Shillong: Consultation on Hill City Regions Planning Initiative (HCRPI) towards developing a comprehensive, climate-resilient and terrain-sensitive planning framework for sustainable urban development across the Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) was held on Monday between officials of the North Eastern Council (NEC), under the Union ministry of development of north eastern region (MDoNER), in collaboration with NITI Aayog at the NEC Secretariat, Shillong.The Indian Himalayan Region is experiencing rapid urbanisation amid fragile ecosystems, difficult terrain, increasing climate risks and unique socio-cultural landscapes.Conventional urban planning approaches, primarily designed for the plains, often fall short in addressing the complexities of hill settlements. Recognising these challenges, NITI Aayog launched the HCRPI and constituted an executive committee on urban development in the IHR in collaboration with the NEC, bringing together domain experts, practitioners and policymakers to formulate an integrated planning framework for hill city regions.“The proposed framework seeks to provide practical guidance on regional planning, ecological carrying capacity assessment, climate resilience, sustainable infrastructure, economic development, governance, financing mechanisms and implementation strategies tailored to the unique characteristics of hill regions,” an official statement said.“The stakeholder consultation was convened to obtain inputs from states and Union Territories of the IHR for preparation of the framework. The discussions focused on the opportunities and challenges of hill urbanisation, identification of priority interventions, selection of potential pilot regions and formulation of a shared roadmap for sustainable, resilient and economically vibrant hill city regions,” the statement said.After the technical sessions, representatives from participating states, Union Territories , central ministries, academic institutions and expert organisations provided their feedback and recommendations for strengthening the proposed planning framework.The consultation is expected to generate policy recommendations and foster greater collaboration among govts, experts and institutions for promoting environmentally sustainable, climate-resilient and economically inclusive urban development across the IHR.The programme concluded with a ‘Way Forward’ session outlining the next steps for finalising the Hill City Regions Planning Framework and identifying future collaborative actions for its implementation.“The NEC remains committed to supporting innovative and sustainable development initiatives that promote balanced regional growth while preserving the fragile ecology, rich biodiversity and unique cultural heritage of the North Eastern Region and the wider Indian Himalayan Region,” an NEC statement underscored.
