Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA), Assam

The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA) is the nodal state government department in Assam responsible for urban development and municipal administration. It was formed on July 20, 2021, by merging the erstwhile Urban Development Department (UDD) and the Guwahati Development Department (GDD).

The merger aimed to streamline departmental functions, reduce overlaps, and enhance citizen-friendly services, aligning with recommendations for administrative reforms.

Vision:

To create economically vibrant, inclusive, efficient, and sustainable urban habitats in Assam.

Mission:

To promote cities as engines of economic growth and provide improved urban infrastructure and services.

Organizational Structure and Associated Bodies

The DoHUA functions through various directorates, boards, and authorities to manage the diverse aspects of urban development. These include:

• Directorate of Municipal Administration: Oversees the functioning of Municipal Boards and Town Committees across Assam.
• Directorate of Town & Country Planning: Responsible for urban planning, master plans, and regulatory aspects of land use and building construction.
• Assam Urban Water & Sewerage Board: Deals with water supply and sewerage infrastructure in urban areas.
• Assam State Housing Board: Focuses on housing initiatives and development.
• Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC): The primary urban local body responsible for municipal services within Guwahati city.
• Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA): Responsible for planning and development activities within the Guwahati Metropolitan Area.
• Guwahati Metropolitan Drinking Water & Sewerage Board: Manages drinking water and sewerage services specifically for the Guwahati Metropolitan Area.
• Guwahati Smart City Limited: Implements the Smart Cities Mission projects in Guwahati.

These offices collectively look after the affairs of the urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state, with specific arrangements for Guwahati.

Functions and Responsibilities

The main functions of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs (DoHUA) and its allied bodies include:

• Statutory Responsibilities: Discharging duties under the provisions of the Assam Municipal Act, 1956 (and its amendments) and the Assam Town & Country Planning Act, 1959 (and its amendments).
• Urban Planning & Development: Publishing Master Plans for urban areas, regulating land use, and ensuring planned construction.
• Infrastructure Development: Sanctioning and implementing schemes for water supply, sewerage facilities, stormwater drains, roads, bridges, and other urban infrastructure.
• Municipal Services: Overseeing essential services provided by ULBs, such as:
  • Public health, sanitation, conservancy, and solid waste management.
  • Street lighting, parking lots, bus stops, and public conveniences.
  • Registration of births and deaths.
  • Prevention of contagious diseases.
  • Maintenance of public parks, gardens, and playgrounds.
  • Regulation of slaughterhouses and tanneries.
• Housing: Implementing housing schemes and development projects.
• Slum Improvement & Upgradation: Undertaking initiatives for the betterment of slum areas and urban poor.
• Urban Poverty Alleviation: Implementing programs like DAY-NULM (Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission) to reduce urban poverty.
• Financial Management: Coordinating with ULBs for financial matters, including tax assessment, collection, and expenditure management.
• Sponsoring Central Schemes: Implementing centrally sponsored urban development schemes (e.g., AMRUT, PMAY-U, SBM-U).
• Digital Services: Facilitating online municipal services for citizens (e.g., property tax, trade license, building permission).
• Capacity Building: Strengthening the institutional capacities of ULBs for improved urban planning and service delivery.

Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Assam

Assam has a network of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) responsible for local governance and service delivery in urban areas. These primarily include:

• Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC): The sole Municipal Corporation in Assam, governing Guwahati city.
• Municipal Boards (MBs): Constituted in urban areas with a population typically over 10,000. There are numerous Municipal Boards across district and sub-divisional headquarters.
• Town Committees (TCs): Govern smaller urban areas.

As per the latest available data, there are over 100 ULBs in Assam (excluding GMC), managing approximately 1190 wards and serving a significant urban population.

These ULBs are empowered to levy taxes (e.g., property tax, water tax, lighting tax) and fees to mobilize their own revenue, in addition to receiving funds from the State and Central Governments for various development schemes.

Key Urban Development Schemes and Initiatives in Assam

The Department of Housing and Urban Affairs actively implements various Central and State Government schemes to foster urban growth and improve the quality of life in urban areas:

• Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT 1.0 & 2.0): Focuses on universal coverage of water supply through functional taps, sewerage and septage management, stormwater drains, green spaces, and non-motorized urban transport. Cities like Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, and Nagaon are covered under this.
• Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U): Aims to provide affordable housing for all eligible urban households.
• Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U 1.0 & 2.0): Focuses on achieving open defecation free (ODF) status, solid waste management, and overall urban sanitation.
• Smart Cities Mission (SCM): Guwahati is a selected Smart City, implementing projects for smart infrastructure, technology-enabled services, and improved urban governance.
• Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM): Aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability of urban poor households by facilitating self-employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.
• Assam Urban Sector Development Project (AUSDP): A major project often supported by external agencies (like ADB) to improve urban services and climate resilience through investments in water supply, stormwater drainage, and urban reforms.
• "Ten Cities, One Implementation" (Doh Xohor, Ek Rupayan) Project: A recent initiative by the Assam government to ensure systematic urban growth across ten major cities, focusing on integrated planning, waste management, water supply, public infrastructure, and digital services.
• Online Municipal Services: Many ULBs in Assam offer online services for property tax payment, trade license applications, building permissions (OBPS), water connections, and grievance redressal through the unified Assamurban portal.

Contact and Official Portal

For more detailed information, citizens can visit the official website of the Department of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of Assam:

• Official Website: https://assamurban.in/
• Email Support: support@assamurban.in

The portal also provides links to various ULBs, online services, and departmental news/updates.