.8 18.6 0.3 21.7
Rural 100 26.1 6.6 7.9 19.5 18.1 0.4 21.5
Urban 100 22.5 6 7 23.1 19.6 0.3 21.6
1a Migrants from within District
Total 100 23.8 5.8 7.1 18.4 21.2 0.4 23.3
Rural 100 24.6 5.6 7.4 18.4 20.3 0.4 23.2
Urban 100 20.2 6.6 5.4 17.9 25.6 0.6 23.6
1b. Migration from other districts in Assam
Total 100 24.9 6.6 7.6 21.5 17.9 0.3 21.2
Rural 100 26.7 7 8 19.9 17.2 0.3 20.8
Urban 100 22.7 6 7.1 23.6 18.9 0.2 21.4
2 Migrants from other states in India
Total 100 17.2 14.4 3.5 25.8 14.8 0.5 23.8
Rural 100 19 18.6 2.8 24.1 14 0.4 21.1
Urban 100 15.8 10.6 4.1 27.6 15.5 0.5 25.9
B Last residence outside India
Total 100 13.2 8.8 1.2 27 14.1 0 35.7
Source: Adopted from Table D-10, Census of India -1991, Series-4, Migration Tables
. Fig 4: Profile of Migrants
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Migrants from within
Assam
Migrants from within
District
Migration from other
districts in Assam
Migrants from other
states in India
Employment Business EducationFamily movement Marriage Natural CalamitiesOthers
Source: Guwahati Master Plan
22
3.5 Urbanization Assam is one of the least urbanized states of the country. While the share of
urban population to total population of Assam in 1951 was only 4.29%, it has
increased to 12.1% in 2001, which is still lower than the national average of
27.78%. Even among the North Eastern states, Assam has the lowest
urbanization, with Mizoram at 49.5% being the most urbanized state in the NE
region. Among all the districts of Assam, Kamrup is the most urbanized with
35.81% urbanization.
Source: Various issues of the Census of India
Guwahati is the largest urban centre in Assam with 23.89% of the total urban
population of the state. Guwahati alone contributes 55% of the combined
population of the significant towns of Assam.
3.6 Age Mix and Sex Ratio The composition of the Guwahati City population as per the 2001 census shows
that nearly 46% of the total population is Female.
Fig 6: Composition of Population 1991/2001
Source: Various issues of the Census of India
Composition of Population:-1991
Male:
56%
Female
44%
Male: Female
Composition of Population -2001
Female
46% Male:
54%
Male: Female
27.78 26.73
12.7211.1
35.81 32.76
94.34
94.3100 100
0
20
40
60
80
100
India Assam Kamrup GMDA GMCA
2001 1991
Fig 5: Urbanization Trend For The Last Decade
23
The composition of Population as per the 2001 census reveals that there has
been a small growth in female population vis-a-vis male population. At present
46% of the Guwahati Population is Female with the rest being male. The age
wise composition of the population is given below:
Table 9: Age-Sex Distribution in GMCA: 2001 Age Total % Total Male % Male Female % Female
0 - 9 137,506 16.98 71,124 16.15 66,382 17.96
10--14 84,481 10.43 42,947 9.75 41,534 11.24
15-19 75,811 9.36 40,398 9.18 35,413 9.58
20-24 84,677 10.46 45,456 10.32 39,211 10.61
25-29 89,565 11.06 46,409 10.54 43,156 11.68
30-34 76,081 9.39 41,341 9.39 34,740 9.4
35-39 72,976 9.01 40,497 9.2 32,479 8.79
40-49 95,061 11.74 56,525 12.84 38,536 10.43
50-59 52,763 6.51 32,349 7.35 20,414 5.52
60-69 26,865 3.32 15,391 3.5 11,474 3.1
70-79 10,197 1.26 5,840 1.33 4,357 1.18
80+ 3,912 0.48 2,011 0.46 1,901 0.51
All ages 809,895 100 440,288 100 369,597 100
Source: Census of India
Moreover the age mix of the total population is also explained in the adjoining
table. It is observed that the child population i.e. the population between the age
group 0-9 is the majority in the city followed by the age group of 25-29.This
indicates that a large segment of the population in the city is young.
Fig 7: Population Distribution
137,506
84,48175,811
84,67789,565
76,08172,976
95,061
52,763
26,865
10,1973,912
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
0 - 9 10--
14
15-
19
20-
24
25-
29
30-
34
35-
39
40-
49
50-
59
60-
69
70-
79
80+
GMDA-total population Male Female
Source: Various issues of the Census of India
The graph shows the categorical breakup of the Age and sex mix of the population.
24
3.7 Literacy Rate The literacy rate of Assam was 53.78% in 2001, which is lower than the all India
average of 65.37%. The literacy rate in Kamrup district is 74.69% in 2001,
registering an increase of 9.65% over the 1991 figure of 65.04%. GMCA
registered around 9% growth in literacy rate between 1991 and 2001. This
increase in literacy rate may be attributed to the transformation of socio-cultural
importance of education in the society and the growing government emphasis on
education.
Fig 8: Literacy Rates
Source: Various issues of the Census of India
3.8 Work force Variance The economy of the city is essentially based on the tertiary sector. Majority of the
workforce in Guwahati is dependent on the government and public sector jobs
indicating lack of development of Industries and enterprise. The work
participation rate in Guwahati in 1991 was 32.2%. The corresponding male and
female figures were 52.4% & 8.7% respectively. Guwahati has considerable low
female worker participation. The following table gives a detail worker participation
in the different sectors.
Table 10:Workers Participation
Particulars % Of total male or female worker
Male 52.4%
Female 8.7%
52.89%
53.78%
65.04%
74.69%
70.60%
77%
0.00% 20.00% 40.00% 60.00% 80.00%
Assam
Kamrup
GMDA
1991 2001
25
3.8.1 Workforce Breakup
The major contribution in employment of Guwahati is mostly from the wholesale
and retail markets and least being electricity, gas and water. The breakup of work
force is given below in tabular form.
Table 16: Workforce Breakup
Activity Code
Major Industry Group Employment in Reference Area
(Assam)
Employment in
Local Area (GMA)
1 Raising Of Live Stock 37,785 2,059
2 Agricultural Services (Hunting, Forestry & Fishing) 16,756 232
3 All Agricultural Activities (Sr. 1 + Sr. 2) 54,541 2,291
4 Mining & Quarrying 24,309 1,021
5 Manufacturing 390,007 16,747
6 Electricity, Gas & Water 6,141 36
7 Construction 55,467 1,622
8 Wholesale Trade 30,711 7,034
9 Retail Trade 163,791 40,211
10 Restaurants & Hotels 68,112 11,097
11 Transport 15,487 5,099
12 Storage & Warehousing 5,658 1,128
13 Communications 13,088 2,005
14 Financial, Insurance, Real Estate and
Business Services 50,738 14,648
15 Community, Social and Personal Services 735,232 95,145
Total 1,613,282 198,084
Source: Fourth Economic Census of India, 1998
26
Below is the Graphical presentation of workforce Breakup in Guwahati
From the above graphs, it has been observed that maximum employment is
generated from the tertiary sector. In primary sector, maximum employment is
Distribution of workers in Primary Sector
24%
20%47%
9%
Cultivation
Agriculture Labour
Animal Husbandry
Mining
Distribution of workers sector wise(1991)
5%12%
83%Primary Sector
Secondary Sector
Tertiary Sector
Distribution of workers in Secondary Sector
5%
95%
Household Industry Non-Household Industry
Distribution of w orkers in Tertiary Sector
7%
31%
17%
45%
Const ruct ion Trade & Commerce
Transport & Storage Other Services
27
provided by the animal husbandry segment. Non-household industry segment
generates the maximum employment in the secondary sector and in the tertiary
sector, maximum contribution is from other services.
3.8.2 Income Variance
The poverty level figures have been incorporated and compared both on Indian
Poverty Line and also on Millennium Development goals to understand the
additional share of the population in the city to be targeted for poverty reduction
measures under this renewal programme. 31.1% of the total population of
Guwahati is under BPL
Table 11 : Poverty Levels
Poverty Levels
Based on Indian Poverty Line (INR386/Capital/month)
Based on Millennium Development Goals
City BPL (%) Above Poverty Line (%)
Less than US$1/Capita/Day (%)
Above US$1/Capita/Day
(%)
Guwahati 31.1 68.9 77.6 22.4
Agartala 24.8 75.2 76.2 23.5
Itanagar 8.2 91.8 44.2 55.8
Kohima 14.5 85.5 56 44
Gangtok 17.6 82.4 57.7 42.3
Imphal 26.7 73.3 65.1 34.9 Source : Various issues of the Census of India
The table gives a comparative analysis of the earning variance in comparison to
the other important capital cities of Northeast. Guwahati has a high-income
variance with the highest number of people living under the poverty line.
It is quite evident that Guwahati has been experiencing a stable population
growth and a decent population density, which is not very high in comparison to
the other urban capital cities of India and the Northeast region. The city marks a
high literacy rate of nearly 77%, which is higher than that of the country average.
However in terms of income variance, it is observed that more than 30% people
are residing below the poverty line. Besides, women participation as worker in
Guwahati is least as compared to the other northeastern capital cities.
28
4. Economic Base
4.1 Background
Guwahati is the largest city in the entire North Eastern Region. It ranks 44th
among 5230 urban centres in India (as per 1991). It is the regional hub and all
other states in the region depend on the city for connectivity to not just the rest of
the country but also the North Eastern region as well. The city is not just a tourist
destination but is also the gateway to the rest of the North Eastern Region.
Guwahati is the major hub of economic activity in the entire northeastern region.
The establishment of Guwahati Refinery in 1962 marked the beginning of
industrialization in the city. The construction of bridge over River Brahmaputra at
Saraighat and the shifting of capital from Shillong to Guwahati in 1972 made
tremendous economic impact on the city and turned Guwahati into one of the
most important cities in the Northeast.
4.2 Industry
The economic activity of Assam is based on Agriculture and Oil. More than half
of India's petroleum is produced in Assam. It also produces significant part of
total world's tea production. Though it is an agriculturally based State,
industrialization of Assam dates back to the beginning of the nineteenth century,
when the Country's first petroleum refinery was setup by the British at Digboi in
Upper Assam. The central projects like Oil India Ltd., ONGC Ltd., HFC Ltd.,
Petro-chemical project and more recently Numaligarh Refinery have been
established in the state.
Guwahati is one of the major industrial centres of Assam and the North Eastern
Region. The location of the Head quarter of NF railway, Guwahati Oil Refinery at
Noonmati and other heavy and medium size petro-chemical industries have
added industrial impetus to the city.
Ever since the major industrial development through the establishment of the
Guwahati refinery in 1961 the city has seen a steady growth in the industrial
sector. During the 1990s, the major focus of industrial development in Guwahati
has been light and medium industries. Till 1980 there were 19 large and medium
industries in Guwahati. There were 669 units of industries located in Guwahati in
Guwahati is the
largest city in the
entire North Eastern
Region. It ranks 44th
among 5230 urban
centres in India (as
per 1991).
The economic
activity of Assam is
based on Agriculture
and Oil. More than
half of India's
petroleum is
produced in Assam.
It also produces
significant part of
total world's tea
production
29
the year 1981. There are around 4055 small-scale industries in Kamrup district
out of which 2647 are located in Guwahati as per data available with Directorate
of Industries.
The major types of industries in Guwahati include Chemicals and Fertilizers,
Engineering Industries, Petroleum and Refineries, and Agro Based Industries.
There are six Industrial estates located in GMA. The first Industrial Estate in
Assam was established in the early 2nd five year Plan (1957-62) at
Bamunimaidam, Guwahati. Industrial estates were developed to check the
haphazard growth of industries. Besides these estates tabulated as under,
industrial estates are being developed at Rani and Amingaon. In addition to
these industrial estates, there are numerous small-scale estates as well.
Table 12 : Industrial Estates in GMA
Vacant Name of the
Industrial
Estate/Industrial area
Total land
of the area
(ha)
Total nos.
of shed
Total no of
open spaces Shed Open
Space
Industrial Estate,
Bamunimaidam
7.6 62 43 - -
Industrial area,
Kalapahar
1.4 13 13 - -
Mini industrial Estate,
Kalapahar
1.2 29 7 - -
Industrial area, Bonda Plot 22 21 22 plots - -
Industrial area,
Bamunimaidam
Plot 27 41 27 plots Nil 6
EPIP, Amingaon 27.55 4 38 plots Nil 27,932
sq.m.
Source : Master Plan Guwahati
30
Table 13 : Development of Industrial estates in Guwahati (2001-02)
Table 14 : Commercial Estates in GMA
4.3 Key Industries
Petroleum and Refineries Assam is the third largest producer of petroleum (crude) and natural gas in India.
Petroleum and natural gas productions are nearly 16% and 8% respectively of
the total production in the country. In 1999, production of crude oil was 5001
thousand MT, and of natural gas was 1333 million cubic meters. The first
commercial discovery of crude oil in the country was made in 1889 at Digboi near
Brahmaputra valley in Assam. At present the following refineries and company's
engaged in Petroleum and Petro- Chemicals in Guwahati are:
Indian Oil Corporation, Noonmati Refinery
India Carbon (CPC Plant)
Particulars Number
Total number of sheds constructed 60
Total number of sheds allotted 60
Number of unit 45
Total sheds occupied 60
Total sheds functioning 45
Source: Statistical Handbook Assam 2002, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Govt., of Assam
Sl No
Name Total area (Acre)
Total no of sheds
Open space allotted
Sheds under
occupation
Open space under
occupation 1 Commercial Estate
(North Guwahati) 3.3 10 5 nos 10 5
2 Commercial Estate North Guwahati
1.4 14 Nil 14 Nil
3 Industrial Area, CITI Complex, Kalapahar
3.3 8 2 8 2
Source : Master Plan Guwahati
31
Tea Industry
Assam is the world's single largest tea growing region, producing more than
1,500,000 pounds of tea annually. Assam has a first flush and a second flush
tea. The first flush tea has a rich and fresh aroma, while the second flush
produces the famous tippy tea (with a golden colour leaf). The golden tip present
in Assam tea makes it sweet and smooth and is very popular throughout the
World. Due to the rainfall of 100-150 inches per year in this region tea plantation
is said to be favourable.
Forest and Wood Industry
Plywood, pulp and paper, safety match box making etc are the main forest based
industries in the state. Plywood industry is the third largest industry in the state
after tea and petroleum. The state forest is the source of raw material for above
industries
Handloom and Handicraft Industries.
The State of Assam is traditionally known for its rich Handloom and Handicraft
products and their promotion is undertaken by the State Government through
various schemes. The state government has also provided various financial and
technical assistance to assist in the growth of this industry.
Type of
units
Number
of units
Number
of
artisans
Household 29,816 97,363
Non
Household 544 3,119
Total 30,360 1,00,482
Rural
areas 28,103 92,665
Urban
areas 2,257 7,817
Guwahati has a
major Tea Auction
House and major
transaction takes
place through
auction houses
32
Information Technology
Information Technology (IT) occupies a key position in our modern age and is
one of the fastest growing sectors in the world economy. Applications of IT have
become pervasive, covering all spheres of life. Keeping the importance of
Information Technology in mind Government of Assam has taken some
initiatives, which are listed below:
To accord primacy for the growth of I.T industry for the purpose of
socio-economic development of the State.
To accelerate the use of Information Technology industry at the
governmental level with the view to provide better services to the
citizens of the state;
To improve productivity and efficiency of the Government services to
the citizens of the state.
To serve as an important tool to enhance employability as well
absorb a major portion of the educated employed in the state;
To enable the state to reach an eminent position in the IT sector.
To encourage and accelerate the growth of both the domestic and
the export oriented I.T units in the state and make the state an
attractive destination for I.T investment within India and abroad.
To encourage and accelerate the use of Information Technology in
schools, colleges and educational institutions in the state to enable
the youth to acquire necessary skills and knowledge in this sector
making them highly employable.
To set up training institutes in the private sector and the joint sector
in order to prepare skilled manpower within the existing system;
To organize Manpower Development Training in the field of
Computer Applications for the successful implementation of the
Information Technology Policy of Assam.
To develop appropriate networks between various departments and
different spatially spread out administrative hierarchies through well-
designed database management systems.
To encourage the spread of IT in the private sector
Given the high literacy rate of the city and also being the center of education and
excellence for the entire North Eastern region, Guwahati can be developed as a
center for ITES sector for the region.
33
Trade & Commerce
The Commercial establishment of Guwahati is divided into four categories
namely Wholesale, Wholesale Cum Retail, Retail Shop and Service Shops.
There is an absence of centralized market complex due to which, shops have
been established in an unplanned manner across the city. The main wholesale
market of Guwahati is situated at located at Machkhowa and Fancy Bazaar
areas. These areas being in the heart of the city, occupy valuable space, which
otherwise could have been more productively used. Importantly, these markets
lack basic amenities like water supply and solid waste management, leading to
unhealthy atmosphere for trading. However, the single most important fall out of
the presence of these markets relates to traffic congestion on the main interior
roads of the city, which passes through these areas. Commercial vehicles
involved in loading and unloading of goods, occupy a major portion of these
roads leading to tremendous traffic congestion throughout the day. The markets
lack adequate infrastructure facilities. The description of the markets situated in
Guwahati is given in the table below.
Table 15: Description of the markets Situated in Guwahati.
Sl
No Name & type Location
1 Wholesale markets of food-grains and
perishable items Fancy Bazaar & Machkhowa areas
2 Hardware and Building materials
(Wholesale and retail)
Fancy Bazaar and Athgaon
A.T. Road from Fire Station in
ASTC to Athgaon Railway crossing
3 Motor Parts
(Wholesale-cum-retail)
A.T. Road (from Paltan Bazaar
to Bharalumukh);
Beltola (from Khanapara junction
to Tetelia junction)
4 Coal Market Along NH-37 from Khanapara
junction to Biharibari junction
5 Timber market Mainly in Maligaon and Rehabari
areas
6 Wholesale fish market Near Paltan Bazaar area on the
backside of Meghdoot cinema
7 Wholesale Cloth Market Fancy Bazaar Area
34
4.4 Informal Sector Activities
The major informal sector trade and services are scattered in the major work and
commercial centres along the GS Road, Kamrup Chamber Road, M S Road, J N
Road, Kamar Patty, Fancy bazaar, Dewan road, SRCB Road, T R Phukan Road,
and can be found in almost all areas of the city.
The informal sector units locate themselves strategically near work centres,
commercial areas, outside the boundaries of schools, colleges and hospitals,
transport modes and near large housing clusters. In view of this, it is proposed to
incorporate the informal sector in trade in the planned development of various
zones:
Norms for the provision of the informal sector activities:
1
Retail Trade: Central Business District
Sub-Central Business District Zonal Commercial Centre
Community Centre Convenience Shopping Centre
3 to 4 units per 10 formal shops as specified in the
norms separately
2 Government and Commercial offices 5 to 6 units per 1000
employees
3 Wholesale trade and freight complexes 3 to 4 units per 10 formal
shops
4 Hospital 3 to 4 units per 100 beds
5 Bus terminal 1 units per two bus bays
6 Schools: Primary
Secondary/ Senior Secondary/Integrated
3-4 units 5-6 units
7 Parks:
Regional / District Parks Neighborhood Parks
8 to 10 units at each major
entry 2-3 units
8 Residential 1 unit/1000 population
9 Industrial 5-6 units/1000 employees
10 Railway terminus To be based on surveys at the
time of preparation of the project
The above norms are taken from the UDPFI guidelines:
The areas where informal sector is located should have suitable public
conveniences and solid waste disposal system. In all land development projects
certain minimum area should be reserved for informal sector activities.
35
5. Profile of Urban Local Bodies
5.1 Background
The constitution (74th Amendment) Act 1992 has redefined the role,
power, function and finances of the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) wherein
the Twelfth Schedule of the constitution lists additional function to be
carried out by ULBs. This would result in a substantial increase in the
responsibilities of the Urban Local Bodies, which would in turn lead to a
significant increase in expenditure incurred by the ULBs with a
corresponding increase in requirement of funds.
Over a period of time, the ULBs will have to be self-sufficient and
therefore generate additional revenues from own sources to meet the
above additional requirements. At present, the expenditure on services
provided exceeds that of revenues earned and with growing urbanization
and subsequent increase in demand, the gap will only be widened
further.
The rapid growth of urban population has led to ever increasing demand
on urban service. This will necessitate substantial investment in
infrastructure and extensive capacity building of the local bodies.
Traditional public funding of projects need replacement by governance
through creditworthiness to access capital market and leverage private
finance. This will need the balance sheet of the corporation to be healthy.
Urban Reform Incentive Fund (URIF) has laid down levy of reasonable
user charges by ULBs with the objective of recovering full cost of
operation and maintenance by the end of 10th Five Year Plan. Further 85
% collection efficiency needs to be achieved as a Property Tax Reform
Measure.
5.2 Introduction to Guwahati Municipal Corporation The Guwahati Municipal Corporation was constituted in 1974 under the
provisions of the Guwahati Municipal Corporation Act, 1971. The Corporation
covers an area of 216 sq k.m. The Corporation has a council of 60 elected ward
36
councilors. The council is headed by a Mayor and the Commissioner is the
executive head of the corporation.
The corporations activities are as follows:
Conservancy
Water works tax division
Public Works
Building Permission
Streetlight and Electrical Section
Municipal Markets
Sanitation &Health
Dead body and night soil removal Branch
Poverty alleviation
Birth and death registration
Garage Branch
Accounts Branch
Table 17 : Basic Data related to Guwahati Municipal Corporation
GMC area 216 sq Kms
Wards 60
Employees 2750
Revenue zones 4
Public works division 5
Public work zones 23
Primary schools 5
High schools 1
Parks 12
Municipal markets 11
Holdings 1,00,000
GMC roads 1919 (511.5Kms)
Water treatment plants 3
Production of water 80 MLD
Water pipe length 425 Km(approx)
Veterinary
Enforcement
Property Tax
Mutation Branch
Trade License
Advertisement
Slow Moving Vehicle
37
5.3 Financial Profile Guwahati Municipal Corporation Table 18: Financial Position of GMC for the last three years * Rs lacs Particulars 2001 02 2002 03 2003 04 Amount %of
total Amount %growth Amount %growth
Revenue Receipts:
2859.16 100 3793.00 32.66 3067.96 (19.12)
Own source: 2160.19 75.55 2682.36 24.17 2111.63 (21.28)
Govt & other revenue grants:
698.97
24.45
1110.64
58.90
956.33
(13.90)
Revenue Expenditure
2490.58 100 2697.55 8.31 2967.89 10.02
Revenue surplus/def
368.58
100
1095.45
197.21
100.07
(90.86)
Revenue surplus/def
excl grants **
(330.39)
(15.19)
(856.26)
* Based on actual accounts. ** Deficit excludes grant and is financed by Govt. grant Figures for 2004-05 has been provided under Financial Operating Plan Break up of revenue receipt of 2004-05
Actual for 2004-05
Property tax 908.51
Urban immovable property tax 84.82
Fixed deposit with bank 0
Taxes on drought animal & non-mech Vehicle 31.14
Other taxes 458.13
Discretionary tax u/s 144(2) 48.69
Assign taxes from govt u/s 184 702
Sub Total I 2233.29
Grant in aid from govt 853.36
Duty on transfer of property u/s 170 266.78
Realisation of fees under special act & rules 55.04
Sale of water 26.15
Application fees 54.89
Interest on loan & advance 0
Market & slaughter house 116.53
Other fees 127.58
Sub Total II 1500.33
Grand Total 3733.62
38
Fig 9 : Gap between Revenue Income and Expenditure
Graph showing the gap between Revenue income
& Revenue expenditure
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
2001-02 2002 - 03 2003 - 04 2004 - 05
Year
Income & expenditure
Revenue income
Revenue Expenditure
Table 19 : Financial Profile of Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority Particulars 2001 02 2002 03 2003 04 2004 - 05
Amount %of total
Amount %growth Amount %growth Amount %growth
Revenue Receipts:
956.00 100 201.05 (79%) 275.00 36.78% 293.50 6.73%
Own source: 516 53.97 201.05 (61%) 275.00 36.78% 293.50 6.73%
Govt & other revenue grants:
440
46.03
0
(100%)
0
0
Revenue Expenditure
2173.87 100 148.91 (93.15%) 210.97 41.68% 249.47 18.25%
Establishment expenses:
2156.6 99.20 135.78 (93.70%) 81.87 (39.70%) 97.98 19.68%
Operation & Maintenance
10.63 0.49 6.21 (41.58%) 114.69 1746% 61.42
(46.45%)
Others 6.64 0.31 6.92 4.22% 14.41 108.24% 0 (100%)
Revenue surplus / deficit
(1217.87)
52.14
104.28% 64.03 22.80% 44.02 (31.25%)
Revenue surplus / deficit
excluding grants
(1657.87)
Nil
NIL
39
5.4 Summary of Key Observations
It maybe noted from the table 19 that GMC has been suffering heavy losses and
over the years has primarily been dependent on Government Grant for its
survival.
As can be observed from the above Graph, the major financial setback and
consequent revenue gap for GMC was in the year 2003-04, when the revenue
receipts went down sharply. This was primarily due to withdrawal of toll tax,
which contributed as much as 33% of the revenue earnings of the corporation.
A simple analysis of the expenditure would reveal that the establishment
expenditure for 2004-05 itself is 1.3 times the revenue.
Sources of Revenue
The major revenue income for GMC is Property Tax, which comprises of general
tax, water tax, scavenging tax, light tax and urban tax. At present there are over
1,00,000 assessed holdings and 40,000 water connections to different holdings.
Other revenue sources are as follows:
Trade license fee Entry toll
Parking fees Toll and rent from municipal markets
Tax on advertisements Tax on slow moving vehicles
Animal tax Building permission fees and penalties Water connection charge
Fines Share of motor vehicle tax
Share of entertainment tax Share of land revenue and surcharge on stamp duty
One of the key factors affecting the financial health of GMC is the extremely low
recovery of the cost of services being rendered by the corporation. For example,
as per GOI Report in 2003, the average cost per connection on account of water
generation and distribution is Rs 9 against a cost recovery of only Rs. 3 per
connection reflecting a collection level of only 33%.
40
The position on the various taxes collected by GMC is as given below :
S. No Taxes Status 1 Taxes on Land and Buildings
2 Octroi D
3 Stamp duty
4 Tax on Professions M
5 Tax on Vehicle
6 Tax on Animals
7 Tax on Dogs D
8 Show Tax M
9 Toll Tax D
10 Tax on Boats/ Ferries D
11 Tax on Electricity -
12 Pilgrimage Fee D
13 Drainage Fee D
14 Lighting Fee -
15 Scavenging Fee -
16 Latrine Fee -
17 Fee on service -
18 Tax on Servants -
19 Tax on Building Applications -
20 Tax on Advertisement
21 Fee on License -
22 Parking Fee
23 Water tax
24 Tax on Private markets -
25 Fee on Fire Brigade -
26 Fee on Health Services -
27 Betterment tax D
Source: Primary Analysis of Municipal Taxes and Account; D= Discretionary/M= Mandatory/
= Taxes are levied by local bodies
5.5 Action Plans GMC fully recognizes the importance of the above developments and is
committed to take urgent steps in this regard.
GMC shall strive to bring about efficiency in its services and implement
time bound programmes and initiatives for increasing its revenue base.
Additionally, a package of measures shall be implemented to make the
Corporations self-sustainable. It may however be mentioned that while
these packages will improve the future financial position of the
corporations substantially, introduction of a one time bail out package is
41
required to wipe out the legacies of the past. In view of the same, a one-
time funding to the tune of Rupees 30 Crores is proposed to strengthen the
capability of the corporation to operate projects in a sustainable manner.
In order to strengthen the revenue streams, a package of measures are
proposed to be implemented. The key interventions are as follows:
E- Governance to be implemented and computerisation of entire systems
and records;
Levy of Surcharge on holdings totally/ partially used for commercial
purpose;
Initiation of detailed survey to identify un assessed and under assessed
properties;
Strengthening of Assessment Department with adequate staffing;
Lobbying with the State Government and Central Government (through
the State Government) for settlement and subsequent regular payment
of Tax dues by Central and State Government agencies;
Leverage on Idle Assets;
Restructuring and Revaluation of Balance Sheet;
Valuation of assets under the corporation
Levy of reasonable tariffs and Intense Recovery;
Increase Water Connections;
A graded approach to revisions may have to be worked out so that cost
recoveries increase over time
Change over the basis of property tax from annual rental value to Area
based system.
A system of tax assessment, reassessment, systems for serving demand
notice, collection, developing information base to be developed
Valuation of assets under the corporation and also strengthening of
Balance Sheet
Encouraging public private partnerships with part/full cost recovery
principle, project structuring support for parking, terminals and solid
waste management needed to be provided
Reforming property tax system to firstly ensure total coverage of
properties in the city
Shift from single entry system to double entry accrual based system
Training and capacity building measures in area of debt financing.
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Periodic monitoring of funds, their sanctions and disbursement.
Institutional reforms
Establish clarity of roles and responsibilities
Collective action, specially in programmes for solid waste management,
water resource management and slum up-gradation
5.6 Funding for Capacity Building & Clearing past legacies
In order to make the Financials of GMC viable in the long run, there is a
requirement of Financial & Operating Restructuring. While the Municipality is
taking steps to improve on the operating parameters, there is a need for an
integrated programme comprising of Capacity Building Measures and clearing
past legacies.
This is a critical step to ensure that one of the long-term goals of JNURM viz
ensuring financial sustainability is met. In view of this the following programme is
proposed for implementation under this plan.
Capacity Building Programme scheme
Projects Cost (Rs crore)
Capacity Building Programme & Clearing
Past Legacies
30
Total 30
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6. Situation Appraisal
In order to develop an overall vision for the region as well as to develop sector
wise vision it is necessary to carry out a broad appraisal of the existing situation.
Accordingly a situation appraisal is carried out and broad results are as follows.
Sectors:
1 Environment
2 Tourism
3 Water
4 Housing
5 Transportation
6 Drainage & Storm Water
7 Sanitation
8 Basic Services to Poor
9 Solid Waste Management
10 Water front Development
11 Urban Renewal Program
6.1 Environment
River Brahmaputra generally has low pollution level. However, the River has
been contaminated with bacterial pollution due to the discharge of raw sewage
directly into the river without any treatment. Additionally,
there is a backflow from the river during the flooding
season in Guwahati. Within the city, the Bharalu
Channel, cris-crossing a vast expanse of the GMA,
discharges flow of rain water to River Brahmaputra.
A major portion of the municipal waste, refinery waste
water flowing from the Indian Oil Corporation Refinery at
Noonmati, flows through the drain directly to River
Bharalu. The waste water from the households, commercial and business
establishments, small and medium industries within the city also flow into the
Bharalu through the system of mutually interdependent drains.
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High turbidity of water also indicates transportation of soil and other particulate
refuse from the municipal drains. Bacteriologically the Bharalu Channel water is
found to be extremely unsuitable having serious faecal contamination primarily
due to improper sanitary systems and habits, unscientific and unplanned sewage
disposal and utterly unhygenic way of effluent disposal through septic-tanks.
The down stream of Bharalu is not wide enough to handle large flow of water.
Land cutting and soil erosion have also created heavy siltation on the riverbed
thereby aggravating the already precarious situation. Deepar Beel, an important
water body of the region, receives a fair amount of waste water from different
parts of the city. The inflow of the Bharalu river is the main controlling factor of
the water quality of this water body. Pressure of urbanisation and pollution have
had the negative impact on its stability.
Overall wetland degeneration has emerged as a major problem in the region
caused by encroachment, natural siltation, earth filling and garbage dumping.
The list of major waterbodies are enclosed below:
Bharalu Basin: Bharalu River being the most flood prone area and it is the
core of the drainage system with a catchment area of 42 sq.km. During
heavy rainfall there is a black flow of water.
Deepar Basin: Single largest drainage basin, covering an area of 20135
hectares and is divided into two sub-basins: Bijubari and Dipur sub-basin
Borsola Basin: This is another major natural drainage system of the city.
The Basin is located towards the Southern part of the City.
Silsako Basin: Silsako basin covers 6534 hectares in the east of Guwahati
and is connected with Brahmaputra through a stream called Bonda Jan.
Foreshore Basin: The catchment areas of this basin include certain
residential, commercial, institutional and business areas in Guwahati.
North Guwahati Basin: It has mostly hill ranges comprising north and
western boundary of the city covering a total area of 32.3 sq km
Kalmoni Basin: The total area occupied by the basin is 66.5 sq km. River
Kalmoni finds its way into the River Brahmaputra through Dipar Beel and the
Khona Jan and partly through Thengbhanga and the Khalbhog river.
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6.1.1 Disaster Management River Brahamaputra is the main cause of floods due to heavy rainfall to high
intensity rainfall in Guwahati Metropolitan Area. Highly flowing and meandering
course of Brahamaputra obstruct the normal charge of water and thus the
velocity is reduced which delays the passage of water resulting in stagnation of
water.
The flood water from Brahamaputra, into the region was naturally accommodated
in the low lying areas on both sides of the main channel before the construction
of Town Protection Embankments and extensive encroachments of human
settlements but the appearance of these activities has aggravated the dimension
of flood because of marked reduction in the water accommodating capacity of the
channel. A glaring example of such embankment is the siltation of riverbed and
its consequences in creating flood during the rainy season leaving major
damages to the adjoining areas of the river.
However, the other extreme events causing the disaster are rare except the
earthquake, which visits the zone frequently with low intensity and rarely causes
disasters except the disastrous earthquake of 1950. The entire state of Assam
has been identified as Seismic Zone V by the Government of India.
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NATURAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION
With regard to Guwahati, it can be stressed that floods and landslides cause
colossal loss to human life and property and its management takes the center-
stage in this part of the country. In fact, flood is an attribute of physical
environment but it is important to note that floods are also aggravated by human
activity like deforestation in the catchments areas. Since the floods of rivers are
the responses of both natural and anthropogenic factors, the causes of floods of
the alluvial rivers become highly complexed and their relative importance varies
from place to place. Anthropogenic activities such as building activity and
eventual urbanization, channel manipulation through diversion of river course,
construction of bridges, barrages and reservoirs, agricultural practices,
deforestation, land use changes invite hazards in the river system viz. disastrous
floods, landslides and slumping along the banks, massive erosion along the river
banks, siltation of riverbed, deposition of sands and clays in flood plains etc.
which pose a serious threat to human society and necessitate river regulation
and flood control.
This is applicable to the Brahamaputra river system although, heavy rainfall is the
root cause of floods due to immense volume of water through high intensity
rainfall. Highly sinuous and meandering course of Brahamaputra obstruct the
normal charge of water and thus the velocity is reduced which delays the
passage of water resulting in stagnation of water. Large-scale deforestation in
upper catchments is perhaps the most important anthropogenic factor of the
cause of flood and landslides in the Guwahati. Large scale deforestation effected
by man for various purposes such as for expansion of agricultural lands, for
supply of raw materials to the factories, for domestic uses as firewood, timber
wood, for commercial purposes etc. has decreased the infiltration capacity of the
forestland and consequently increased surface runoff which is helping
tremendously in increasing the magnitude of recurrent floods in the plains and
landslides in the hilly terrains of Guwahati. It may be pointed out that dense
vegetation allows maximum infiltration of rainwater into the ground because
raindrops are intercepted by forest canopy and thus reach the ground slowly in
the form of Aerial Streamlets through the leaves, branches and stems of trees
and hence infiltrates easily into the spongy soil layer formed by the leaf litters. On
the other hand, in the absence of forest and other vegetation covers, raindrops
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strike the ground surface directly and in case of heavy downpour the rainfall
exceeds the limits of infiltration soon and thus maximum runoff is generated
which reaches the rivers through rills, rivulets and streams and causes the
floods.
Increased surface runoff also accelerates the rate of soil erosion and landslides
thus increasing the sediment load of the river. This processes result in gradual
rise in the riverbed and reduce the water accommodating capacity of the river. All
these chain effects of deforestation and related increased surface runoff,
increased soil erosion and landslides and decreased cross sectional areas of the
valley has not only caused floods but also has increased the magnitude and
dimension of floods in the North-East.
Increasing urbanization has also helped in increasing the surface runoff and
therefore dimensions and magnitude of floods because extension in the pucca
ground cover through the constructions of building, courtyards, roads, pavements
etc. reduces infiltration of rainwater significantly and increases surface runoff,
increase the volume and discharge of urban drains to the river.
Flood control measures include a series of steps to tame the menacing river such
as to delay the return of runoff resulting from torrential rainfall to the river to
hasten the discharge of water as sinuous and meandering river retard the quick
disposal of water to divert the flow of water to low-lying areas or artificially
constructed channels bordered by artificial dykes to reduce the volume of water
through a series of engineering devices such as construction of flood control
storage reservoirs to reduce the impact of floods through the embankments,
flood walls etc. to forewarn the occurrence of floods through the central flood
control boards and state flood control boards .
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6.2 Tourism
Guwahati has several places of historical interest with the biggest attraction
being the Kamakhya Temple. The city is donned with several places of religious
and tourist attractions such as Umananda Temple situated on an island in the
middle of the river Brahmaputra, which incidentally is also the smallest inhabited
river island in the world. In addition to the religious sites, there are splendid water
fronts and water bodies, which could be developed as places of tourist attraction.
Guwahatis positioning in the tourism map of Assam and perhaps the NE region
is due to the fact that the city is well connected to the places of tourist interest by
road, rail and air. Most of the tourist routes in the region touches upon Guwahati
and hence is considered to be a hub for tourist movement within the region.
Different action plans facilitating package touring of Guwahati and the
neighboring Capital cities like Shillong, Imphal, Kohima and other places in
Arunachal Pradesh etc would also enhance the Touring culture. River cruises to
Kaziranga sanctuary, Majuli Island and other places of tourist interest can be
developed to encourage tourism in this region.
From a long-term perspective, to encourage tourism, there is a need to prepare
an Integrated Tourism Plan and will include measures to develop tourist spots
holistically coupled with enhanced connectivity. Steps need to be taken to market
Tourist Destinations besides developing and publicizing Tourism Products.
Despite donning an important place in the tourism map of the region, the citys
infrastructure relating to tourist amenities is at best far less than adequate and at
worst appalling. There is an absence of quality accommodation in the city and
there is a general lack of enthusiasm to cater to this growing tourism segment.
Some of the observations in this regard are as follows:
Gateway to the northeast but no 5-star hotel facility
Tremendous demand for quality accommodations and facilities
Look east policy of the centre forging stronger business ties with ASEAN countries bringing a boom in corporate traffic.
Northeast being positioned as paradise unexplored would promote tourism.
Paucity of high-end accommodations
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6.3 Water
6.3.1 Sources of water & Sustainability Main source of Raw Water for the region is surface water drawn from the River
Brahmaputra and its tributary Bahini, coming down from K&J hills. The water
level of the river Brahmaputra varies around 10 meter between winter and
monsoon period. During monsoon, the water level of the river goes higher than
G.L of the city and stays so for more than 30 days. The average discharge of
the River at Saraighat Bridge is 4500 m3/sec and flows nearly full for most part of
the year.
A limited amount of water is also drawn from open water bodies like Deepar Beel
and other beels. There has been very little exploitation of ground water over the
years and the possibility of availability of ground water is uncertain because of
substantial presence of hard rock in the region. However, a comprehensive study
on ground water availability and potential is called for. The Brahmaputra has low
organic pollution, and mineral contents are more or less optimum along the
stretch covering the city of Guwahati.
Water Treatment Facilities
The city of Guwahati has witnessed a rapid growth in population particularly
during the last one and half decades. As a result, there is tremendous pressure
on natural sources like groundwater.
It is striking that in spite of being water-rich, access to water is restricted to only
30% of population. The total installed capacity of potable water generation under
GMC area is around 20 MGD, considering the capacities of treatment plants
located at Panbazar, Satpukhuri, Kamakhya and Hengerabari although the total
water treated is far less
It may be mentioned that many of the above facilities are running well blow
capacity and requires urgent investments. The Panbazar water treatment plant in
particular has expired its design life, is in a poor state and requires renovation
and augmentation. Overall it is estimated that these plants are running at a
capacity of around 50%. The transmission loss is also estimated to be very high
at around 40% by the authorities.
Main source of Raw Water for the region is surface water drawn from the River Brahmaputra and its tributary Bahini, coming down from K&J hills. The water level of the river Brahmaputra varies around 10 meter between winter and monsoon period.
The water supply to the city is
provided by multiple
organizations viz. Assam
Urban Water Supply &
Sewerage Board (AUWSSB),
Guwahati Municipal
Corporation (GMC) and
Public Health Engineering.
Railways, Refineries, Defence
Authorities and Other
Government agencies
50
The water supply to the city is provided by multiple organizations viz. Assam
Urban Water Supply & Sewerage Board (AUWSSB), Guwahati Municipal
Corporation (GMC) and Public Health Engineering. Railways, Refineries,
Defence Authorities and Other Government agencies maintain there own plants
but these plants do not cater to the requirements of the general public. In North
Guwahati, there exists independent water treatment facilities at E.P.I.P
Amingaon complex and also another one plant recently constructed inside I.I.T,
Guwahati. A private agency has constructed a small water treatment plant behind
Brahmaputra Hotel, having a small compact plant capacity of 2 lakh ltrs/hr and
running for 18 hr per day (capacity 3.6 MLD). It is supplied through specially built
3-wheeler water tankers. This water has become very popular in Guwahati
nowadays.
Table 24 : Present status of water treatment plant
Name Installed Capacity
Year of Installation Area Covered
Hengerabari Water Treatment Plant 2.77 1996
Ward no 5 (100%), Ward no. 4 (Partly)
Panbazar Water Treatment Plant 9.89 1960 20 Ward (100%),
Satpukhri Water Treatment Plant 4.99 1985 3 Ward (75%),
Kamakhya Water Treatment Plant 1 1992
Ward no. 7 and Kamakhya Temple campus,
Panbazar Water Treatment Plant(PHED) 2.5 1996
Maligaon, Nambari, and Pandu (only Railway staff quarter)
Some factors that have contributed to this unsatisfactory situation are as follows:
Rapid growth in population and water demand (and in some areas,
shortage of water)
Inadequate water charges and billing/collection mechanisms, leading to
insufficient revenues to repair, maintain, and replace infrastructure
Intermittent and poor quality of electricity supply
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Inadequate human resource development, including training in modern
utility operations; and
Inadequate demand-responsiveness and customer-orientation among
service providers.
With the projected growth in population, water is expected to become
substantially scarce, unless adequate investment is made in building up of
capacity. Based on the projected growth of population the following graph
indicates the growing requirement of drinking water supply in the city.
Fig 13 : Projected Demand For Household Consumption
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1991 2001 2005 2011 2021 2031 2041year
mgd
demand
It may be noted from the above is that the water requirement in 2021 for catering
to the population is to the tune of 80 MGD which has been calculated, based on
the average requirement @ 135 lpcd as per CPHEEO norms and it also taken
into account the substantial floating population which will call for additional
requirement of water. It is also important to note that as per present norms, water
treatment plants are required to cater to 20 years. Considering that virtually the
entire present capacity shall expire the design life in the near future, adequate
planning needs to be done to build up new capacity.
It may be mentioned here that the water supplied to the general public is much
lower than the 150 lpcd recommended by the Ministry of Urban Development,
Government of India. Moreover the duration of daily supply is as low as 3 hours
from 6am to 9am. Irregular supply is prevalent even though the city has sufficient
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water resources to provide a continuously pressurized