GOVERNMENT OF NAGALAND
URBAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
INTRODUCTION
The Urban Development Department was initially established as Town & Country Planning Department in 1967 primarily for preparation of 'Master Plans' for the newly created capital town and other district headquarters of the State following its statehood. With the creation of its engineering wing, the Full-fledged Directorate of Chief Town Planner was subsequently established in 1984.
In view of the tremendous spurt of urbanization taking place in the State today, the Department has since assumed a major role to facilitate growth & economic development of all urban areas of the State. The primary objectives of the Urban Development Department are to provide the requisite urban infrastructure and ensure sustainable development in all urban areas of the state. At present, the Department is mainly involved in Preparation & Implementation of various Urban Infrastructure Development & Poverty Alleviation Schemes in all urban areas of the State.
It is a fact that urbanization is a direct impact of the process of economic development. The unprecedented urban growth taking place all over the country today has led to concerns and efforts to tackle the problems rising due to urban development. Most of the current urban development programmers of the Government of India are reform driven in their approach, with the emphasis not merely on urban infrastructure but also on reform in urban governance as well. The recently launched Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JnNURM) aims at implementing the 74th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, in letter and in spirit through a set of mandatory and optional reforms that both state governments and ULBs need to undertake to access the central government assistance. The State has also adopted the 'Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001' to assist empowerment of ULBs in management of urban growth and responding to needs of citizens more effectively and efficiently.