for puducherry, viluppuram, auroville & cuddalore · for puducherry, viluppuram, auroville &...

sustainable regional planning framework for

puducherry, viluppuram, auroville & cuddalore

Tindivanam

Vanur

Panruti

Viluppuram

Puducherry

Auroville

Cuddalore

Pud

uche

rry

. Viluppuram . Auroville . Cuddalore

Sustainable Regional P

lan

Appendix AOutreach Initiatives

February 2012

contents

1.0 Introduction 52.0 Objective of the workshops 123.0 Workshop themes 134.0 Workshop Schedule and Summary 145.0 Issues and recommendations 326.0 Public sector participation 487.0 Media Outreach 50

sustainable regional planning framework for puducherry, viluppuram, auroville & cuddalore

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1.0 Introduction

Puducherry and the adjoining Tamil Nadu region are very closely connected to each other through historical links, culture, religion, language, tourism, trade/business, population, transportation, climate and natural resources such as water bodies, ecosystems, coastline. This tightly knit connection calls for a Regional Plan that would benefit this region not just in the urban areas but also in the adjoining rural areas.

With funding assistance from ADEME and endorsement from the Government of Puducherry, INTACH Pondicherry and PondyCAN have embarked upon an initiative to develop a Model Inter-State Sustainable Regional Plan that would help realize the full potential of the region in terms of: sustainable and balanced socio-economic growth, land use development patterns, multimodal connectivity, energy consumption, infrastructure provision and protection of natural resources. Keeping this over-arching goal in mind, the Regional Planning Framework includes the following ‘themes’ that will be addressed in this initial phase- Land Use, Transportation, Energy, and Water.

Referred to as the ‘Puducherry – Viluppuram – Auroville- Cuddalore’ (PVAC), the region has been defined as the area generally bounded by the Kaluvelly Tank (Tindivanam taluk of Viluppuram District) on the north, Coromandel Coast on the east, and Perumal Lake (Kurinjipadi taluk of Cuddalore District) on the south. On the west, the boundary incorporates the Puducherry Urban Area and areas within the Viluppuram taluk of Viluppuram District that are a part of the 40 km radius drawn from the centre of Puducherry. Puducherry, Cuddalore, Viluppuram, and Auroville are the four major towns within this delineated regional boundary that encompasses a total area of 2,540 square kilometres.

This report is an account of the public and stakeholder workshops undertaken as part of the preparation of the sustainable regional planning framework for Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville & Cuddalore.


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Background The Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, New Delhi wrote to the Govt of Pondicherry in Sep1986 and June 2005 to constitute a working group to undertake the preparation of Interstate Regional Plan for the Union Territory of Pondicherry and the surrounding areas including Auroville. Several rounds of meetings were held with the Lt Governor and Chief Minister of Puducherry, Govt officials from New Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry to discuss about Regional Planning. The Ministry of Urban Development has now directed all the States to take up Regional Planning which should be the basis for Town Planning. ADEME, a French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management has signed an MOU with the Ministry of Urban Development to support a few cities in India for projects on sustainable development and included Pondicherry as one of the cities after a discussing it with the Pondicherry Govt.

PondyCAN, INTACH and representatives of Auroville have met with many key people both in Delhi and Tamilnadu to further this effort, starting with the Minister of Urban Delvelopment Shri Jayapal Reddy, Dr Kasturirangan, Member of Planning Commission, Mr. Mehta, Jt. Secretary MUD, GOI, Mr. Kshirsagar, Chief Planner, TCPO GOI, the Collectors of Villupuram and Cuddalore, Mrs. Susan Mathews, Vice Chairman CMDA, Chennai and others in the TN administration.

To take the Regional Planning forward a meeting was convened to discuss the formation of the Advisory Board and the Working Group for Interstate Regional Planning and the Ademe project.

Summary of the meeting: Members present: The Consul General of France Mr Pierre Fournier, Chief Town Planner Mr G. Durairaj & JTP Mr V. Bhuvaneshwaran (Town & Country Planning Dept), Ashok Panda (INTACH), Prashant Hedao (representing Auroville Foundation), Sunaina Mandeen and Probir Banerjee (PondyCAN)Summary:The Consul General Mr Pierre Fournier welcomed the gathering.Mr Durairaj, Chief Town Planner, explained how through Regional Planning the whole area could be benefitted especially the villages who are now keen on “Development”. The main points to be discussed are:• The formation of an Advisory board,• The Working group and 3) the ADEME project.

Ashok Panda gave an introduction of ADEME and also gave a broad outline of the project:• ADEME is the French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management. It is a

public body under the joint supervision of the French Ministries for Ecology, Energy and Sustainable Development. It acts as the State’s tool to generalise the best practises

Minutes Of The Regional Planning Meet At French Consulate 8th October 2010


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designed to protect the environment and energy saving.ADEME had earlier funded the Asia Urbs Project under a tripartite agreement between Pondicherry, Urbino (Italy) and Villeneuve-sur-Lot (France) for urban environment management.

• The French Govt has signed an MOU with the Ministry of Urban Development, New Delhi to support a few cities in India for projects on sustainable development. Pondicherry has been selected as one of the cities. An MOU has been signed between ADEME and INTACH which will have 2 components- Regional Planning and Eco-district. French experts will be also involved in developing these projects.

• Once the Advisory board and Working group is finalised we need to engage a consultant for the project.

Probir gave a brief history leading to this project. The initiative was taken up by PondyCAN and INTACH in collaboration with TCP Dept, Pondicherry. It took shape only after the intervention of Dr. Harjit Singh Anand former Member Secretary of the NCR board. Some of the important events were mentioned:• Sept 1986 – Letter from Joint Secretary, Ministry of Urban

Development (MoUD) to Chief Secretary, Pondicherry to take up Interstate Regional Planning.

• 21st Dec 2004 – Reminder letter from MoUD for the formation of Working Group for Regional planning.

• 15th May 2008- Consultation-meet in Auroville “Water management through Integrated Planning and Regional Collaboration”.

• 25th July 2008 – Meeting held at the Chennai Secretariat with the Secretaries.

• 26th July 2008 – Meet on “Preparation of Regional Plan” held at the Secretariat.

• 4th Oct 2008 – Presentation to His Excellency the Lt Governor of Pondicherry Shri Govind Singh Gurjar

• 5th Oct 2008 – Presentation to Chief Minister in his chamber. LAD Minister, Chief Secretary, other Secretaries and Heads of Govt departments were also present.

• Feb 2009 – “Sustainable Regions Collaborative Planning” a participatory workshop held in Auroville which was inaugurated by the Lt Governor of Pondicherry

• 24th July 2009 – Meeting held in the chamber of Chief Minister, Pondicherry regarding preparation of Interstate Regional Plan

• 31st Aug 2009 – Letter from Govt of Pondicherry to Prof KT Ravindran requesting him to prepare a concept plan for the Interstate Regional Plan.

• 11th Feb 2010 – Brainstorming session organised by TCPO, New Delhi for the 5 southern states in Auroville on Regional Planning inaugurated by the Chief Minister.


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• Prashant talked about the successful work done by Auroville towards sustainable development- water conservation and afforestation programs. Regarding GIS based system of hardware/software for Planning he said:

• ISRO had setup NRIS Pondicherry Node database in early-2003 at the Directorate of Information Technology, Planning & Research Department, Pondicherry under the then Chairmanship of Dr K Kasturirangan. Data is available till 2003.

• Mr. P.G. Diwakar, Scientist & Assoc. Director at ISRO Headquarters (Bangalore) who was personally involved in setting up the database in 2003 in Pondicherry has agreed to work with Govt of Pondicherry and Auroville to setup this updated seamless database for the region. Mr. Ramaswamy, Secretary Auroville Foundation has already written to Dr. Radhakrishnan (Chairman ISRO) requesting him to initiate a collaboration between ISRO and Auroville for data sharing and its use in planning. Pondicherry is yet to finalise the location for setting up this centre.

The following names were proposed for the Advisory board: New Delhi:1. Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, New Delhi2. Dr K Kasturirangan, Member, Planning Commission, 3. Jt. Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, New Delhi4. Mr Kshirsagar, Chief Planner, Town and Country Planning Organisation, New Delhi5. Prof K.T. Ravindran (H.O.D Dept of Urban Design, School for Planning and Architecture)

Tamil Nadu:1. Secretary, Urban Development, Chennai2. Chief Planner, Town and Country Planning, Chennai

Puducherry:1. Consul General of France, Pondicherry2. Secretary, Urban Development, Puducherry3. Chief Town Planner, Puducherry4.Collector, Puducherry4. Representative of ADEME

Auroville:1. Secretary, Auroville Foundation2. Dr Harjit Singh Anand, (former Secretary MHUPA, Govt of India and advisor to L’Avenir D’Auroville)

NGOs:Representative of PondyCANRepresentative of INTACH


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The working group will be as follows:

TCPO, New Delhi - representativeISRO – Mr P. G. Diwakar Associate DirectorCollectors of Villupuram and CuddaloreTCPO, Pondicherry – Mr V. Bhuvaneshwaran (JTP)DSTE- DirectorINTACH – Ashok PandaAuroville Foundation - Prashant HedaoPondycan – Probir Banerjee

Regarding the Consultant and his role it was decided that it would be finalised after discussion with various people like Mr Kshirsagar, Chief Planner, TCPO, New Delhi and Prof K.T. Ravindran

It was agreed that a mission of the French expert, Bruno Lhoste of INDDIGO could be arranged through ADEME for providing sustainable eco-solutions to a couple of tourism related projects in Pondicherry.

It was felt by everyone that the formation of a separate cell at the Centre, Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu and Auroville specifically for Regional Planning would ensure that this initiative moves forward efficiently. Pondicherry and Auroville will form Regional Planning cells as the next immediate step.

The French Consul agreed to facilitate the meeting with Thiru K. Ponmudy (Higher Education Minister from Villupuram) and Mr M.R.K Paneerselvam (Health Minister from Cuddalore) for acceptance at the political level before taking it up with the Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Thiru M.K. Stalin.

The Consul General of France mentioned about the conference being organised around March 2011 on sustainable tourism where this project could be presented. He thanked everyone and agreed to host the first meeting of the Advisory board once it is finalised.


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FRENCH DELEGATION OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES: PONDICHERRy MISSION (10-11 MARCH 2011)

1. INTERNAT ENERGy SOLUTIONS: Nicolas Nath, [email protected]

2. CITELUM: Antoine Kassis, [email protected] ainsi que son représentant sur place

3. INDDIGO Bruno Lhoste, [email protected]

4. SAFEGE: Patrick VAUGHAN [email protected]

5. ARIA TECHNOLOGIES Bernard Favre, [email protected]

6. TECSUB: Hélène SZULC, [email protected]

7. IFP ENERGIES NOUVELLES [email protected]

8. Mc PHy ENERGy [email protected]

9. UBIFRANCE: Michael Ehrlich, [email protected] Sophie Clavelier, [email protected] Shoma Chakraborty [email protected]

10. ADEME Olivier Chazal, olivier.chazal@ademe Aurélie Bernard, [email protected]


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INDO-FRENCH WORKING GROUP ON URBAN DEVELOPMENT:

An Indo-French Joint Working Group on Urban Development was set up with the French side lead by Head of International Affairs in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism and Sea of Government of France and the India side lead by Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development. The mandate of the Working Group is to foster active cooperation in the field of water supply, sanitation, solid waste management and urban transport. So far six sessions of the Indo-French Joint Working on Urban Development have been held. The last session of the Joint Working Group was held on 21/9/2009 in Paris. The progress of MoU between National Building Construction Cooperation (NBCC) and Bureau de Recherches géologiques et minières (BRGM) was reviewed. Both the sides expressed their desire for further co-operation in the field of sustainable urban development.

INDO-FRENCH SEMINAR ON COOPERATION BETWEEN STATES AND REGIONS AND LOCAL ATHORITIES – LOCAL GOVERNANCE, SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT:

The first "Indo-French Seminar on Cooperation between States and Regions and Local Authorities - Local Governance, Sustainable Management and Regional Development" was held in New Delhi during 15-17 January, 2010 as a part of 'Bonjour India' which is the festival of France in India. The purpose of the Seminar was to enable French territorial authorities meet their counterparts at all levels (Central, State and Local) in order to encourage better exchange of ideas in respect of governance systems; intensify existing Indo-French decentralized partnerships (10 decentralized cooperation arrangements as of now); facilitate interaction with French territorial authorities in implementing new multi-player decentralized development, country and town planning, training of elected local representatives; public private partnerships, etc. One of the purposes of the seminar was to work out partnership arrangements between Indian and French cities. Officials and Elected Representatives both from the French and Indian side attended the Seminar.


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2.0 Objective of the workshops

The general purpose of the series of workshops is to initiate discussions on developing a model inter-state sustainable regional planning framework for the Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville & Cuddalore region. The specific objectives are to:

- Inform the public and stakeholders about the regional planning project, the purpose of the regional plan and the process involved

- Increase awareness about the region’s current state of conditions and need for collaborative planning models

- Build a partnership between citizens and stakeholders (government officers, experts, NGOs) of Puducherry Region, Auroville and of the districts of Viluppuram and Cuddalore

- Identify the key issues, assets, and joint opportunities pertaining to sustainable growth in the region

- Share knowledge on initiatives, projects (past or ongoing) and proposals that already exist in the Region to address major challenges and suggest a collaborative continuation or complement to these activities

- Discuss on the modality of a coordinated effort at the regional level for integrated

- Distribute information to various sections of the society and educate them about their role in the area’s future growth

- Identify key community assets, issues, and joint-projects

- Document and present community opinions to the decision- makers

- Obtain the views of the public and stakeholders with regard to the future development of the region; their concerns, aspirations and suggestions.


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Land Use•Defineareastobepreserved-identifyproductiveagricultural lands •Identifylandforconservation•Designatelocationsforregionalgrowth/development centres- promoting higher densities and mixed use•Discussalternativefuturelandusescenarios-Strategies to strengthen relationships between the urban and rural areas•Explorealternativeregionallandusepatterns•Identifylandsforregionalscaleparks/openspaces•Exploreopportunitiesfortourismsectortodevelop across the region without affecting natural resources•CarryingCapacity-Coordinatinglanduse,infrastructure and transportation planning•Watershedbasedplanning•DiscussGovernanceissuesrelatedtolandmanagement and growth controls (Regional Planning Agencies, TCPO, Local Administration, Decentralisation / Participatory Planning)

Transportation•Identifyfutureregionaltransitandtransportationroutes and improvements to address carrying capacity issues•Identifytransitorienteddevelopmentnodes•Promotingandimprovingpublictransportincluding busways and railways•Encouragingcyclingandwalking(regionalgreenways, trails and pedestrian walkways, waterways)•Coordinatinglanduseandtransportationplanning•Promotingalternativeeco-friendlytransportationmodes (cleaner, quieter and lower CO2 road vehicles)•Locationofregionalfreightandpassengertransportation terminals- ports, airports, railways•Opportunitiesforjointinfrastructuralimprovements•ImprovingtheTourismCircuitacrosstheregion

Energy•DefiningPrinciplesofEnergyEfficiency•AwarenessandSensitization•RenewableEnergySupplyOptionsintheregion•Energy-efficientdesigningandmanagementofmunicipal buildings•BarrierstoEnergyEfficiencyinPuducherryandTamil NaduOpportunities for Capacity Building activities and Regional Cooperation on Energy Efficiency

Water Resources•Watermanagement/governanceatGovernmentlevel Awareness and Sensitization•Changeinbehaviour:valuethedomesticwaterand reduce usage.•Industryresponsibilitiesinamountofwaterusedand its effluents.•Helpingfarmerstoreducetheamountofirrigation: adequate irrigation, water economical crops, alternative farming practices.•Strengthenrainfed-basedfarmingsystems(conservative agriculture).

Environment and Disaster Management •BeachErosionandRestorationofthePuducherry-Tamil Nadu coastal environment•DisasterPreparedness•Post-DisasterManagement•RegionalCollaborationonPre-andPost-DisasterManagement•Water,SanitationandWasteManagementduringdisasters and emergencies•EcosystemapproachtoDisasterRiskReduction

3.0 Workshop themes

The workshops primarily attempted to initiate a discussion for a shared and coordinated management of resources across the region. The participants in each workshop were divided into groups and were asked to discuss issues and strategies under the following themes-


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4.0 Workshop Schedule and Summary

Across a period of two months, a total of four workshops were conducted as listed below-

WORKSHOP I- PONDICHERRy Date- 16th February 2012 Venue- Hotel Athithi, Pondicherry Themes discussed- Water

WORKSHOP II- PONDICHERRy Date- 2nd March 2012 Venue- Hotel Athithi, Pondicherry Themes discussed- Land use, Transportation, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management

WORKSHOP III- CUDDALORE Date- 9th March 2012 Venue- GDP Hall, Collector’s office, Cuddalore Themes discussed- Land use and Tourism development, Transportation, Water, Environment and Disaster Management

WORKSHOP IV- AUROVILLE Date- 16th March 2012 Venue- Auroville Town Hall, Auroville, Villupuram District Themes discussed- Land use, Transportation, Energy, Water and Governance

A brochure (see facing page) was designed and put together as part of the information kit that was distributed to all participants of the workshops. The brochure explains the purpose of creating a regional plan, the themes that would be addressed as part of the regional plan as well as the rationale for defining the said region. It also briefly outlines the process involved.

Also part of the information kit was a concept note that was prepared for each workshop outlining the itinerary for the day. The note also identified the themes for the group discussion session including a suggested set of points for each theme that could be addressed during the group discussion. Each group had a facilitator as well as a note taker to help with the proceedings and achieve a productive session in the given time.


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Workshop I- Pondicherry

16th February 2012at Hotel Athithi, Pondicherry

Programme9:00 am Welcome address by Ashok Panda, Co-Convener, INTACH

9:40 am Regional Planning – Objectives and activities involved by Lata Iyer, Regional planner and Devaraj de Condappa, Hydrologist

10:00 am Suggestion for integrated water management at government level, view from Puducherry by Mr. Radhakrishnan, Hydrogeologist, Puducherry Groundwater Unit

10:30 am Keynote speech- Mr. R. P. Pal, IAS, Secretary Public Works Department,Government of Puducherry

11:00 am Suggestion for integrated water management at government level, view from Viluppuram and Cuddalore districts by Mr. S. Nagarajan, Retired CE PWD

11:30 am Rethinking on Policy: Can stakeholders’ dialogue contribute to conflict resolution, social learning and sustainable use of water? By Prof. Janakarajan,Madras Institute of Development Studies

12:00 noonHelping farmers to improve irrigation efficiency and grow alternative crops by Mr. T.P. Raghunath, Centre for Ecology & Rural Development

1:00 pmLunch

2:30 pm Group discussions

4:30 pmPresentation by each working group

6:00 pmVote of Thanks by Probir Banerjee, PondyCAN


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Summary of the Workshop

Mr. Ashok Panda, the Coordinator for INTACH welcomed the participants, the guests and the key note speakers to the workshop. The workshop commenced with a presentation by Lata Iyer, Regional planner, on the need for an integrated regional planning strategy for Puducherry, Viluppuram and Cuddalore Region.

Following this, Devaraj de Condappa, Hydrologist made a presentation which set the tone for the workshop emphasizing the need for a coordinated water management strategy for the region. He briefly discussed the key challenges faced by our region’s water resources, specifically the rapid decline of groundwater levels, its quality, and the large amount of ground water that continues to be extracted for agriculture. Mr. Devaraj followed with a discussion about the significance of groundwater budgeting and the need to balance the “groundwater budget” through a combination of practices and techniques such as reducing the amount of extraction especially for agricultural uses.

Key Note Address: Mr. R. P. Pal, IAS, Secretary Public Works Department, Government of PuducherryIn his key note address, Mr. Pal commended the role of the 25 odd, bed dams erected on the rivers and channels. There is a need for the society to conserve water, by adopting rain water harvesting; and by propagating percolation pits through awareness campaigns and local legislations. Agriculture sector has to contain food type irrigation and opt for drip irrigation. The village ponds and lakes need periodic distillation for better percolation. The sullage water from big hotels and rich colonies needs to be recycled for gardening. He suggested that a chart of guidelines may be published, and public suggestions should be invited before a policy approach is formulated.

Insight on Water Resources Management of Puducherry Region. Mr. Radhakrishnan Hydrogeologist-II (State Groundwater Unit & Soil Conservation, Department of Agriculture,

Puducherry)

Mr. Radhakrishnan elaborated on the present scenario of the water resources, current water management strategies in Puducherry, the issues and drawbacks of the existing processes, and the remedial measures taken by the government to address them. He explained that currently there is no coordinated effort between the States of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu to share and manage the water resources. The water management within one state is also fragmented between different authorities.

The speaker emphasized the need for a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach for the water related problems. He suggested the formation of a consolidated Water Resources Department (WRD), which would deal with all the water resources related issues under one roof. Mr. Radhakrishnan stressed how the impact of climate change on water resources availability need to be factored into the water related policy considerations and decisions. He also suggested that awareness generation at both government and at community level, capacity building for the government officers, and adopting latest technologies would aid in better water management strategies.

Can stakeholder’s dialogue contribute to conflict resolution, social learning and sustainable use of water? S.Janakarajan, Professor,Madras Institute of Development StudiesProf. Janakarajan shared his thoughts about the importance of instituting an effective enforcement mechanism to address the complex issues of urbanization, sprawl and growth. He observed that new policies were not necessarily neededif the existing policies were implemented rigorously through government backed legislation.He moved on to explain that conflicts need to be viewed as potential source for change rather than as a negative factor. Conflicts need to be addressed by initiating a dialogue between the stakeholders involved. MSD or Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Workshop is a conflict resolution tool that could help in achieving the goals of sustainable development for the well-being of the society at large. He elaborated on the concept by quoting examples related to the natural resource


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management, particularly the issue of MSD and water governance. Towards sustainable use of groundwater by improving irrigation efficiency. Raghunath.T.P. CERD-PondicherryMr. Raghunath described the shift in the cropping pattern and its subsequent increase in the demand for irrigation in Puducherry. As a result of the introduction of green revolution technologies the area witnessed a shift from surface water irrigation to ground water based irrigation, and as a result ground water was overexploited. He suggested

augmenting irrigation through the use of surface water should be driven by the state with active participation of all stakeholders for sustainable use of ground water. Mr. Raghunath stressed the importance of community engagement as a key component to effective water management and maintenance. Drawing from the example of the Tank Rehabilitation Project, Mr. Raghunath discussed additional techniques that could be employed to use water in a sustainable manner.


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Workshop II- Pondicherry

2nd February 2012at Hotel Athithi, Pondicherry

Programme9:30 amWelcome address by Ashok Panda, Co-convener, INTACH

9:45 amRegional Planning Presentation by Lata Iyer, Regional Planner

9:30 amInaugural Presentation by Dr. Abdul Razak,Head of Department- Planning, Anna University, Chennai

10:00 amKeynote address by Chief Guest, Mr. Mathew Samuel, I.A.S., Secretary to Government, Industries and Fisheries

10:30 amPresentation by Vidhya Mohankumar, Urban Designer on the role of transportation in regional planning

10:45 amTea break

11:00 amWorking Group Discussions

1:00 pmWorking Group Summary Presentations


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Mr. Ashok Panda, the Co-convener for INTACH welcomed everyone and introduced the concept of Regional Planning and the intent of the workshop. The workshop commenced with a presentation by Bankim Kalra, Urban Planner, INTACH and Lata Iyer, Regional planner, on the need for an integrated regional planning strategy for Puducherry, Viluppuram and Cuddalore Region. The key challenges for the region were identified. Lata concluded by stating that, the Regional Plan would promote economic, social and cultural development while preserving and enhancing the natural resources of the region, while positively affecting both the urban and rural areas.

“Innovation and Experience in Participatory Approach to Regional Planning” Dr. Abdul Razak MohamedDr. Razak gave a brief introduction to the planning process and realities of district planning in India. He emphasized the need for a participatory planning approach and stated a few examples of such processes in India. He later elaborated on the cases of Integrated District Development Plan (IDDP), Kollam, Kerala; District Planning Commission (DPC), Pallakad, Kerala; and the Redevelopment Plan, T Nagar, Chennai. These project examples were used to explain the process involved and the hurdles faced in the implementation of participatory planning. Lack of coordination between the various government departments involved and the unavailability of data were identified as some of the major issues. Dr. Razak suggested the need for a sectoral reorganization at the administrative level to avoid duplication of schemes and investments. This would also permit a cohesive action plan that can better address the issues at the grass root level.

Keynote SpeakerMr. Mathew Samuel, I.A.S.Secretary to Government, Industries and FisheriesThe key note speaker reminded the participants about the hurdles that the current agenda for a ‘model inter-state regional plan’ is likely to face in the future. Although, he acknowledged the awareness and motivation present among the

people, he emphasized the need for a stronger strategy to move the project forward. He walked the participants through a historical journey of the region and highlighted the similarities that exist within the region. He spoke about cultural and social links and the transformation the region has witnessed in the recent decades. He suggested that perhaps one way to approach the integrated planning is to move away from a Pondicherry centric approach and highlight all the urban and town centres in the region. He added that in India, the railways and the roadways already work from a regional perspective and it is crucial to work with these departments and get them on board for the project. Building on the existing relationship between Auroville and Pondicherry could be another potential starting point for a process that can mobilise the citizens.

Transportation Planning at the Regional Level, Vidhya MohankumarMs. Vidhya Mohankumar began by presenting two scenarios- one which is car-centric, chaotic and congested and another which is multimodal and clearly dilineated for organized, safe and efficient movement- her point being that we need to collectively make the right choices that will promote sustainable development. Having built the case, she then outlined 8 principles that are pivotal to sustainable development:1. Walk: Developing neighbourhoods that promote walking2. Cycle: Prioritizing cycle networks3. Connect: Creating dense network of streets and paths to provide alternate routes for movement4. Transit: Providing high quality transit5. Shift: Increasing mobility by regulating parking and road use6. Mix: Planning for mixed use7. Densify: Matching density and transit capacity8. Compact: Creating compact regions with short commutesShe concluded with examples of regional planning efforts that have been rooted to transportation strategies including the 5 finger plan in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Randstad model in the Netherlands, Kunming regional plan in Chenggong and our own National Capital Region around Delhi.


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Workshop III- Cuddalore

9th February 2012at GDP Hall, Collector’s office, Cuddalore

Programme10:15 amWelcome address by Ashok Panda, Co-convener, INTACH

10:20amRegional Planning Presentation by Vidhya Mohankumar, Urban Designer, INTACH

10:30amInaugural Address by Mr. Thiagarajan, IAS (Rtd), Former Project Director – Tamilnadu Road Sector Project

10:45 amSpecial Address by Mr. Rajendra Ratnoo, IAS, District Collector, Cuddalore 11:00 am Presentation by Dr. Abdul Razzak, Head of Department - Urban Planning, Anna University, Chennai

12:00 noonSpecial Address by Mr. V. Shunmugasundaram, Additional Director of Town and Country Planning, Directorate of Town and Country Planning

12:15pmTea Break

12:30Working Group Discussions

1:30pmWorking Group Summary Presentations


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Mr. Ashok Panda, the Coordinator for INTACH welcomed the participants, the guests and the key note speakers to the workshop. The workshop commenced with a presentation by Vidhya Mohankumar, Urban Designer with INTACH, on the need for an integrated regional planning strategy for Puducherry, Viluppuram and Cuddalore Region.

Following this, Mr. Thiagarajan, IAS, and retired Project Director – Tamilnadu Road sector Projectspoke about the issues of the compartmentalized planning approach that is existent today. He indicated that there is a lack of coordinated thinking to address the issues, both within a state and in between the states and further highlighted some of the issues in the Cuddalore and Viluppuram region. He observed that there is loss of agricultural land, reduction in the quality of water and increase in the demand for resources due to urbanization. He explained that there is an absolute need to consolidate all these problems and understand the disadvantages of induced growth due to fragmented approach in planning. For example, the current development of hotels and residences along the ECR has resulted in over exploitation of the ground water resources. This has initiated an irreversible process of sea water ingression in the ground water table. The environmental impacts of any development need to be evaluated before its implementation. He encouraged the participants to start an open dialogue about the issues within the region, to achieve a fruitful outcome from the workshop. He concludesd by stating that the Regional Plan for the Puducherry – Viluppuram - Auroville - Cuddalore region should set an example for other such regions in the country.

The next special address was by Mr. Rajendra Ratnoo. IAS, District Collector, CuddaloreThe Collector welcomed the participants to the workshop and agreed with Mr. Thiagarajan on the issues of compartmentalization and stated that the workshop should be one such initiative to starta conversation between the various government

departments. He added that if megacities need to develop, they need to grow vertically and that governments need to adopt inter-sectoral thinking. He said that a regional perspective needs to be brought in where the developmental needs are balanced with concern for environmental protection. On tourism, he added that Cuddalore with its rich Chola heritage has a tremendous potential to develop into a tourist destination. He emphasized that planning must incorporate the cultural and social factors in addition to the economic factors. He also maintained that although Cuddalore had unharnessed potential, the development should not exploit the natural and cultural resources. He concluded by pledging his support to the initiatives of the Regional Plan and that he intends to generate concept papers from the issues and recommendations that would emerge from the group discussions at the workshop and transform them into action plans to move the project forward.

V. Shunmugasundaram, Additional Director of Town and Country Planning, Directorate of Town and Country Planning made a short speech after that where he talked about the potential of tourism in the region. He explained that, if planned well, the tourism sector could flourish in the region but that this has to be done without any damage to the environment. He explained that this will be possible if the natural resources and potential of the region are evaluated before any development is planned.

The last presenter was Dr. Abdul Razak Mohamed. Dr. Razak’s shared his prior experience from the Palakkad District Planning project. He explained the process involved and the hurdles faced in the implementation of participatory planning. Lack of coordination between the various government departments involved and the unavailability of data were identified as the major issues. He also suggested that there needs to be a sectoral reorganization at the administrative level to avoid duplication of schemes and investments. This would also permit a cohesive action plan that can better address the issues at the grass root level.


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Workshop IV- Auroville

10th February 2012at Auroville Town Hall, Auroville, Villupuram District

Programme9:45 am Welcome address by Bankim Kalra, Urban Planner, INTACH

10:00 amRegional Planning Presentation by Lata Iyer, Regional Planner

10:15 amSpecial Address by Mr. Bala Baskar, IAS, Secretary Auroville Foundation

10:30 amPresentation by Toine Van Megen, Auroville Consulting on Energy for the region

10:50 amPresentation by Thiru N. Muthuselvan, District Project Manager on the Pudhu Vaazhvu Project experience in Viluppuram

11:15 amPresentation by Dr. Abdul Razzak, Head of Department - Urban Planning, Anna University, Chennai

11:45 am Tea Break

12:00Bio-Regional Vision- Presentation by Joss, Ram, and Suresh

12:30Working Group Discussions

1:30Working Group Summary Presentations


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Mr. Ashok Panda, the Coordinator for INTACH welcomed the participants, the guests and the key note speakers to the workshop. The workshop commenced with a presentation by Lata Iyer, Regional planner, on the need for an integrated regional planning strategy for Puducherry, Viluppuram and Cuddalore Region.

Special Address: Mr. Bala Baskar, IAS ( Secretary, AV Foundation) Mr. Bala Baskar shared his thoughts aboutthe need for understanding and integrating the true needs of the people prior to starrtingany new development project. He emphasized the need to identify new models of sustainable development that address the challenges faced by urban and rural India. The non-negotiable base issues need to be identified with all the concerned people, so that at least those aspects that everyone agrees and supports can be successfully moved forward.

“Renergy”, or….Energy for the Region” by Toine Van Megen (Auroville Consulting) Mr. Toine Van Megen emphasized the need for energy conservation and the importance to weigh the ‘need vs. greed’ debate before consuming energy. Toine presented key energy saving strategies that can be adopted at a regional level. These include: •ElectricalEnergy1. Tariff should be rationalised (to promote low energy consumption)2. Renewable energy needs to be included in the grid3. Renewable energy targets with long term policies (feed-in tariffs, open access, distributed generation)4. Renewable energy sources- Roof top solar; can produce energy required at an individual building level- Biomass;- Small scale wind;- Storage solutions;- Distributed generation5. Feed-in tariffs: - To make rooftop solar projects viable, feed-in tariffs need to be introduced.

- For the gross solar electrical energy produced by the “prosumer” a monthly payment to be made as per the feed-in tariff.- For the energy consumed, the prosumer continues to pay as per prevailing electricity tariffs.- Two meters (the existing TNEB consumption meter) and a newly to be installed production meter.•ElectricalEnergyinRuralAreas1. Rural feeders: 24 x 7 reliable grid supply will help in the growth of a diversified rural economy2. Subsidise agricultural outputs rather than inputs (fertiliser, power) For example, there should be no subsidy on power for farmers and agriculture but introducing subsidy to the output price of the produce to enable them to be competitive in the market. •EnergyforAgriculture1. Irrigation policy needed. Flood irrigation to be banned for most crops.2. Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) to give energy star ratings for agricultural pumps. Only 3 star + to be allowed in the market.•EnergyforMobility1. Need for reliable, comfortable public transport which will reduce energy consumption2. High frequency of public transport. Vary capacity and not frequency3. Encourage the use of electrical two-wheelers, E-Auto, mini bus•EnergyforCoolingandHeating1. Passive cooling for buildings

“Pudhu Vaazhvu Project- the Viluppuram Experience” by Thiru N. Muthuselvan (District Project Manager)Pudhu Vazhu project covers 15 districts, 70 blocks and 2432 panchayats in Tamil Nadu. The details of the project were explained at the session. The objective of the project is to empower the poor by improving their livelihoods and reducing poverty by:1. Developing, strengthening pro-poor local institutions at the village level.2. Building the skills and capacities of the poor. 3. Enhancing their livelihoods by financing demand driven sub project investments.


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“Innovation and Experience in Participatory Approach to Regional Planning” Dr. Abdul Razak MohamedDr. Razak gave a brief introduction to the processes and realities of district planning in India. He emphasized the need for a participatory planning approach and stated a few examples of such processes in India. He later elaborated on the cases of Integrated District Development Plan (IDDP), Kollam, Kerala; District Planning Commission (DPC), Pallakad, Kerala; and the Redevelopment Plan, T Nagar, Chennai. These were used to explain the process involved and the hurdles faced in the implementation of participatory planning. Lack of coordination between the various government departments involved and the unavailability of data were identified as the major issues. He suggests that there needs to be a sectoral reorganization at the administrative level to avoid duplication of schemes and investments. This would also permit a cohesive action plan that can better address the issues at the grass root level.

Bio-Regional Vision- Presentation by Joss, Ram, and V. SureshMr. Joss explained about the bio-diversity in the Kazhuveli region and the traditional values and customs that are present in the area. He stressed on the fact that sustainable modes of living are already inherent in the people’s lives, however these aspects are not included in the development plans. Any initiative that is introduced needs to incorporate and accentuate these value systems. Mr. Ram continued the discussion by explaining that the lives of the people need to be enriched without breaking the links that exist in the community. He further explained the significance of creating livelihoods based on existing skills and traditions and then bringing in additional inputs to fund, enhance and encourage them. The existing schemes of the Government could be used to fit in the plans and projects. Mr. Suresh explained that often participation is used as a tool to satisfy certain criteria; Suresh emphasized the need to learn from the past when governance was a an integral working model owned by the people and was inherently self-sustainable and equitable.

Suresh discussed the need for decentralized planning to be adopted and hurdles of converting an idea into reality. He stressed that initiatives need to bring people together and they need to own and propel it by themselves in order to achieve sustainable development. Mr. Suresh explained that difference between governance and government- how governance reforms include the government and go beyond it.

He discussed how rules of traditional systems were established at the time of scarcity to ensure that the marginalized are priority. Suresh discussed the need to re-explore the traditional values and plans and incorporate them in new initiatives to move them forward.


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LAND USe

Issues1. Workplace/ employment, education,

infrastructure facilities are not decentralized in the region, therefore there is migration

2. The rural areas need to be given priority for development

3. Loss of agricultural land4. Lack of employment centres5. Need for coastal area protection6. Heritage areas need to protected and

developed sensitively7. Education: Inaccessible and low quality8. Conversion of agricultural land uses to non-

agricultural uses like industries9. Encroachment: a. of development activities on wetlands b.over natural course of water channels 10. Industrial pollution: air, water, land, noise11. Lack/ poorly maintained local connectors

between towns12. Improper waste disposal and management13. Tourism potential untapped in region beyond

Puducherry, and insufficient infrastructure to support tourism within Puducherry

14. Sand mining activities in Cuddalore is a serious concern

15. Master plan of the municipalities have not been revised

16. Poor regulation enforcement: lack of manpower, requirement of planners

17. Built space vs Open Space ratio is low regionally

18. Urbanization: a. Increased pressure on wetlands b. Food security issues c. Increased stress on land d. Unemployment in the agricultural industry19. Pollution due to industrial developments; large

amount of water extracted for their use20. Unauthorized and unplanned development in

the urban centres

5.0 Issues and recommendations

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. Develop transportation network and accessible

secondary roads- for better linkages to the social infrastructure in the region

2. Heritage preservation at the region level to expand and enhance the existing tourist circuit and connect it to the places at the regional level

3. Promote Social Forestry4. Development of secondary urban centers5. Promote infill development6. Water and land use: Identify water bodies which

lack maintenance 7. Identify the watershed of the region and

increase check dams in the region to increase the ground water level

8. Identify tourist cluster of tourist sites and promote infrastructure development to promote sustainable tourism practices

a. Train the local communities in the tourism related services

b.Tourism should not bring any negative impact9. Consider individual regional plans for Tamil

Nadu, Auroville and Pondicherry for better implementation

Policy & Enforcement:1. Revision of master plans of the respective

towns2. Strengthening the local authorities to allow

better enforcement of regulations3. Promote a bottom-up planning approach4. Better coordination within and in-between the

states5. Regional level waste management strategy6. Strengthen regional centres and smaller towns 7. Regulations to preserve/protect water bodies,

wetlands and agricultural lands (from converting to non-agricultural uses)

8. The spread of the land uses should be at a regional level: especially for agricultural land and industries

9. Growth centres or growth pores need to be identified


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10. The development needs to be vertical in the urban centres

11. Integrated land uses: offices, residential/ housing

12. Increase the land under agriculture Increase crop productivity by introducing latest technology/ set of modern equipment

13. Mandatory use of sea water for industrial plants, to encourage the construction of desalination plants and zero waste treatment plants

14. Integrated Environment Impact Assessment, before any project any project is implemented

15. Increase enforcement mechanisms to prevent unauthorized constructions/ developments

16. Transferable development rights as a tool to prevent sprawl into the natural environment

17. The concept of eco-tourism/ rural tourism

needs to be applied for the rural areas that have local skill sets and/or heritage structures.

18. The local potential need to be tapped to develop it into a potential tourist destination which can be connected to a larger tourist circuit

19. Public-Private- Partnerships should be encouraged for ensuring quality education, infrastructure/ basic amenities

20. Development should be based on socio-cultural factors

21. Water demand resource plan & management needs to be done in a sustainable way

Awareness & Community Participation:1. Inculcate social responsibility with respect to

waste management and disposal


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TrANSPOrTATiON

Issues1. Puducherry needs better connectivity to other

major towns and cities in the region2. Transit corridors NH45 and railway line exist,

but do not enter into Puducherry3. Tindivanam - Puducherry corridor sees high

density traffic that needs to be addressed4. Lack of effective transit systems within each of

the four towns5. Policies continue to provide hidden subsidies to

private transit modes6. Lack of direct bus from Panruti to Puducherry7. There is a need for more choice in transit /

transport modes to be made available for movement of people and goods

8. Number and frequency of trains out of Puducherry are insufficient

9. There is a need for more outer ring roads in Puducherry

10. Current road networks are not conducive to offer more travel modes options

11. Lack of coordination among different agencies12. Interface between the highways and access

roads to the villages and settlements need to be designed appropriately to prevent accidents

13. Signage and safety measures are missing14. Connectivity: a. Missing connection between Puducherry and Panruti b. By-passes are needed to relieve congestion15. Buses: Lack of better services, frequency and

maintenance of the existing buses16. 16. Inadequate infrastructure to support the

movement of freight to connect to the port17. Lack of/ Improvement of public transportation.

The current public transportation is of poor quality or is badly maintained and has low frequency. Also, there is lack of proper connectivity between urban and rural areas

18. Transit corridors also function as development corridors. The development needs to be coordinated to reduce the load on the existing network

19. Detailed audits are needed for demand assessment for transportation

20. Efficient and integrated public transport systems missing within each town or their reliability, frequency and quality is inconsistent

21. There is a high reliance on para-transit modes such as rickshaws - which are unregularised and often exploitative

22. Pondicherry - connection to bus stand and to Tindivanam road is congested Entry into city from outskirts is difficult

23. Cuddalore - has poor quality roads24. Cycling and walking have not been incentivised25. There is no connectivity to major built and

environmental sites of cultural and heritage importance in the region

26. The present location of the planned airport at Lawspet can only serve Pondicherry - Auroville

27. Freight corridors of the region need to be identified

28. There is a need to create livelihood opportunities in local areas

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. The coast is too congested - development

needs to be taken out of the coast. The ground water along the coast cannot meet up to the demands of the present growth. The NH45 can be developed instead, allowing only low-intensity, environmentally-friendly development to happen along the coast

2. If the planned airport were to move south of Pondicherry, it would better serve the region

3. Consider BRT and LRT systems for inter-city connectivity

4. Railway - need to connect speed and frequency5. Roads - Develop ECR as “scenic beachway”.

The quality of road/highway must change when it passes through a town or village

6. Bridge the gap between demand and supply7. Extension of ECR8. Improve design of highways and increase

access to towns and settlements9. Increase the number of buses and introduce

mechanisms for maintenance of the current buses

10. Provide separate bus facilities for the fisherman


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11. There is a need for more trains and more compartments

12. ECR rail link : Rail service between Pondicherry- Cuddalore needs to be developed

13. Introduce Suburban trains, EMUs14. Separate freight access for better economic

development15. Introduce water connectivity along the coast

Policy & Enforcement:1. There can be high speed transit across towns,

but low cost modes within each town2. There needs to be a regional greenway network

that connects canyons, waterbodies and wooded areas. These can be cycling highways, serving both as mobility corridors as well as recreational corridors

3. A regional waterway connection (hovercraft) for people can be considered connecting Chennai-Pondicherry-Cuddalore and other places along the coast. These can be separate from the frieght corridors that develop connecting ports of Karikal, Cuddalore, Cheyyur and Chennai - their freight movement doesnt impact 4-towns region

4. Any new highways should have dedicated cycling and pedestrian pathways on them

5. Build the idea of both “destination” and “journey” as being important

6. The need to shift from being car-centric to more public transport driven mobility

7. Need for pilot projects / demonstration projects within each of the four towns

8. Need to improve access to transit a. Increase pedestrian/ non-motorized vehicle

access9. Viluppuram- Tanjavur needs a multi-modal

transit facility10. Bhuvaneshwar- Kameshwaram trains do not

stop at the Chidambaram station. It would be beneficial for the region if the train stops at the location to increase access to places like Chidambaram, which is a popular spiritual destination

11. Mechanisms to enhance coordination among the governments

12. Subsidies and incentives for the use of electric vehicles

13. Decentralized development a. Land use and transportation needs to be

coordinated b. Several development clusters need to be

interconnected with transit corridors c. Renewable energy needs to be used

Awareness & Community Participation:1. Advocacy and awareness building at local levels

and across media types required to sensitise need for better quality and sustainable modes of connectivity and mobility


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WATer

Issues1. Quality of the water, it has high EC, PH value,

etc in Cuddalore2. The effluent from the sugar factory is causing

water pollution3. The pollution is also attributed to the sea water

intrusion, due to the usage of NLC pumps 4. Sewerage and solid waste is mixing with the

water and causing pollution5. One of the major reasons for bad quality of

water is the use of heavy duty pumps for filling the overhead tanks. This process extracts more water than needed in short time

6. Water supply to the farmers is not properly supplied. There is flooding when there is no need for water and it is scarce during the dry periods

7. Permission given to the mineral water units, who are excessively tapping the resources

8. Excessive river sand mining9. Drinking water is being wasted for irrigation and

housing construction10. Water resources are stressed: In Viluppuram,

usage of water is 650M cuM with a recharge of 250M cuM resulting in a deficit of 400M cuM

11. Misconception among villages about Auroville’s afforestation efforts threatening them and some even stopped some recharge measures being taken by Auroville

12. Sand mining along the coast13. Free power and water; as a result water is being

sold by the citizens14. Issue of water recharge15. The cost of domestic water for individual is

infamously cheap in Puducherry (05 Rs / m3) while a participant quoted an actual cost for the government of 18 to 20 Rs / m3. This is too low and consequently people tend to waste and undervalue the water

16. There are actually numerous regulations existing but these are not enforced

17. Loan for drip and sprinklers is limited to people only who have bore wells

18. Alternate irrigation systems are limited to farmers who can invest and who have own water source

19. Imbalance in demand and supply of ground water recharge

20. Lack of awareness in selection of crops based on economic value- eg Excessive plantation of cash crops

21. Mono cropping based on soil and water condition as well as economic value

22. Farmers are incentivized towards following the same cropping pattern because of industrial demand eg sugarcane

23. Natural processes of salination during high tide when there is a back flow of sea water

24. Effluent dumping from industries pollutes water25. Excessive pumping leading to imbalance in

pressure26. Sand dune destruction in coastal area induces

the shallow aquifer salinity27. Irrigation management starting from tail end28. Horizontal and vertical extraction of ground

water due to competition and scarcity29. Peer pressure among farmers to farm the same

crops as successful farmers30. Need for watershed management for the benefit

of upper reach farmers31. Skepticism and lack of unity among farmers to

adopt alternate technologies

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. Farm ponds for water storage and fish culture to

be promoted2. Creating storage systems 3. Sand mining to be controlled and regulated for

better ground water levels4. Ground water metering to be done 5. Measuring rainfall for planning of crops

depending on water availability for efficient irrigation planning

6. Soil conservation technique to be adopted to increase moisture content eg application of tank silt, mulching, Sun hemp, daincha to be incorporated

7. Using urban sewage water after being treated 8. Prosume: Produce and Consume at the

same time; recycle what is produced. The predominant trend for cities is to consume intensively all the resources (water, food, electricity etc) produced / available in its vicinity


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9. Waste water treatment for: a. Recycling back to the domestic supply cheme, b.or supply back to agriculture for irrigation10. Produce food in the cities. It is common in West

Africa, with own gardens for subsistence, or in western cities with rooftop gardens (produces food and condition building temperatures)

11. Everybody should pay for water, even the poorest, though with a price proportionate to the income

12. For regional cooperation, multi stakeholder dialogues needs to be initiated for coordination at the farmers’ level

13. Existing tanks, ponds, paleochannels to be resurveyed and encroachment needs to be removed with the community participation and urbanization needs to be controlled

14. Groundwater augmentation needs to be done based upon the necessity and need (maximum consumption sector identification)

15. Demarcation of sources of groundwater salinization

16. Identification of proper recharge zones for groundwater augmentation

17. As a part of recharge zone identification the existing tanks, bunds, nallas can be de-silted which act as a recharge zone

18. Focus on LEISA (low external input sustainable agriculture) technologies for better water savings and subsidies aimed at them

19. Creation of farm pond in low lying areas20. Rehabilitation of tanks and ponds based on

cascaded approach- water shed management21. Build channels for natural irrigation of fields

during rainy season from eris as opposed to usage of motor to pump water

22. Creation of dead storage in existing tanks and ponds

23. Enforcement of creation of percolation ponds near a bore well/ open well to recharge ground water

24. Restrict use of bore wells to one season25. Water Recharge:a. Revitalise the Erie systems and actively monitor

the past projects to see what’s successful and why the failures

b. To make the water flow perennial, repair all the tanks, all channels including drainage

c. Reduce agricultural water consumption using better consumption practices

d. Recharge wells need to be built 6 can be built in one hectare

e. Rice intensification system needs to be introduced

26. Extend the region to fall between the two rivers, the Palar in the north and the Pennaiyar in the south (from Mahabalipuram to Cuddalore)

27. Sand mining needs to be curbed Alternative methods rather than using for construction activities

Policy & Enforcement:1. Voluntary Organisation /NGOs should

coordinate and work for tank management2. A single department for handling water

resources, for both the statesa. A collaborative framework for the region that

includes these agencies and binds both to abide by the decisions taken for the region

3. There should be no distinction between rural and urban areas; both should be seen as a continuous ecosystem

4. Example of tanks/river ways: instead of being encroached / spoiled, the urbanisation should grow including them as part of the system. Water bodies could be recreation areas or still used for irrigation within the city (case of food production in towns, cf below)

5. Accountability and responsibility should at all levels, ie, government but also individual

6. Include the culture of planning to endorse the ecosystemic approach: there is a total lack in India. For example the Town Planner of Puducherry government is not a planner but a civil engineer

7. More generally, a semi-governmental organisation should be created and sanctioned with the mission to create this awareness. Semi-governmental refers to including government as well as citizens in the organizational structure.

8. Pricing the water is particularly suited to decentralised / community schemes to pay the maintenance and the salary of the staff involved

9. Pricing should not be an open door for privatisation / profit making

10. Industries in rural areas which pump groundwater for their usage should be charged heavily per volume of groundwater extracted so that it becomes cheaper for them to treat their waste water and reuse

11. A Water Commission should be created on the model of the Election Commission, which is powerful. The duty of this Commission would be to enforce the existing regulations


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12. Irrigation of water supply should be first given to tail-end farmers

13. Priority and subsidy to be focused in improvement of soil quality through tank silt application, mulching, green manures before main crop

14. Minimum charge on electricity/ cap on electricity units per year

15. Cap on water consumption per year16. Incentivize co-operative farming17. In dry lands, need for standards specifying a

percentage of land for creation of irrigation ponds

18. Self-regulations within farmers associations

Awareness & Community Participation:1. Research on the reuse of treated sewerage

water is needed2. Increase awareness about the sources of water

and its distribution network 3. Reduction of water demand by:a. Awareness about water usage through i. Media campaigns ii. Farmers to farmers dialogue to bring the

findings of Puducherry farmers to TN farmers iii. TRPP- Other projects should be reviewed

and implemented in the same manner4. This notion of awareness actually only concern

those who are in the middle to high socio-economical classes. People living in situation of scarcity are already partly or totally aware of limited water resources

5. About the process of creating awareness:a. Transmission of change in behaviour is

Individual - Collective- Community - Societyb. Education in school is the most important act to

root and spread this change6. Sensitisation should also be realised

by exemplary models which illustrates commendable practices, behaviour to adopt:

a. in public spaces: schools, universities, government spaces etc,

b. by private or governmental professionals: such as organisations dealing with public issues such as water management, planning, agriculture, education etc, but also corporates

7. Examples of illegal activities:

a. industries which may not treat their waste water,b. gated communities or five star hotels which may

consume excessive domestic water and merely treat their waste water

8. De-silt of tanks with people participation by collecting funds from different companies and raising 25% from people involved

9. Create awareness on tank management10. Create awareness and trainings for farmers to

use water in an efficient manner, like alternate wetting and drying method

11. Information/ education/ communication strategy12. Creating awareness through school curriculum13. Dissemination of better technologies for

irrigation such as drip irrigation14. Awareness on benefits of co-operative farming15. Soil texture and structure based irrigation

calendar16. Need for consensus among farmers on what to

grow in each season17. Research to determine water requirement for

each soil type18. Disseminate knowledge of benefits related to

crop rotation and alternate/ multiple cropping which consume less water


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eNerGy

Issues1. Detailed audits are needed for demand

assessment: for transportation and energy 2. Rural infrastructure is treated as second class

infrastructure even though it is not3. Tariff is not rationalised4. Renewable energy not included in the grid

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. Energy Efficiency a. Smart load reduction b. Doing EE activities that have life cycle costs

lower than Average power purchase costs c. Building design and passive lighting d. Government Procurement (5 star) e. Energy audit of govt buildings2. Building Energy Efficiency (Commercial) a. New building construction b. Insulation c. Energy neutral buildings d. Day light lighting

Policy & Enforcement:1. Tariff rationalization a. No sale below cost except for marginalized

sector b. Stop cross sectoral subsidies c. Ensuring cross subsidy within consumer sectors2. Renewable energy long term plans a. Wind energy from TN (owned by PED/PPCL) b. Solar roof top PV feed in tariff (recommendation

to Government) c. Roof top renting d. Full utilization of Biomass and solid waste to

energy potential (diff technologies decentralised and centralised)

3. Agricultural energy use a. Final product subsidy only (output subsidy

rather than input in long term) b. 24 hours supply at cost of supply (encourage

diversification and increased employment in the rural area)

c. Ground water recharge 4. Reduced pump size with EE pump sets (Head,

delivery)5. Long term Planning 5 year planning a. EE plan b. Pro-sumption plansAwareness & Community Participation:1. Advocacy for Energy efficiency a. Awareness programs through electronic and

print media b. Marketing push with retailers (awards program

on EE appliances sold) c. Procurement push 2. Advocacy for Renewable energy a. Awareness programs b. Procurement push


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eNvirONMeNT AND DiSASTer MANAGeMeNT

Issues1. Lack of awareness about the fact that the

trenches or walls built along the coast causes erosion/ shifting and uneven sand accumulation. The citizens only seem to be concerned about the safety and not the subsequent environmental impact.

2. No real necessity for a harbour in Puducherry3. Cuddalore : a. Industrialization in Cuddalore :

Lack of coordination and investment for the identification of the irregular/illegal production and limitations of an industry

b. The industries are exceeding their limit of production which has a hazardous impact on the environment

c. The pollution board is not stringent about these impacts

4. Water Management5. Marine Pollution6. Unchecked Mining 7. Deforestation 8. Waste Management9. Farmers are facing water problems, a lot of

water from the river flows into the sea unutilized10. Agriculturists are facing issues during lean and

flood seasons

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. Local Body Leaders: Along with taking care of

responsibilities like laying roads the leaders of local bodies must look into these issues as well

2. Industrial rehabilitation should be done in Cuddalore. An authority to ensure the norms (especially for industries) are addressed

3. Segregation of waste (dry/ waste) and effective regional waste management strategies

4. Create coordination centers within the region and network with NGO’s and other social groups who can actively take part during the disaster

5. Specialized team, which is common for the region, should be available to tackle environmental and disaster management issues

6. Mobile toilets to be provided post disaster

Policy & Enforcement:1. Waste management is a very important need,

and cannot be addressed just by a government order. It has to be taken stage by stage through strategy and to work towards zero plastic and zero pollution

a. A mass cleaning program should be carried out at a district level with inputs such as transportation, safe disposal and stage by stage implementation with the help of officials and people participation etc

b. This will definitely require a government plan and also role modeling wherein important people such as politicians, officials, sportspersons etc, can set examples of proper management and thus encourage the people to do the same

c. Key leaders should impart training as it is an important part of the strategy

d. Keep a task force to regulate safe disposal and segregation

e. Recycling waste need to be decentralized f. Polluters (people who pollute) have to be fined2. There should be a framework between different

Governmental Offices for an active nourishment of the beaches for short term and then for long term

3. Coordination in between a. Collectorate (District/State level) b. Police officials c. NDMA manages the funding; but there needs to

sufficient linkages between the region to ensure funding during post disaster

d. Village level disaster management plan in pre and post disaster

4. Community based disaster management plan needs to be revised. This would include the participation of NGOs

Awareness & Community Participation:1. Water Body: It is not enough just to pass a

law to safeguard the water bodies, but the real problems like encroachment and other problems should be identified through people participation.

a. Creating a feeling of ownership for water body among the people. The government must create awareness among the people

2. Create an establishment that encourages community participation


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3. Encourage coordination between the committees in villages in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. A platform for the exchange of information , and which allows communication between the two states on the issue of disaster management.

4. Continuous awareness program


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GOverNANce

Issues1. Top down approach is failing2. Programs require capacity building and

empowerment3. Implementation and monitoring are the major

hurdles of bottoms up planning4. The voice of those who are vulnerable are not

heard5. Fragmentation in the Panchayat Raj and

confusion between the traditional leadership versus the elected one

6. The boundaries of governance are truncated by government schemes. They encourage the formation of committees

7. Different backgrounds and situations are not taken into account; plans are based on standardized behaviour

8. Non-involvement of government officials

Recommendations

Physical Interventions:1. There is a wealth of knowledge in our culture,

traditions and past. We must solve the issues at hand using the knowledge of the past, tools of the present (modern technology) to build a bright future for everyone

a. Collect data and document existing systems and their origins and ethos and philosophy

b. Using different media as communication tools including audio, video, theatre, music and art to disseminate this knowledge and create awareness

c. Understanding our constitution2. The regional plan along with the process of its

preparation needs to be sustainable3. Identify strategies to address governance4. Empower people through knowledge and the

process of decision making

Policy & Enforcement:1. Smaller to larger circles of consensus to be

built along the way and it has to end in concrete plans and suggestions

Awareness & Community Participation:1. Education with a bottom-up approach; using

schools as entry points for information and planning centres

2. People need to be a part of the decision making and this should depend on continuous involvement

3. Learn from the examples that work


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iSSUeS SPecific TO eAch DiSTricT ThAT cOULD be ADDreSSeD ThrOUGh The reGiONAL PLANNiNG frAMeWOrK

The group discussions also highlighted some issues that were specific to each of the districts i.e. Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville and Cuddalore. These have been summarized in the table here-

Puducherry Viluppuram (including Auroville)

Cuddalore

Transportation 1. Transit corridors NH45 and railway line exist, but do not enter into Puduch-erry.2. Tindivanam - Puduch-erry corridor sees high density traffic that needs to be addressed3. Lack of direct bus from Panruti to Puducherry.4. Number and frequency of trains out of Puducherry are insufficient.5. Pondicherry - connec-tion to bus stand and to Tindivanam road is con-gested Entry into city from outskirts is difficult6. The present location of the planned airport at Lawspet can only serve Pondicherry - Auroville.7. ECR rail link : Rail serv-ice between Pondicherry- Cuddalore needs to be developed.

Viluppuram- Tanjavur needs a multi-modal transport access

1. Cuddalore - has poor quality roads.2. ECR rail link : Rail service between Pondicherry- Cud-dalore needs to be devel-oped.3. Bhuvaneshwar- Kameshwaram trains do not stop at the Chidambaram station. It would be ben-eficial for the region if the train stops at the location to increase access to places like Chidambaram, which is a popular spiritual destina-tion.

Land Use 1. Sand mining activities in Cuddalore is a serious concern.2. Heritage preservation at the region level to expand and enhance the existing tourist circuit and connect it to the places at the regional level.


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Water 1. In Viluppuram, usage of water is 650M cuM with a recharge of 250M cuM resulting in a deficit of 400M cuM.2. Misconception among villages about Auroville’s afforestation efforts threatening them and some even stopped some recharge measures being taken by Auroville.

Quality of the water, it has high EC, PH value, etc in Cuddalore.

Environment and Disaster Management

No real necessity for a harbour in Puducherry

1. Industrialization in Cud-dalore : Lack of coordina-tion and investment for the identification of the irregu-lar/illegal production and limitations of an industry.2. The industries are ex-ceeding their limit of pro-duction and limitation which has a hazardous impact on the environment.3.The pollution board is not stringent about these impacts.4. Industrial rehabilita-tion should be done in Cuddalore. An authority to ensure the norms (es-pecially for industries) are addressed.


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WORKSHOP I- PONDICHERRy1 A.Subramanian Joint Director- hydrology dept.2 T.Tamizhselvi P.W.D. (G.W. Division)Cuddalore3 Sobana Santhosh CERD/ PSF4 S.Manohar CE,PWD, Puducherry5 R.Ravichandran AE, Water works, PHD, PWD6 Venkatsubramanan Research Engineer, FiD7 Bhuvaneswar.R Research Engineer, FiD8 M.Muthukumaran JE, PWD, WRO, Chidambaram9 V.Bhuvaneswaran TCPD, Puducherry10 R.Saisubramani PWD- Irrigation Div.Pondy11 R.Reghunadanan JE, PWD, WRO, Irrigation Section, Thindivanam12 C.Ganeche E.Director, CEAD, Pondicherry13 V.Radhakrishnan Hydrology Dept., Pondicherry14 K.Sivasubramanian Hydrology Dept., Pondicherry15 Dr.N.Ramesh DSTE, Pondicherry16 Dr. V.R.Sumathi Scientist, DSTE, Puducherry17 R.P.Pal Secratery (P.W.D) PHC18 N.Manthi S.E. (P.W.D)19 P.Ranganathan Asst. Director, Villupuram20 S.Dhanarasu Asst. Director, Member secratery, Cuddalore21 Venkatraman Hydrology Dept.

WORKSHOP II- PONDICHERRy1 J. Antony Vivekanand Electricity Dept. Pondicherry2 S. Mohan radja Electricity Dept. Pondicherry3 M.Kandaswamy Dept. of Disaster Management4 M.Ramesh Electrical Dept.5 P.Ranganathan Asst. Director, DTP, Villupuram6 A.Elango Puducherry Planning Authority7 P.Mathew Samvel GOP8 MPN Rao CII9 S. Ragunathan CTP, Town & Country Planning Dept.10 M.Kandar selvam STP, TCPO, Pondicherry11 V.Vidjea Nehru JTP, TCPO, Pondicherry12 G.Loganathan D.T.C.P Villupuram

WORKSHOP III- CUDDALORE 1 S. Dhanarasu Cuddalore Local Planning Authority2 V. Shunmugasundaram Additional Director- Town and country planning3 P. Ranganathan Additional Director- Town and country planning4 C.D. Appavu Consumer Guild of Tamil Nadu. CDM5 G. Loganathan Town planning , Villupuram

6.0 Public sector participation

Relevant public sector agencies were invited to the workshop and it was well attended by representatives from the following public sector agencies:


49

6 L. Baskaran J.E. Port Office, Cuddalore7 N. Abiramasundori Typist, Tourism Dept. Chidambaram8 S. P. Subramanian Tourist Office Thiruvannamalai9 A. Sellakkannu AEE/ TWAD/ Cuddalore10 P.Seshadrt Asst. Div. Engineer- Railways - Mailaduthurai11 R. Asokan Deputy Director, Agri- Cuddalore12 S. Boovaraghan Agriculture Officer- Cuddalore13 Jayakumar. P Agriculture Officer- Cuddalore14 N. Rajamohan P.A. To Collector Cuddalore15 C. Vijayakumar Municipal Commissioner- cuddalore16 D. Thamarai selvan Asst. Div. Engineer- Highways- Cuddalore17 R. Sivasakthivel Asst. Div. Engineer- National Highways, Chidambaram18 M. Muruganandam Asst. Div. Engineer- National Highways, Chidambaram19 M.Kalaiyarasu Ground Water- Neyveli20 T. Thamizhselvi Ground Water- Cuddalore21 M.Jayachandran P.A(G) Collector office22 C. Rajendran. D.R.O Revenue Dept.- Cuddalore23 M. Jeyasankaran R.T.O- Cuddalore24 P.Antonisamy AEE/ TWAD/ Cuddalore25 R.Geetha AE/PWD/Cuddalore26 J.Sreela sri jeeva AE/PWD/Plan formulation/ Cuddalore27 N.Kanagavalli AE/PWD/Plan formulation/ Cuddalore28 C. Amudha AE/PWD/Plan formulation/ Cuddalore29 S. Ramamoorthy AEE/PWD/WRO/ Coleron Basin Sub Div. Chidambaram30 S. Saravanan ADFO. Fire & Rescue- Cuddalore31 Thanapatai.M PC To Sub Collector32 K.Jayaramaraja Asst. Director of Town Panjayath- Cuddalore33 S. G. Pathmavathi P.O. Villupuram34 K.Selvarasu APO(DRDA), Villupuram35 V.Balamurugan TNSF, Villupuram36 D. Desing Guvi Bus Owner Association, cuddalore

WORKSHOP IV- AUROVILLE1 P.Ranganathan Asst. Director, DTCP, Villuppuram2 S.Dhanarasu Member secratery Cuddalore3 M.Venkatesan B.D.O Vanur4 M.Chandrasekaran Dy. B.D.O. Vanur5 P.Kannan B.D.O (B.P) Vanur6 D.Sivaprakasam Puduvazhvu Project, Villuppuram7 S.Ashokan Puduvazhvu Project, Villuppuram8 P.Gunasekar Puduvazhvu Project, Villuppuram9 S.Ramanathan SIPCOT Area community environment m,onitring 10 Ramasubramanian IRD11 K.Kalianasundaram WAT


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7.0 Media Outreach

Media persons from both print and television were invited to cover all the workshops which resulted in the media highlighting some of the key issues that were discussed during the workshop. Shown here are a few scanned images of press clippings-


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Field visits were conducted across the region to understand the current scenario at the local level and to interact with citizens to identify their needs and issues. Another objective of the field visits was to create awareness about the importance of regional planning.

During the field visits several stakeholders (over 80) were interviewed in the areas of Viluppuram, Panruti, Tindivanam, Cuddalore, and Puducherry. These stakeholders included a wide spectrum of the civil society including: doctors, plumbers, barbers, potters, housewives, daily wage women labourers, real estate agents, bus commuters, small scale industries owner (stitching units), auto drivers, tourists, traffic policeman, employees from the industries, government officials and local NGOs. Any individual who expressed interest to participate were included in the process.

The citizens were asked basic questions pertaining to the major trends, issues and problems observed in their respective area. Another objective was to identify the links (like physical, cultural, social) between Puducherry and the surrounding region of Tamil Nadu. Transit connections within the region and the issues pertaining to that were also explored during the interviews.

8.0 Field Visits


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2.0 Objectives

• To analyze the area and observe the current land use patterns• Study the transit corridors and identify the key problems• Interact with the local community

• To inform and create awareness about the Regional Planning process• To identify their understanding of the strengths and opportunities for their respective regions• To understand their vision for the future• To understand the connection and interdependency between Puducherry and the surrounding

Tamil Nadu regions

3.0 Issues and Opportunities

The following were the issues and opportunities identified in the region.

Area Issues Opportunities/ Assets

Puducherry 1. Inadequate agricultural facilities 2. Shift from agriculture to other

activities3. In Thiruvandar Koil there was a hike

in land prices (increase from 25K to 4.7 million for 1000 sft in the last 4-5 years)

4. Lack of proper educational facilities5. Frequent travel to Puducherry for

recreational, medical or educational facilities

1. After almost a decade, there is now access to electricity

2. Good road networks which offers connectivity to adjoining cities/ towns (via buses)

3. Rapid residential development4. Wide roadways5. Close proximity to medical college6. Job opportunities due to the close

proximity to industries like Whirlpool, Suzlon, Parry, etc. (job opportunities)

Viluppuram 1. No hospital facilities2. Frequent travel to Puducherry for

recreational, medical, educational facilities or for ration cards

3. No local bus facilities4. Poor frequency of inter city/ town

buses or interstate buses5. Traffic6. Air and water pollution7. High road accident deaths

1. Urbanization; brings in development2. Access to medical and educational

facilities through Puducherry


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Tindivanam 1. Inadequate Water Supply, about 60% have access to water and this is supplied form Rettanai, Kandarkottai

2. Water bodies are encroached for development

3. No designated bus station, causing traffic jams and congestion

4. No local public transportation5. High inflow of out-of-town buses6. Not many job opportunities. The

commercial development is centered around the needs of the transit hub

7. Educated people migrate to other towns/cities for better jobs

8. Tourism is under developed9. Low quality medical facilities , travel

to Chennai or maybe Pondicherry for medical facilities

1. Potential to further develop Tindivanam as a transit hub due to the high inflow of commuters.

2. Nodal point in terms of road network3. Government initiated a Water Project

(Lata Scheme) to bring in potable water from Kolidam River

4. Famous for its flower market5. Employment opportunities through the

quarry mines6. Good quality basic education


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Bahour Lake Poor maintenance Opportunity to develop the lake as a recreational area for tourism

Panruti 1. Low frequency of buses to travel to nearby towns and citiesInadequate access to water

2. Frequent power outages3. Narrow roads4. Buildings constructed uptil the road

edge along the state highway5. Fast moving buses/ other vehicles

along the highways

1. Proposed road development (State Highway)

2. In comparison to the last 5 years, more frequency of buses.


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Cuddalore cuddalore Town1. Traffic and congestion2. No local public transportation3. Expensive autoricksaw fares4. Inadequate bus station facility5. More private vehicle usage for

commute6. Old Town: Not a preferable locality

for living 7. The physical gap between the Old

Town and New Town is rapidly developing and filling up

8. Frequent travel to Pondicherry for higher education and better job facilities

cuddalore Town1. Close proximity to Chennai 2. NT (New Town) is preferred over

OT (Old Town)for newer residential development

3. Good hospitals and educational institutions

4. Ample recreational facilities: Temples, beach, shopping areas, restaurants, etc.

5. Railway station and bus station located next to each other

cuddalore SiPcOT Area1. Air and water pollution due to the

industrial waste dumped into the surrounding environment

2. Health issues like skin diseases, cancer, asthma, due to the untreated toxic dump in the local water bodies

3. Local people buy potable water for their daily use

cuddalore SiPcOT Area1. Employment generation due to the

industries

cuddalore Port1. There are no policies for port

development although it has the potential to create more employment opportunities

2. Port employees reduced from 150 to 15 due to low port activity

3. Private port developments are ‘dirty ports’ due to the export/ import of oil, and other substances, that cause air and water pollution.

cuddalore Port1. Cuddalore has a natural Port2. It exports neat cargo (timber, potatoes,

sugar)3. Employment generattion through

private port development


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As part of the the preparation of the sustainable regional planning framework for Puducherry, Viluppuram, Auroville and Cuddalore several community surveys were conducted. A total of 2,500 stakeholders were interviewed during these surveys. Three of the surveys were based on the Water, Energy and Transportation themes of the regional planning framework. Additionally, a Vision Survey was conducted to identify the community’s vision for the future. The objective of these surveys was to gain insight into the community issues and concerns. The data collected from the various regions of Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu, was used by the core team in formulating a first draft on the various themes.

The field team comprised of students from the Pondicherry University. They conducted field visits and surveys at the community level. They were initially trained for a period of three weeks before commencing the work . Various experts assisted the core team with the design and implementation of the questionnaire and the surveys. Although the findings of the survey are limited, they provide significant insight into the community perceptions and pave way for future research to explore the issues in depth and continue with an ongoing community involvement process beyond the scope of this phase.

9.0 Surveys


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Energy Survey

Objectives

The objective of this exercise is to carry out a consumer and vendor (of electrical appliance) survey in the region to: • Assess energy usage pattern in relation to domestic electrical appliances, cooking and mobility • Create awareness among the respondents about energy efficiency and challenges with energy production

and consumption• Seek out likely future behaviour in various scenarios with cost and availability of energy.• And through this • Discover trends in behaviour relating to energy consuming products and energy consumption• Contribute to a sustainable energy policy framework

A total of 278 consumers and 23 vendors have been surveyed in the bio-region for this exercise. The survey questionnaire contained 169 questions related to energy consumption behaviour and covered the following key areas. They were further subdivided into the following aspects:

electricityThe survey contained questions related to all major electrical appliances and their usage related behaviour. It included; bulbs, lights, fans, TV, fridge, musical systems, ACs, computers and backup systems.

cookingQuestions pertaining to different fuels and appliances used for cooking have been included.

TransportationVarious modes of transport such as public transport, walking, cycles, two wheelers and four wheelers have been covered in the survey questions.

Area Covered

Auroville: Edayanchavady , Irumbai, Kuilapalayam, Royappettai,

Cuddalore: Alpattai, Kodikat, Koothapakkam, Malumiyarpettai, Manjakuppam, Nellikuppam, Ottari, Patchayankuppam, Pillalithotti, Thakkai, Thirumanaikuzhi, Thirupathiripuliyur, Thiruvanthipuram, Vanpakkam, Visnavanam,

Pondicherry: Alangkuppam, Aranganur, Bahour, Boomiyanpet, Irulansanthai, Kalitheerthal Kuppam, Karasur, Kariyamanikam, Kathirkamam, Kottakarai, Kudiyirupupalayam, Kurummapet, Kuruvinatham, Madukarai, Mettupalayam, Moolakulam, Nettapakkam, Oulgaret, Pandasozhanallur, Parikalpattu, Periyamudaliyarchavady, Reddiyarpalayam, Sanjeevi Nagar, Sanyasikuppam, Sedarapet, Selliyamedu, Silukaripalayam,Thirubuvanai, Thodamanatham, Thuthipet, Uruvaiyar, Villianur.

Villupuram: Andiyarpalayam, Edapalayam, Kattrampakkam, Maharajapuram, Mundiyampakkam, Nainarpalayam, Panayapuram, Pannapattu, Ranganadhapuram, Sathiyampuliyur, Sendhanatham, Vanur, Villupuram, Vinayagapuram


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Category

Sub Categor

y

Question Choices Comments Men/Households 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

G G Name What is the standard for such questions in other areas?

Both

G G Address BothG G Place type Home, Work BothG G Sub region Pondicherry, Villupuram, Cuddalore and

AurovilleBoth

G G Contact No BothG G No of adults in the house 1-2,3-4,5-7,>7 BothG G No of children in the house 1-2,3-4,>4 BothG G No of rooms in the house 1,2,3,4,5,>5 (including kitchen and living

room)Both

G G Employment /of head of the house hold business, farming, employed, daily wages, unemployed, retired

Both

G G Income group high, low, medium is there any precedent on this? get census information on income categories

Both

Appliance Current What is your electricty bill per month? <50,50-100,100-300,300-500,>500 Take a picture, see the bill Both

Appliance Current Which electricity tariff is applicable? domestic (1p), domestic (3p), commercial (1p), commercial (3p), industrial, agricultural

Both

Appliance Current For which types of appliances do you use stabilizers? N/A, Air Conditioner, Fridge, TV, Music System

Both

Appliance Current For which types of appliances do you use inverter with battery back-up?

N/A, Light, Fan, TV, Music System, Computer

Both

Appliance Current Do you have a back-up generator N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current What type of lamps do you use for lighting? N/A, Incandescent, Tubelight, Tubelight+CFL, CFL, LED

Both

Appliance Current Why do use use that for lighting? Open ended Both

Appliance Current What do you do with used defective tube lights or CFLs? Bin, Open ended, Don't know Both

Appliance Current Do you use electric lighting during the day time? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current Why do you use electric lighting during the day time? Open ended Both

Appliance Current How many fans do you use? N/A, 1-2,3-4,>4 How many fans are on at any given time?

Both

Appliance Current For how many hours do you use the fan per day? N/A, <8,9-12,13-16,17-20,21-24 Both

Appliance Current What is the capacity of the refrigerator (in litres)? N/A, <100,100-200,>200 Both

Appliance Current How many stars is the refrigerator? N/A, 1,2,3,4,5 Explain the stars Both

Appliance Current What type of TV do you have? N/A, CRT, Plasma, LCD, LED Both

Appliance Current What size of TV do you have? N/A, <20", 20-32",>32" Both

Appliance Current What is the capacity of the water pump? N/A, 0.25hp, 0.5hp, 1hp,2hp,>2hp Both

Appliance Current Do you have an electric water heater? N/A, 3 ltr, 4-10 ltr, 10-15 ltr, 16-25 ltr, >25 ltr

Both

Appliance Current When do you use an electric water heater? N/A, 6-8AM,8-10AM,4-6PM,6-8PM,8-10PM

Both

Appliance Current Do you have a washing machine? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current Do you use an electric iron for your clothes? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current How many Air Conditioners do you have? N/A, 1,2,3,>3 Both

Appliance Current What type of Air Conditioners do you have? N/A, Window-type, Split-type Both

Appliance Current How many stars are the Air Conditioners? N/A, 1,2,3,4,5 Explain the stars Both

Appliance Current How many hours of use of AC per day? N/A, <8,9-12,13-16,>16 Both

Appliance Current How many months in the year do you use the ACs ? N/A, <3mths,3-6mths,>6mths Both

Appliance Current At what temperature do you set the AC thermostat? N/A, 18,19-22,23-26,27-30,>30 Both

Appliance Current Do you use a micro-wave oven? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Future If the price of electricity went up by 50%, how will your behaviour change?

no change, use less AC, switch to CFL, look for energy efficient fans, look for energy efficient TV, look for energy efficient fridge,

Both

Appliance Future If you were to buy a new lighting device, which one would you purchase?

Incandescent, CFL, tube-light, LED Both

Cooking Current What fuel do you use for cooking? Wood/Biomass, Pellets, Kerosene, LPG, Electricity, Solar

Both

Cooking Current How much do you spend on fuel per month? 100-200, 200-300,300-500,>500 BothCooking Current On what basis do you choose your cooking fuel? convenience, availability, cost, cooking

timedo not prompt Both

Cooking Current What are the barriers to using a solar cooker? awareness, availabilty, convenience, dietary habits, Cooking time

Both

Cooking Current If you are using wood or biomass, do you use an efficient and smokeless cook stove?

N/A, Yes Both

Cooking Future What will you do if LPG price is doubled? Use biomass, pellets, solar cooker, electrical stove

Both

Mobility Current Do you use public transport? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use it? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use it for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Mobility Current Key barriers to using public transport N/A, availability, frequency, timing, cost, safety

Both

Mobility Current How do you commute to work? N/A, Walk, cycle, auto, autoshare, tempo, bus, train, electric scooter, moped, motorcycle, electric car, car

Both

Mobility Current How long does it take to get to work? N/A, <15,16-30,31-60,>60 WorkMobility Current How far is the work place from your home? N/A, <5,6-10,11-20,21-30,31-40,>40 WorkMobility Current If you travel by public transport, how do you get to the bus

stand / train station?N/A, Walk, cycle, auto moped, motorcycle, car

Work

Mobility Current Do you own a cycle? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use cycle? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use cycle for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Mobility Current Do you own a motorcycle or moped? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current What do you use motorcycle for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all

purposesBoth

Mobility Current What is your monthly motor cycle fuel bill? N/A, 100-200, 200-300,300-500,500-1000,>1000

Both

Mobility Current Do you own a car? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current What do you use car for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all

purposesBoth

Mobility Current How often do you use the car? N/A, daily, more than once a week, weekly, other

Both

Mobility Current If you own a car, what is it? N/A, small, big, SUV, MUV BothMobility Current What is your monthly car fuel bill? <500, 500-1000, 1000-2000,2000-

5000,>5000Both

Mobility Current Do you own a electric scooter? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use electric scooter? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use electric scooter for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Questionnaire


65

Category

Sub Categor

y


G G Name What is the standard for such questions in other areas?

Both

G G Address BothG G Place type Home, Work BothG G Sub region Pondicherry, Villupuram, Cuddalore and

AurovilleBoth

G G Contact No BothG G No of adults in the house 1-2,3-4,5-7,>7 BothG G No of children in the house 1-2,3-4,>4 BothG G No of rooms in the house 1,2,3,4,5,>5 (including kitchen and living

room)Both

G G Employment /of head of the house hold business, farming, employed, daily wages, unemployed, retired

Both

G G Income group high, low, medium is there any precedent on this? get census information on income categories

Both

Appliance Current What is your electricty bill per month? <50,50-100,100-300,300-500,>500 Take a picture, see the bill Both

Appliance Current Which electricity tariff is applicable? domestic (1p), domestic (3p), commercial (1p), commercial (3p), industrial, agricultural

Both

Appliance Current For which types of appliances do you use stabilizers? N/A, Air Conditioner, Fridge, TV, Music System

Both

Appliance Current For which types of appliances do you use inverter with battery back-up?

N/A, Light, Fan, TV, Music System, Computer

Both

Appliance Current Do you have a back-up generator N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current What type of lamps do you use for lighting? N/A, Incandescent, Tubelight, Tubelight+CFL, CFL, LED

Both

Appliance Current Why do use use that for lighting? Open ended Both

Appliance Current What do you do with used defective tube lights or CFLs? Bin, Open ended, Don't know Both

Appliance Current Do you use electric lighting during the day time? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current Why do you use electric lighting during the day time? Open ended Both

Appliance Current How many fans do you use? N/A, 1-2,3-4,>4 How many fans are on at any given time?

Both

Appliance Current For how many hours do you use the fan per day? N/A, <8,9-12,13-16,17-20,21-24 Both

Appliance Current What is the capacity of the refrigerator (in litres)? N/A, <100,100-200,>200 Both

Appliance Current How many stars is the refrigerator? N/A, 1,2,3,4,5 Explain the stars Both

Appliance Current What type of TV do you have? N/A, CRT, Plasma, LCD, LED Both

Appliance Current What size of TV do you have? N/A, <20", 20-32",>32" Both

Appliance Current What is the capacity of the water pump? N/A, 0.25hp, 0.5hp, 1hp,2hp,>2hp Both

Appliance Current Do you have an electric water heater? N/A, 3 ltr, 4-10 ltr, 10-15 ltr, 16-25 ltr, >25 ltr

Both

Appliance Current When do you use an electric water heater? N/A, 6-8AM,8-10AM,4-6PM,6-8PM,8-10PM

Both

Appliance Current Do you have a washing machine? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current Do you use an electric iron for your clothes? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Current How many Air Conditioners do you have? N/A, 1,2,3,>3 Both

Appliance Current What type of Air Conditioners do you have? N/A, Window-type, Split-type Both

Appliance Current How many stars are the Air Conditioners? N/A, 1,2,3,4,5 Explain the stars Both

Appliance Current How many hours of use of AC per day? N/A, <8,9-12,13-16,>16 Both

Appliance Current How many months in the year do you use the ACs ? N/A, <3mths,3-6mths,>6mths Both

Appliance Current At what temperature do you set the AC thermostat? N/A, 18,19-22,23-26,27-30,>30 Both

Appliance Current Do you use a micro-wave oven? N/A, Yes Both

Appliance Future If the price of electricity went up by 50%, how will your behaviour change?

no change, use less AC, switch to CFL, look for energy efficient fans, look for energy efficient TV, look for energy efficient fridge,

Both

Appliance Future If you were to buy a new lighting device, which one would you purchase?

Incandescent, CFL, tube-light, LED Both

Cooking Current What fuel do you use for cooking? Wood/Biomass, Pellets, Kerosene, LPG, Electricity, Solar

Both

Cooking Current How much do you spend on fuel per month? 100-200, 200-300,300-500,>500 BothCooking Current On what basis do you choose your cooking fuel? convenience, availability, cost, cooking

timedo not prompt Both

Cooking Current What are the barriers to using a solar cooker? awareness, availabilty, convenience, dietary habits, Cooking time

Both

Cooking Current If you are using wood or biomass, do you use an efficient and smokeless cook stove?

N/A, Yes Both

Cooking Future What will you do if LPG price is doubled? Use biomass, pellets, solar cooker, electrical stove

Both

Mobility Current Do you use public transport? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use it? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use it for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Mobility Current Key barriers to using public transport N/A, availability, frequency, timing, cost, safety

Both

Mobility Current How do you commute to work? N/A, Walk, cycle, auto, autoshare, tempo, bus, train, electric scooter, moped, motorcycle, electric car, car

Both

Mobility Current How long does it take to get to work? N/A, <15,16-30,31-60,>60 WorkMobility Current How far is the work place from your home? N/A, <5,6-10,11-20,21-30,31-40,>40 WorkMobility Current If you travel by public transport, how do you get to the bus

stand / train station?N/A, Walk, cycle, auto moped, motorcycle, car

Work

Mobility Current Do you own a cycle? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use cycle? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use cycle for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Mobility Current Do you own a motorcycle or moped? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current What do you use motorcycle for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all

purposesBoth

Mobility Current What is your monthly motor cycle fuel bill? N/A, 100-200, 200-300,300-500,500-1000,>1000

Both

Mobility Current Do you own a car? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current What do you use car for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all

purposesBoth

Mobility Current How often do you use the car? N/A, daily, more than once a week, weekly, other

Both

Mobility Current If you own a car, what is it? N/A, small, big, SUV, MUV BothMobility Current What is your monthly car fuel bill? <500, 500-1000, 1000-2000,2000-

5000,>5000Both

Mobility Current Do you own a electric scooter? N/A, Yes BothMobility Current How often do you use electric scooter? N/A, daily, more than once a week,

weekly, otherBoth

Mobility Current What do you use electric scooter for? N/A, work, shopping, school, all purposes

Both

Questionnaire


66

Category

Sub Categor

y


Mobility Future What will you do if the cost of fuel doubles in the near future? walk more, cylce more, switch to smaller vehicle, look for a fuel efficient vehicle,switch to public transport,move closer to work,share the ride,

Both

G Awareness What do you think of when using an appliance, cooking or driving?

cost of purchase, cost of operation, speed, convenience, pollution, power consumption

Both

G Awareness What do you think of when buying an appliance, cooking or driving?

cost of operation, speed, convenience, pollution,

Both

Appliance Awareness Do you know the source of energy for the electricity you use? Solar, thermal plant, nuclear, wind, JNNSM schem

Both

Appliance Awareness Is India self-sufficient in energy? N/A, Yes, Open ended Both

Appliance Awareness Is there a limit to the sources of electricity and oil? N/A, Yes, Open ended Both

Appliance Awareness Do you have any idea why we have power cuts? N/A, Yes, Open ended Both

Appliance Awareness What happens to the emissions from power plants and vehicles?

N/A, Yes, Open ended Both

Appliance Awareness Did you know that appliances consume power in stand-by or sleep mode?

N/A, Yes, Open ended explain meaning of stand-by Both

Appliance Awareness Did you know that setting computers, monitors, and copiers to sleep-mode when not in use helps cut energy costs by half?

N/A, Yes, Open ended explain meaning of stand-by Both

Appliance Awareness Did you know that there are energy efficient lamps, fans, refrigerators and air conditioners available in the market?


Appliance Awareness Some appliances in the market have 1 to 5 energy stars. Do you know the significance of these energy stars?


Appliance Awareness Do you check the number of energy stars when buying an appliance?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that a 5-star fan consumes 25-40% less electricity than a normal fan?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that CFLs can save upto 75% electricity and last 5-10 times longer than incandescent lamps?


Appliance Awareness Do you know that though the CFL costs 10 times more than an incandescent lamp, the money can be recovered in 8 to 12 months?


Appliance Awareness Do you know that power LED lights are becoming more energy efficient than CFL and they also last longer?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that LED TVs are most energy efficient? N/A, Yes, Open ended Both

Appliance Awareness Did you know that microwaves save energy by as much as 50% by reducing the cooking time?


Appliance Awareness Did you know an air conditioner consumes as much electricity as 15 to 25 fans?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that a 5-star air conditioner consumes at least 30% less electricity than a 1-star air conditioner?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that you can reduce a further 10% of electricity by setting the AC to 25C instead of 22C?


Appliance Awareness Did you know that you can save further by keeping the AC filters clean and by maintaining the AC unit?


Cooking Awareness Did you know that India imports LPG and that its price will rise in future?

N/A, Yes Both

x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Questionnaire


67

NAME: NAME OF THE SURVEYOR:AGE: DATE:ADDESS: LOCATION:

CONTACT NO:

1RetailerWholesaler if yes then

2Address:

3More than 2 yearsMore than 5 yearsMore than 10 years

4 Which kind of electrical products have more demand ?Lighting Others (Remarks)Tube light RefrigeratorsBulbsHalogens

5

6

7

8Items Units Consumption Items Units ConsumptionAcs Ceiling fansTube lights LPG stovesFrest Free Refrigerators Agricultural pump setsColour TV Induction motorsDirect coll Refrigerators Distribution TransformersWashing machine Geysers

9Brand Any OtherQualityDesign

10BrandQualityPrice

11

12

Home ApplianceCoolingCeling FanTable FanACs Electric Induction

MARKET SURVEY (ENERGY)

If Yes then what are the most common energy star rated product that users prefer?

What are the factors that motivate you to sell the products?Sales MarginsConsumer Demands

Do you purchase the goods directly from Manufactures or from wholesallers?Wholeseller/Manufacturer

Colour TV.

Are the consumers aware of energy star rated products and it's benefits?

Are you aware of energy star rated products and it's benefits?

What is the Units Consumption for these products?

Are you a Retailer or a wholesaler?

How many years are you in this Profession?

HeaterCooler

Valur for MoneyDiscount

Is there any link between star rating of the product and it's price?

Is there any link between star rating of the product and it's brand?

What are the factors that influence users to buy products? (Non Rating Products)

Questionnaire


68

Electricity - Vendor Survey:1. General• In terms of ownership more than half (60%) run an independent shop whereas others own a franchise-

dealership• Most (85%) retail outlets are small in size with 35% having less than 5 employees and another 50%

with less than 10 employees• Around half (48%) the shops use tube-lights in their shop and another 35% use CFL lights. None of

them use incandescent lights in their shops• More than two thirds (70%) of the shops are air-conditioned and half of them have an AC load of more

than 6 tonnes.• More than half the shops interviewed (56%) experience power cuts of more than 4 hours a day. All

shops in the Villupuram and Cuddalore area experience some daily power cuts. Pondicherry shops experience power cuts few times a week

• Of the total shops surveyed, 60% pay between Rs. 2000-10,000 per month and 26% pay over Rs. 10,000, out of which only one vendor is located in Pondicherry.

• More than 90% of the shops interviewed offer TV, fridge and washing machine. Interestingly, 65% of the shops now offer ACs

• Samsung and LG (90% of the shops) are top most in the list of companies represented, followed by Onida, Phillips, Siemens and Sony. Godrej is the least represented company

2. Product• The production selection of the vendors is largely based on the cost and quality of the product and

the profit it generates. The vendors (only 1 looks at energy) do not seem to be concerned about the energy consumption of the products sold. Warranty is considered by 40% of the shops while selecting a product to sell

3. Market• All shops are targeting middle income segment, however, around 48%, target low income group and

26% target the rural segment

4. energy related• All shops interviewed claim that they are aware of the energy consumption of products and related

energy star rating system. They also claim they train their staff on energy consumption and energy rating system. However, this does not hold true from the results of user survey and personal interactions with shopkeepers on the market.

• 91% of the vendors use the energy consumption or ratings in their sales pitch. However, this doesn't seem to be a preference for customers for selecting a product

• More than 40% (43%) of the shops claim that less than 10% of their customers enquire about the energy efficiency of the products sold. Only 2 vendors claim that a majority of their customers are aware and enquire about the energy efficiency of the products sold.

• All shopkeepers use energy efficient products at home.

Electricity - Current behaviour:1. electricity bills • Of the respondents surveyed, it seems the spending on electricity is directly related to annual

household income . A typical low income electricity bill is around Rs 50-100, middle income is Rs 100-300 and high income is Rs 300-500.

• This simply means that the kWh consumption is higher in Pondicherry area


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2. voltage stabilisation and back up systems• Voltage stabilisers are being used only for fridges and 50% of the households in the survey are using it. • Inverters with batteries for backup have not spread in the region with only 5% of houses reported to

having one. Its main application is for powering lights and fans. Around 4 households reported to have been using an inverter system to provide backup for computers.

• At present, less than 2% houses from the sample have a back-up generator

3. Lighting and fans• Incandescent lamps are still being used in the region particularly in low (24%) and middle income

(10%) segments. Tube lights still dominate the lighting market with 43% households surveyed using it. CFLs are being used only at 17% of all households. They have not taken off in terms of penetration despite being the most energy efficient and financially viable. Moreover, there is lack or awareness and infrastructure on how to dispose off used CFL bulbs.

• The chief characteristics that respondents look for in choosing a lighting device is brightness. Power consumption is the second most important factor followed by cost as the third most mentioned factor. However, it does not reflect in people's choices. This could be due to lack of awareness.

• It has emerged that 40% of the respondents use electric lighting during day time. It is likely that the design of houses and habits that do not support sensible use of sunlight could be key factors.

• Similarly 47% of respondents use fans for 9 to 12 hours a day. It is likely that poor house design plays a role in fan usage too

• Incandescent lamps are still being used in the region particularly in low (24%) and middle income (10%) segments. Tube lights still dominate the lighting market with 43% households surveyed using it. CFLs are being used only at 17% of all households. They have not taken off in terms of penetration despite being the most energy efficient and financially viable. Moreover, there is lack or awareness and infrastructure on how to dispose off used CFL bulbs.

• The chief characteristics that respondents look for in choosing a lighting device is brightness. Power consumption is the second most important factor followed by cost as the third most mentioned factor. However, it does not reflect in people's choices. This could be due to lack of awareness.

• It has emerged that 40% of the respondents use electric lighting during day time. It is likely that the design of houses and habits that do not support sensible use of sunlight could be key factors.

• Similarly 47% of respondents use fans for 9 to 12 hours a day. It is likely that poor house design plays a role in fan usage too

4. fridge, Tv and Water Pump• Around two thirds of households have a fridge and most (75%) of the fridges are of 100-200 ltrs.

However, more than two thirds of the fridges where Energy Stars are known (54 out of 77) have 3 stars or less. Only 1 household of surveyed houses had a 5 star energy rating fridge.

• 80% of the households surveyed are still using CRT TVs. The survey did not cover the year of purchase. One could assume that most of TVs were bought before energy efficient TVs become widely available and financially viable.

• Most households (80%) do not use a water pump and most of them who own a water pump have 1 hp capacity

• Around two thirds of households have a fridge and most (75%) of the fridges are of 100-200 ltrs. However, more than two thirds of the fridges where Energy Stars are known (54 out of 77) have 3 stars or less. Only 1 household of surveyed houses had a 5 star energy rating fridge.

• 80% of the households surveyed are still using CRT TVs. The survey did not cover the year of purchase. One could assume that most of TVs were bought before energy efficient TVs become widely available and financially viable.

• Most households (80%) do not use a water pump and most of them who own a water pump have 1 hp capacity


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5. Water heater, Washing Machine and electric Water heater• A mere 10% of households have an Electric Water Heater and most of them (84%) use hot water

between 6 to 8 AM. However, none of the households surveyed have a Solar Water Heater.• Most households (80%) do not have a washing machine. However, 75% of high income households

own one.• Irons are popular across all income groups and penetration is high (59%) even in low income houses

6. Ac and Microwave• At present 14% of households surveyed already own an AC. There 1 AC per house in all the cases

(except 1). However, 68% of high income households own an AC. Only 5 (15%) houses with ACs have more than 3 star energy efficiency rating. And nearly half the AC users keep the temperature setting of their AC between 19 and 22 degrees.

• Most households surveyed do not use a micro-wave oven

Trends:• A significant number of respondents surveyed (45%) claim that their behaviour will not change if the

price of Electricity went up. The figure rises to 70% in high income segment.• The survey suggests that 8% of the users will continue to buy an incandescent lamp in future. Around

40% would buy a tube light. Their future behaviour relating to CFL is unclear. The response to question 45 suggests more than 50% will chose a CFL in future. However, the response to question 44c seems to indicate only a small number 7% will switch to CFL if electricity prices went up.

• Only 20% of the fan users will look for energy efficient fans if electricity prices went up. And 13% of the users will look for energy efficient fridge if electricity prices went up

• Less than 10% will look for energy efficient TV if electricity prices went up• However, 25% of AC users may use it less if electricity prices go up

Key finding:• Electricity consumption and bills is dependent on income groups • Average Pondicherry household consume more kWhs • 45% people across different income groups do not foresee any reduction in their consumption if there

electricity prices went up • Incandescent lamps are still being used. Uptake for CFL is not significant despite obvious advantages.

No awareness and provision for disposing used CFL exists in the region. • Poor house design results in more light and fan usage in homes • The major domestic load at present includes lights, fans, fridge and TV. This will change as more

products are being offered in the market and the affordability improves with rise in per capita income. • Similarly, only 5% respondents currently have an inverter backup system. This will grow with rise in per

capita income and power outages • Electricity consumption and bills is dependent on income groups • Average Pondicherry household consume more kWhs • 45% people across different income groups do not foresee any reduction in their consumption if there

electricity prices went up • Incandescent lamps are still being used. Uptake for CFL is not significant despite obvious advantages.

No awareness and provision for disposing used CFL exists in the region. • Poor house design results in more light and fan usage in homes • The major domestic load at present includes lights, fans, fridge and TV. This will change as more

products are being offered in the market and the affordability improves with rise in per capita income. • Similarly, only 5% respondents currently have an inverter backup system. This will grow with rise in per

capita income and power outages


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Cooking - Current behaviour:current behaviour• An overwhelming majority of households (78%) surveyed use LPG for cooking. Only 1 respondent from

a sample of 278 is using electricity for cooking. Within the low income segment 48% households use biomass for cooking. And only one third of them are currently using smokeless stoves

• Most households (75%) spend between Rs. 300 and 500 per month on cooking fuel. However, 43% of low income segment spend less than Rs. 200 a month.

• There is no significant difference in selection criteria for cooking fuel across income groups. The significant factors in selecting a cooking fuel are convenience (40%) and shorter cooking time (37%). However, availability and cost of fuel do not seem to matter much in selection of cooking fuel.

• When asked about the solar cooker, a significant 83% of households felt that lack of awareness about the solar cooker was the key barrier in its adoption. Availability, convenience, dietary habits and cooking time were not cited as barriers for its adoption. This is partly due to lack of understand of the functioning of solar cooker.

Trends: • If the LPG prices double, 30% of the households surveyed would switch to electric whereas 65%

would switch to Biomass. Most low income households intend to switch to Biomass • Key finding • Most households use LPG for cooking. Most of them will switch to biomass if the price of LPG

doubled. One third of them will switch to electric cooking. • LPG user are spending around Rs 300 to 500 per month on cooking fuel where as biomass user tend

to spend less than Rs 200• Only one third of biomass users are using smokeless stoves for cooking• Convenience and cooking time matter in cooking fuel selection and not cost and fuel and fuel

availability• Lack of awareness seems to be the key factor in poor adoption of solar cookers.

Transportation - Current behaviour:1. Public Transport• Public transport is being used by 70% of the respondents out of which 34% of them use it daily. The

usage is slightly higher among low income users. However, only 10 % use it to commute to work. Most people (63%) walk to catch public transport whereas 13% take a motorcycle to get to the public transport station.

• Availability, frequency and timings do not seem to be strong barriers in usage of public transport. However, cost (28%) and safety (19%) did figure as barriers to usage of public transport. The cost factor could have emerged as significant partly due to recent hike in fuel prices

• Commuting to work:• More than 60% of respondents use a motorcycle to go to work. • Within low income segment one fourth walk and another one fourth cycle to work. This could be partly

driven by distance to work. Bus (17%) is also a significant mode of transport for work within low income segment. However, more than a quarter within low income segment now use a motorcycle to go to work

• More than 50% live within 5 kilometres of work and another 26% stay within 10 kilometres. The distance for work is similar for low and middle income groups whilst higher income earners travel a little further for work. Walking, cycling and bus to work contribute for around 10% each. However, walking and cycling to work is not prevalent among middle and high income groups. This could be partly driven by distance to work.


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2. cycle• The cycle is used daily if the household owns one. More than 75% of houses who own a cycle use it

daily. However, more than 37% households do not own a cycle.

3. Motorcycle/Moped• Motorcycle/moped is the most common mode of transport in the region. 75% of the respondent

households own a motorcycle or a moped. More than 65% motorcycle users across all income groups use more than Rs 1,000 on fuel.

4. car• Car ownership is not pervasive in the region yet. Only 13% of the households surveyed own a car.

However, 62% of high income households own a car. • Only one third of the car owners use it daily whereas more than 44% use it less than once a week.

yet, half of the car owners spend Rs 2000-5000 per month on fuel and around one third of car owners spend more than Rs 5,000 per month on fuel.

5. electric Scooter• No respondent owns an electric scooter

Trends:• If the fuel cost doubles a staggering 45% people will look for fuel efficient vehicles and 27% people will

switch to public transport. Some will walk more (10%) and cycle more. However, not many will switch to smaller vehicles (3%), or move closer to work or share a ride if the fuel cost doubles.

Key finding:• Most people use public transport but not daily. It is not popular with commuting to work. Cost and

safety are key barriers in its usage. • Low income segment walk and cycle more to work than high income segment. • Most people 60% use motorcycle to commute to work. Low income is beginning to use it to commute

to work too with more than 25% penetration. • The roads and parking spots are overflowing with cars when the car ownership is only 13%. • More than 44% people use cars less than once a week. This is ideal for car sharing.• Electric scooters have not caught on in the region.

Awareness level:• Key influencing factors for purchase and usage of devices• Cost of purchase seems to be an important factor (47%) while using an energy consuming device• Convenience seems to be a significant factor (40%) while using and (49%) while buying an energy

consuming device• Cost of operation does figure as a significant factor (46%) while buying an energy consuming device

however, it does NOT seem to be an important factor (12%) while using an energy consuming device.

• Speed is not a factor while using or buying an energy consuming device. Pollution does NOT seem to be an important factor (1%) while using and (2.5%) while buying an energy consuming device. Energy consumption does NOT seem to be an important factor (5%) while using an energy consuming device


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energy availability, power cuts and pollution:• Most respondents (79%) are aware that India is NOT self-sufficient in Energy. Most respondents (79%)

are also aware that there is a limit to energy sources being used presently. .• A significant 83% seem to know the reasons for power cuts. Some of them believe it is due to rainy

season, maintenance works etc. However, a good number of them think it is due to more demand and more power being supplied to the industrial sector.

• A significant 71% seem to know what happens to the emissions from thermal power plants and fossil fuel vehicles. Most of them believe, it results in health related problems including respiratory and skin conditions.

Power saving:• A staggering 92% of respondents did NOT know that appliances consume power in stand-by mode.

Similarly, 91% of respondents did NOT know that one could save power by putting computers, monitors and copiers in sleep mode

• More than half the respondents are NOT aware of energy efficient appliances. And 70% of respondents are NOT aware of energy star efficiency ratings . Furthermore, a significant, 75% of respondents do NOT look for energy star efficiency ratings while shopping

• A good 80% of the respondents are NOT aware of power savings with energy efficient fans. Around 40% of respondents are still NOT aware of energy savings possible with CFL. Similarly, 44% of respondents are still NOT aware of cost advantage of CFLs

• The level of awareness with regards to LED technology is very low in the region. 82% are not aware of LED lights and their energy efficiency. And 85% are not aware that LED TVs are most energy efficient

• 91% of respondents are not aware of energy efficiency of microwaves

Power Saving Ac: • The level of understanding about power consumption and efficiency measure is again very low in the

region. 80% are not aware that one AC consumes as much electricity as 15 to 25 fans .• Similarly, 88% were not aware that a 5-star AC is 30% more energy efficient. And 90% of respondents

are not aware that setting the AC temperature to 25 degrees instead of 22 degrees could result in 10% saving in energy consumption. Furthermore, 90% of respondents are not aware that keeping AC filters clean and maintaining ACs will result in saving in energy consumption

• More than 77% respondents are aware that India imports LPG and that their price will go up in future

Key finding: • Pollution and energy consumption do not figure as important factors in buying or using energy devices. • Most respondents are aware of limited energy resources. They also seem to be aware of the reasons

behind power outage is higher demand and more industries. The pollution from the emissions and its affect on health were mentioned by a number of respondents

• The general awareness on power saving is very low across the board including; energy savings possible with different appliances; energy consumption in standby mode and saving in sleep mode; and energy star ratings and their significance.

Trends that support sustainable development and lifestyles:• Power consumption is the second most important factor that respondents look for in choosing

a lighting device. However, it does not reflect in people's choices. This could be due to lack of awareness.

•25%ofACusersmayuseitlessifelectricitypricesgoup•Availability,frequencyandtimingsdonotseemtobestrongbarriersinusageofpublictransport.


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• The cycle is used daily if the household owns one. More than 75% of houses who own a cycle use it daily.

• Only one third of the car owners use it daily whereas more than 44% use it less than once a week. There is a potential for car sharing here

• If the fuel cost doubles a staggering 45% people will look for fuel efficient vehicles and 27% people will switch to public transport.

• Most respondents are aware of limited energy resources. They also seem to be aware of the reasons behind power outage is higher demand and more industries. The pollution from the emissions and its affect on health were mentioned by a number of respondents

Trends that oppose sustainable development and lifestyles:• A significant number of respondents surveyed (45%) claim that they do not foresee any reduction in

their consumption if there electricity prices went up. The figure rises to 70% in high income segment. • Similarly, only 5% respondents currently have an inverter backup system. This will grow with rise in per

capita income and power outages• Incandescent lamps are still being used. Uptake for CFL is not significant despite obvious advantages.

No awareness and provision for disposing used CFL exists in the region. • None of the households surveyed have a Solar Water Heater.• Only 5 (15%) houses with ACs have more than 3 star energy efficiency rating.• Availability and cost of fuel do not seem to matter much in selection of cooking fuel. • When asked about the solar cooker, a significant 83% of households felt that lack of awareness

about the solar cooker was the key barrier in its adoption. Availability, convenience, dietary habits and cooking time were not cited as barriers for its adoption. This is partly due to lack of understand of the functioning of solar cooker.

• If the LPG prices double, 30% of the households surveyed would switch to electricity• The roads and parking spots are overflowing with cars when the car ownership is only 13%. • More than 60% of respondents use a motorcycle to go to work.• Electric scooters have not caught on in the region. • 62% of high income households own a car• Pollution and energy consumption do not figure as important factors in buying or using energy devices. • The general awareness on power saving is very low across the board including; energy savings

possible with different appliances; energy consumption in standby mode and savings in sleep mode; and energy star ratings and their significance.

recommendations:There is a tremendous opportunity to create awareness and public policy to curb energy consumption without compromising the real quality of life and growth potential of the region

Policy:• Regulate building application process to encourage passive lighting and cooling house designs• Introduce a environmental clearance certification for building permission. These could be based on

national and international standards of Griha and LEED• Create infrastructure for car sharing schemes• Build car sharing hubs, charging stations and infrastructure that enables renting and sharing cars for

short term possible. Zip car and other companies can be approached for technology• Create infrastructure for electric scooter rentals• Build scooter sharing hubs, charging stations and infrastructure that enables renting and sharing

scooter for short and long term possible. Zip car, Velib (Paris) and other companies can be studied and approached for solutions


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• Ensure that power consumption of appliances and related running costs are highlighted in the shops• Make display of, and information on, power consumption of appliances and related running costs

mandatory to encourage purchase of low energy consumption appliances. • Consider lower sales tax levels for 5 star rated appliances.• Create policy to promote CFL and provide infrastructure to dispose them after use. • Promote CFLs with lower sales tax levels and consider gradual phasing out of incandescent lamps

over a 5 – 10 year period. • Make CFL disposal services mandatory for all lamp selling shops.• Grid power tariff needs to be increased significantly for it be to considered as a tool to curb

unnecessary consumption and related wastage• The annual electricity tariff increase should be at least equal to the inflation plus 2% with a steeper

increase in the first few years to achieve a break-even for EDP. This break-even also has to be achieved off course with cost saving measures. The slab-wise tariff system to be re-designed whereby above a certain slab (e.g. 150 kWh per month) all consumption (also that first 150 kWh) is charged at a commercially viable tariff.

• EDP to prepare and implement a preventive maintenance program that includes replacement of old transformers with energy efficient transformers and reduction of line losses (energy and voltage) to acceptable levels.

• Promote solar cooking with house designs and user-friendly models• Provide incentives and guidelines for buildings where the kitchen is designed and oriented to use

solar power for cooking. (http://www.princeindia.org/Balcony%20cooker%20article.pdf) One such apartment block exists in Delhi.

recommendations - Actions:• Create awareness among the architect and civil engineer fraternity to design houses with passive

cooling and lighting. • Design short seminars to share ideas and solutions on energy conservation for retrofitting existing

buildings and designing new ones• Create awareness around power consumption stand-by mode and power saving in sleep mode. • Multi channel campaign that is catchy and potentially involves a superstar• Create awareness around power LED technology for lights and TVs• Multi channel campaign that is catchy and potentially involves a superstar• Create a clean travel campaign around cycling to work as most commuters travel between 5 (50%) to

10 (26%) kms • Make cycling easier in the city• Make cycling popular by promoting it at educational and public institutes• Create an extensive campaign to promote CFL lamps• Multi channel campaign that is catchy and potentially involves a superstar• Create a campaign to promote to solar cookers through possible recipes, role model users, and

nutrition value of the food.• Leverage existing solar cooker users from the Ashram • Multi channel campaign that is catchy and potentially involves a superstar• Create a campaign to highlight energy consumption related pollution and its impact on people’s lives in

the region. • Multi channel campaign that is catchy


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Water Survey

The water survey was a pilot conducted to understand the key water related issues in the region . Based on the pilot survey experience, the questionnaire and the survey strategy were to be further structured. However, due to the limited time and man-power, the surveys could not be completed. The survey was divided into two primary segments: Domestic Survey: The objective of this survey was to sample typical domestic water issues faced by inhabitants, of different areas of Pondicherry town and the surrounding villages.Agriculture Survey: The objective of this survey was to sample typical cropping patterns and irrigation practices.As part of the pilot survey, Bahour Lake was also surveyed. This lake belongs to both the states; Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, and the objective was to understand the water consumption patterns across the states.

MethodologyThe survey was primarily conducted in marginalized communities. These were identified based on the local knowledge of the team. As the target group is selected based on a bias, the analysis is not a true representation of the issues in the region. However, it is an indication of some of the trends and problems in the region.

Observations: Domestic Water Supply

• About half of the respondents surveyed have a tap at home; community taps are also accessed in some communities

• Poor quality of water/ low water pressure or inaccessibility to water is a major issue across the surveyed areas. Some areas receive yellow coloured water at least for the first few hours of the supply.

• All the areas surveyed identified the issues of malaria and the problem of mosquitoes. This could also be attributed to the fact that the grey water is let out onto open land. Only about half of the respondents had had connection to the municipal pipe system to let out grey water

• About half of the respondents had access to own toilets, the remaining used public toilets. • In Mettupalayam, some of the respondents located near the industries, enjoyed access to domestic

water supply from PIPIDIC• In Bahour Lake Area, the tank is maintained by the Water User Association and PWD, but the respondents

are unhappy with the committee. There is also an issue of excessive ground water extraction and industrial effluent dumping into the water bodies.


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Name AddressCity/ District/ VillageAgeOccupation

Question 1 What is/are your main use(s) of water?Domestic (drinking, cooking, house maintenance)IrrigationLivestockBusinessOthers

Question 2 What is/are the source(s) for this/these water use(s)?Municipal Water through tap in houseMunicipal Water through common tap outsideGroundwater through handpumpGroundwater through open wellGroundwater through tubewellRiverTankPublic tankerPrivate tankerOthers

Question 3 How often do you get access to water (per source)?DailyEvery 2 daysEvery 3 daysWeeklyOthers

Question 4 Does this access satisfy your requirement (per source)?

Question 5 Where do you go for toilet?Toilet in the housePublic toiletOpen air

Question 6 Do you have any health issues related to water?Bad water qualityMosquitoesOthers

Question 7a If you are a farmer, which crops do you grow? The cropping schedule?Examples:Rice from October to January, Rice from February to May, Pulses from February to April, Groundnut from …

Crop

Question 7b If you are a farmer and if you irrigate, how often do you irrigate the crops mentionedabove in Question 6a?

Examples:Rice from October to January: occasionally with groundwater, Rice from February to May: daily with groundwater,Groundnut 4 times during growing season with river water…

Crop Frequency irrigation

Growing period

PUDUCHERRY-CUDDALORE-VILLUPURAM REGIONAL PLANNING STUDYWATER SURVEY


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Address

City/ District/ Village

Age

Occupation

Question 1 What is/are your main use(s) of water?Domestic (drinking, cooking, house maintenance)

Irrigation

Livestock

Business

Others

Question 2 What is/are the source(s) for this/these water use(s)?Municipal Water through tap in house

Municipal Water through common tap outside

Groundwater through handpump

Groundwater through open well

Groundwater through tubewell

Ousteri Lake

Public tanker

Private tanker

Others

Question 3 How often do you get access to water (per source)?

Daily Every 2 days

Every 3 days Weekly Others

Question 4 Does this access satisfy your requirement (per source)?

Question 5 Where do you go for toilet?Toilet in the housePublic toiletOpen air

Question 6 Do you know where goes the waste water from your house?To a septic tankTown pipe systemOpen landOthers

Question 7 Do you know if any waste water goes to Ousteri Lake?

Question 8a Do you have any health issues related to water?Bad water qualityMosquitoesOthers

Question 9a If you are a farmer, which crops do you grow? The cropping schedule?Examples:Rice from October to January, Rice from February to May, Pulses from February to April, Groundnut from …

Crop

PUDUCHERRY-CUDDALORE-VILLUPURAM REGIONAL PLANNING STUDYWATER SURVEY

Growing period


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Question 7c If you are a farmer and if you irrigate with groundwater:

What is the depth of your well(s)?

What is the depth of the groundwater level?Type of pump(s): diesel / electric, centrifugal / submersible?

What is/are the HP of your pump(s)?Is the water saline?

How is the yield of your well? (flow is enough?)

Question 8 If you are not a farmer but live near agriculture lands, what are the main crops?Cropping schedule?

Examples: Rice from October to January, Rice from February to May, Pulses from February to April,

Crop Growing period

Question 9 If you rear livestock, which breed(s)? How often do you water them (per source)?

Livestock breed Watering frequency

Question 10 If you live near a Tank, is it maintained or abandoned? If maintained, how is it managed?For which purpose is it used?

Examples: Managed by Water Users Association, PWDUsed for Irrigation, Fish Pond, Groundwater Recharge

Tank name Maintained, abandoned? Managed by? Used for?

Question 11 Do you know where goes the waste water from your house?To a septic tankTown pipe systemOpen landOthers

Question 12 If you live near industries, do you know if these industries use water? What are these industries?Question 13 Do you have any particular issue(s) related to water?


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Observations: Agriculture

Difficulties faced by farmers from Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu:• The agricultural inputs are bought at market price, however the produce is sold at government set or

middle men set price. • Lack of agricultural labour due to government schemes (e.g., free rice, dal etc).

Water Market:• This is accessed by those who don’t own a pump and purchase water from other pumps for irrigation.

The payment is of two types: in cash or in kind. The payment ‘in kind’ is equal to about 1/3rd of the total production

• Income on produce:• Sugarcane: Rs 2,000 / T.• Rice: Rs 500 to 1,000 / 100 kg.• Casurina: Rs 1,500 to 2,000 / T.• Tapioca: Rs 700 to 2,000 / T.• Sesame: Rs 1,500 to 2,000 / 100 kg.• Ragi: Rs 1,300 to 1,500 / kg.• Interactions Tamil Nadu/ Pondicherry:• Agriculture inputs are cheaper in Puducherry, therefore the farmers from Tamil Nadu try to purchase

their inputs from Puducherry. Also, the farmers sell their products at different places depending on the market prices.

Data Quality Limitations• This survey is by no means exhaustive.• Domestic survey: Only the inhabitants of huts, shanty houses were interviewed. The survey is biased

as only those who are more susceptible to face water problems were targeted. • Agriculture Survey: Only farmers of some villages in Puducherry UT and a few villages in Tamil Nadu

were interviewed


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Area Locality Domestic Water Access

Health Issues Satisfaction of access

Toilet Grey Water Disposal

Complaints

Pondicherry Kuruchikuppam, Vaithikuppam

Municipal Commin Tap

Few cases of Malaria

Somewhat satisfied

Public/ Private

Not connected to town pipe systems

Low water quality/ low pressure

Pondicherry Karuvadikuppam Municipal: tap at home (irregular supply)

Malaria/ poor water quality

Unsatisfied Public/ Private

Municipal pipe systems/ drained on open land

Low water quality/ low pressure/ inaccessibility

Pondicherry Mettupalayam Municipal: tap at home/ PIPDIC

Mosquitoes Satisfied Private Municipal pipe systems

Pondicherry Kanagan lake Municipal: tap at home

Mosquitoes/ bad quality water/ untreated waste disposal in water

Somewhat satisfied

Private/ open defecation

Municipal pipe systems/ few drained on open land

yellow coloured water/ poor quality

Pondicherry/ Tamil Nadu

Bahour Village Municipal: tap at home

Mosquitoes Satisfied Private/ open defecation


Ground water extraction/ untreated effluents into waterBahour tank maintained by a Water User Association & PWD but some people not satisfied with this committee.

Pondicherry Kuruvinatham village

Municipal: tap at home



Low quality domestic water

Pondicherry Villages around Ousteri lake (Ousteri, Sorapet, Katterikuppam)

Municipal: tap at home/ ground water pumps/ public tap



Tamil Nadu Villages around Ousteri lake (Nerkunam, Pakkiripalayam),

Municipal: tap at home/ ground water pumps/ public tap



Domestic Supply: Water Survey Analysis


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Vision Survey

The vision survey was conducted to understand the stakeholders (including citizens, government officials, NGOs) future vision for the region. The strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and suggested recommendations were also identified through the interviews conducted.

The stakeholders envision the future Puducherry region to be green and safe for its citizens. They would like to see Puducherry regain its original charm. They recognise that water is precious and it is currently being wasted without any consideration for the future demands. They hope that environmental resources are protected and the region will be free from traffic, congestion and pollution in the future.

Assets• The stakeholders identified tourism, good quality social and physical infrastructure as one of the

strongest assets of Puducherry. Auroville, Ashram, French culture, historical buildings, religious destination were considered as strong tourism promoting factors. The beach and the coastal line, climatic conditions are some of the other factors that makes Puducherry favourable. Puducherry is considered to be a peaceful and clean community.

• From the transportation perspective, the stakeholders were pleased with the connectivity with Chennai and other destinations. ECR and the other national highways allow easy access by road. Airport was also identified as an asset to Puducherry.

Issues• The predominant issue identified by the government officials was the decline in the agricultural sector.

These is loss of agricultural land, as it is converted to other land use activities. There is also a decline in the agricultural labourers, leading to migration of workers to other employment sectors.

• With respect to water, decrease in the quality of water, explotation of ground water; and salt water intrusion into the aquifers were identified as the key issues. Due to the rapid migration towards urban centres there is sprawl. The respondents felt that over the last three decades, the population has drastically increased adding to congestion and stress on urban infrastructure. Increase in crime and violence is another factor, which seems to be on the rise since the last few decades.

• Improper waste disposal, traffic and poverty were some of the other issues that were identified. The respondents felt the need of better planning practices and enforcement mechanisms to ensure a more cohesive and coordinated development. They also felt that the governance needs to be improved for better implementation of programs in place.

Opportunities• Tourism and IT industry development were perceived to be the top most development opportunities,

followed by development of Ousteri Lake, port and airport. The stakeholders also felt that establishing a special economic zone would give rise to several opportunities.


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RecommendationsThe following are some of the recommendations made by the stakeholders:• Promote tourism• Effective integrated planning across the region. • Better upkeep and maintenance of the existing built environment• Manage industrial waste• Protect agricultural sector• Promote inter-state coordination• Effective traffic management plan• Construct river dams• Introduce organic farming• Protect and restoring natural features • Effective waste management strategies • More infrastructure developments

As part of the questionnaire, the government officials enlisted some of the relevant projects currently undertaken in their respective departments. Some of the details of the project were also elaborated upon. A few of these projects are:

DEPARTMENT PROGRAMMES ISSUES SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS

Agriculture Department

• Funding: A 950 million Rupees budget for subsidies and improvement of infrastructure has been set aside for the year 2011-12, out of which 65 are grants are given from the centre.

• Presented a paper to the government to stop the conversion of agriculture lands. No action has been taken as yet.

• They are in the process of preparing another document to urge the government to stop the conversion of agriculture lands.

Agriculture department (Hydrology)

• Awareness creation among different sectors, such as farmers, industries, public. Also introduces programs in schools.

• Research studies on groundwater: Availability, Quality and Reharge.

• Helping farmers to construct tube wells. Subsidy for drilling up to 60% of cost with a maximum of 1.2 lakh,

• Installation of pump set.

• Renovation of abandoned tube wells for groundwater recharge.

• A lot of governmental posts are vacant due to lack of funding. The department is understaffed

• Officers / persons with responsibility should be dedicated to the success of their project.

• Government should appoint the right person to a given position, when it (the Govt) moves one officer to one position to another.


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DEPARTMENT PROGRAMS ISSUES SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS

Vision Survey: Programs underway in the government departments

World Bank Hydrology Project

• World Bank Hydrology Project: The objective is to feed thoughtful / knowledgeable decisions. The project is currently ongoing.

• Promote the System of Rice Intensification (Agriculture Department): to reduce the water uses for rice cultivation.

• Promote commercial crops (Agriculture Department): to replace rice and sugarcane, for better income but with more water economical crops.

• Precision farming (Agriculture Department): for more efficient use of water, mainly for horticulture

About the Hydrology Project:• The objective of the

project is to create comprehensive knowledge on water. This output is not tangible and this is its major challenge.

• Govt persons and even the persons involved in the project consequently do not consider the project very seriously. They just focus on the deliverables and do not envision what could be the way forward with such a knowledge / data base. They do not carry a vision.

• Educate staff members and Government to convey the idea that intangible outputs are required for further studies and knowledgeable decisions.

Public Works • Coastal protection.• Groundwater recharge by

constructing dams across rivers.

• Supply of domestic water from Ousteri tank.

Current status:• Dam across rivers are

constructed.• Coastal and Ousteri: at study

level, not yet implemented.

Opportunities:• More constructions of river

dams• Bigger port and airport• A special economic zone

• The different political setup between TN and Pondicherry UT makes it difficult, as any step taken requires approval from legislatives of both states.

• Pondicherry Government is willing to cooperate with Tamil Nadu Government

• Awareness among citizens

• Citizens should be involved: any new project should be in consultation with them, from early stage of a project. Otherwise time and money would be wasted if ever a project is cancelled at an advanced stage by public protests.

• This would also avoid the local political games where a given party can manipulate the facts to get protest from the public.


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DEPARTMENT PROGRAMS ISSUES SUGGESTED RECOMMENDATIONS

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STAKEHOLDERS: GREATER PUDUCHERRY REGIONAL PLANNNING FRAMEWORK The fates of the four towns – Cuddalore, Auroville, Villipuram, and Pondicherry – are inextricably and intimately linked. Referred to as the Greater Puducherry Region (GPR)in this regional planning initiative, these communities are located within a radius of 40 kilometers, have pockets of territories within each others boundaries, form part of a single water basin, and have numerous concerns that need to be addressed jointly. Please respond to the following questions to help us communicate your thoughts and ideas to the appropriate authorities and fellow citizens.

1. What do you consider to be the Greater Puducherry Region’s most significant assets/strengths (things that make the community unique or a desirable place)?

2. What do you consider to be the key issues or problems that threaten the ability of the region to sustain its quality of life in the next 30 years?

3. Do you have any ideas or recommendations on how the region can sustain the qualities it values and address the key concerns impacting the citizens?

4. What is your perspective vision for the future of the Greater Puducherry Region?

Additional Questions to ask Government officials, NGOs, and selected individuals associated with project development/management in the region:

5. What projects, plans, programs or studies from your organization will have an impact on the future of the region?

6. What is the current status? 7. What opportunities do you see for the future of the region associated

with these? 8. What are the major issues or concerns that might prohibit the success of

your program/project? 9. What would you recommend to resolve these issues and concerns?


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MoU BETWEEN THE GOVT OF PUDUCHERRy, INDIA AND THE CITy OF

VILLENEUVE-SUR-LOT, FRANCE

The Government of Puducherry and the city of Villeneuve-sur-Lot abide by the principles of protecting, promoting and conserving the cultural heritage, promoting tourism and improving the urban environment and the living socio-cultural resources of Puducherry.

It has been agreed by the Government of Puducherry and the city of Villeneuve-sur-Lot to enter into an MOU for strategic partnership to achieve the principles enunciated above and the stated objectives mentioned below: -

• Prepare a Detailed Report for the protection of urban environment in Puducherry in collaboration with INTACH, Puducherry. The Urban Plan would deal thematically with the architectural, environmental, social-cultural heritage resource of the state.

• Prepare specific urban environment plan for Puducherry.• Assist in formulating pedestrian zones and traffic regulations for the Boulevard town of Puducherry.• Bring awareness on urban issues to citizens by innovative and interactive means through the press,

heritage walks, addressing school and college students, local administration etc.• Prepare a comprehensive solid waste management plan for the Boulevard town of Puducherry.• Assist in developing programmes between Puducherry and France in the field of protection of

environment, education, culture and promotion of tourism.

This Memorandum will be subject to review after five years from the date of signature. This Memorandum may be terminated by the either party, or by mutual agreement, prior to the date of review giving not less than six months notice.

The Government of Puducherry and the city of Villeneuve-sur-Lot do mutually agree that the above responsibilities are acceptable and realisable in mutual interest.

Marc Tranchard B.R Babu Deputy Mayor Special Secretary (Tourism)City of Villeneuve-sur-Lot, Government of PuducherryFrance Puducherry

Date : 7 December 2011, Puducherry

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