The 73rd and the 74th amendments bestow the planning tasks on the local, rural and urban bodies. The Constitution makes elaborate provisions. 243ZD. Committee for district planning:
- There shall be constituted in every State at the district level a District Planning Committee to consolidate the plans prepared by the Panchayats and the Municipalities in the district and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole.
- The Legislature of a State may, by law, make provisions with respect to: (a) the composition of the District Planning Committee; (b) the manner in which the seats in such Committee shall be filled provided that not less than four-fifths of total number of members of such Committee shall be elected by and from amongst, the elected members of the Panchayat at the district level and of the Municipalities in the district in proportion to the ratio between the population of the rural areas and of the urban areas in the district; (c) the functions relating to district planning which may be assigned to such Committees; (d) the manner in which the Chairpersons of such Committees shall be chosen.
- Every District Planning Committee shall, in preparing the draft development plan, (a) have regard to: (i) matters of common interest between the Panchayats and the Municipalities; (ii) matters of common interest between the Municipalities and the Panchayats, including coordinated spatial planning of the area, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation; (iii) the overall objectives and priorities set by the Government of India and the Government of the State; (iv) the extent and nature of investments likely to be made in the Metropolitan area by agencies of the Government of India and of the Government of the State and other available resources whether financial or otherwise. (b) consult such institutions and organizations as the Governor may, by order, specify.
- The Chairperson of every Metropolitan Planning Committee shall forward the development plan, as recommended by such Committee, to the Government of the State. We can sum sup these articles as follows: The District Planning Committees are to be constituted in every state at the district level to consolidate the plans prepared by the Panchayats and the Municipal bodies in the district so to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole. The chairperson of every District Planning Committee forwards the development plan to the Government of the State. An area having a population of 1,000,000 or more, comprising one or more districts and consisting of two or more municipal bodies or Panchayats may be declared by the Governor of the State as a Metropolitan area. Every Metropolitan Area has a Metropolitan Planning Committee to prepare a draft development plan for the Metropolitan area as a whole.
The Legislature of a State may, by law, provide for the composition of the Metropolitan Committees and the manner in which seats in such Committees are to be filled. The representation in such Committees of the Union and State Governments and the manner in which the chairpersons of such Committees should be chosen as laid in the State law. However, not less than two-thirds of the members of such Committees are elected by, and from amongst, the elected members of the municipal bodies and the chairpersons of the Panchayats in the Metropolitan Area in proportion to the ratio between population of the municipal bodies and of the Panchayats in that Area. Every Metropolitan Planning Committee has to pay full regard to the plans prepared by the municipal bodies and the Panchayats in the Metropolitan Area and also to the matters of common interest between the municipal bodies and the Panchayats. The chairperson of every Metropolitan Planning Committee forwards the development plan to the Government of the State.
