LOCAL PARTNERSHIP FOR POVERTY-FOCUSED CDS IN HYDERABAD

Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India, with a population of 6 million, 1.5 million of which lives in slum settlements. A city development strategy for Hyderabad was preceded by UMP/WSP initiatives in the city for pro-poor micro planning for basic services in 12 slums of the city. The CDS intends to build on and institutionalise these earlier successful pilot interventions and knit all current initiatives in the city into a holistic strategy that sets out guiding principles for future urban development investments within a comprehensive city development framework. The sustainability of the strategy is essential for the city’s economy, environment, its governance profile, as well its poverty-centric policies.

The Project Steering Committee, chaired by the MCH and comprising of various stakeholders (established last 2001), meets periodically to discuss the implementation plan of the project. An orientation programme for all newly-elected representatives of Hyderabad has been carried out to improve understanding of the CDS concept. Past documentation and mapping of current initiatives has been prepared. Economic and environmental analysis reports have been updated, a poverty analysis has been carried out, and a Governance profile has been created. Concept papers on traffic and transport, health and the urban poor, and housing for the urban poor have been initiated. Project support has provided a platform for stakeholders, including elected officials, to discuss and debate their policy and future plans, demonstrating mechanisms to realise decentralised delivery mechanisms for a wide range of urban services.