Summary
Regional imbalances and disparity have caused a growing concern in the process of planned development in Nepal. The objectives of planned development efforts did not limit to economic growth alone. A more equitable distribution of development benefits around different areal units became an equally urging development objective. Formerly, it used to be presumed that economic growth will be automatically associated with a more equitable distribution through the invisible hand. Time has demonstrated that regional imbalances are increasing with growth. On the other hand, distributional aspects to ensure equity and social justice by regions as well as by social classes became the topmost priority. The problems of urbanization and environmental quality also attracted attention. Moreover, how the negligence of certain regions may jeopardize the national economy and how the growing disparity may eventually threaten the national integrity became more vivid. The unique geophysical condition of the country with three inherently different ecological zones has called forth a new strategy for planning in Nepal.
Till the end of the Third Plan, the dimension of space has got little to do with the development planning with the result that development efforts did not meet with much success even when assessed from the efficiency aspect of development. During the Fourth Plan, regional planning is introduced with a purpose of decreasing disparity and ensuring integration of the national economy. The envisaged strategy is a growth pole strategy of regional development. But the strategy failed to be sufficiently comprehensive. The present study reveals that most of the efforts have been made on an ad hoc basis.
A purely sectoral and investment-oriented plan has got a very limited influence on the development process of the country. Regional planning should emerge in Nepal not as a precept to influence sectoral planning and to throw some guidelines in the national planning process but as a practice and comprehensive methodology having broad policy implications at all levels of planning. Multi-level regional planning should be adopted to attain the national objectives. In order to solve the problem of development and to attain the broad national objectives, it becomes necessary to give a pragmatic definition to regional planning. Regional planning should have implications at all levels of implementation of sectoral plans. It is possible to evolve a new approach to regional planning in the context of Nepal that will become an effective means of attaining the national objectives.
An integral part of the proposed strategy is based on a system of central places of different hierarchy. Economic location theory, central place studies, urbanization process, and spatial interaction relations become relevant in the evolution of the system of central places. In order that the growth pole theory may function well in the Nepalese context, it becomes necessary to conceive of a spatial system comprising of growth centres of different ranks. Only then one can achieve the national goals through a growth pole strategy. The location of central places of different ranks becomes a crucial issue. First, it is necessary to identify the existing central places. Then only it becomes logical to create a necessary number of central places at appropriate locations. A judiciously decided system of growth foci will ensure spatial integration. The articulation of the system of central places in a hierarchical arrangement will facilitate the diffusion of development impulses and the proliferation of growth. The benefits of economic growth will be transmitted through the central place hierarchy. A spatial order conducive to development will ultimately emerge.
The model suggested by this study envisages five different levels of central places besides the national capital, the national capital being designed as the centre of immense significance in sending out development impulses. At the lowest level in the hierarchy, there are central villages and rural towns where village infrastructure are built up and urban amenities are made available. This strategy will ensure the minimum quality of life even in the most backward areas of the country. Otherwise, it becomes difficult for lagging regions to break through the initial stages of development in spite of huge investments. Development becomes possible only through social and attitudinal changes. The other central places are growth points, growth centres and regional development centres. These centres will establish linkages in the spatial system. The level of infrastructure to be provided in these different centres will be related to the rank of the centres. With the adoption of this strategy, social transformation for regional development can be effectuated and a gradual social transformation with technology-transfer becomes possible. The problems posed by interregional migration have to be solved rather than checking migration itself. The growth pole strategy will no doubt check interregional migration to a considerable extent by providing urban amenities to the rural poor; and this is a positive measure. Decentralization of decision-making organ of the government becomes a precondition for the success of the strategy.
The extent of areas influenced by different central places differs in relation to the rank of the central places. It becomes necessary to divide the country into several areal units. The present study shows that development regions are not adequate for the purpose of planning. The concept of planning regions assumes a crucial role in the proposed strategy. While it is not denied that the integration of the economies of the three ecologically different zones should be the end product of spatial planning in Nepal, areal plans for the entire development regions are viable. The dominating characteristics of a planning region are that all the parts of the region should exhibit more or less similar problems of development so that same decisions can be taken for the entire region. Even then the significance of Development Regions is not rooted out. Development regions can be considered as closed since each of them has got all the three ecological zones. Each of the development regions has been divided into three planning regions comprising of the three ecological zones: the terai, the hill and the mountain. Formulation of regional plans for each of the planning regions is the methodology of regional planning advocated by this study. The preparation of regional plans depends on regional research; techniques of regional planning should be used. However, due to lack of data it is not possible to use them immediately. Empirical regional research should first be made to reveal regional structures of different planning regions.
In the formulation of regional plans, it is necessary to study the interregional trade relations. By creating unidirectional tariff walls, it is possible to help weaker regions to develop its economic base. The other alternative, i.e., to make huge investment is not desirable.
Although planning regions have been accepted as the most convenient areal units for regional planning in Nepal, Development region will offer itself as an adequate unit for integration. The main problem arises due to the hill – terai dichotomy. Development regions have in fact emerged because of this. When the ecological zones differ radically, integration becomes possible only through functional specialization and interdependency linkages. Integration ensures the wider participation of the people in development works through political consensus and concerted efforts. Although to specify what ought to be the interregional relations is an integral part of a prospective model, the economic base of many regions are feeble and the only relevant step available is to help weaker regions to build up their economic structures. For every region, it is necessary to ascertain certain activities that will make regional climate conducive to growth. It is a rational step to help regions develop their most productive activities. When different regions prefer the same activity most, the interest of a weaker region should be protected provided it has no alternative to build up its economy. Each planning region must build up its own economy. This is the only way that a poor and weak region can make a legitimate claim for its development. Integrated regional development program should, in fact, be based on such considerations. Such an approach while protecting the weaker regions, justifies a lion’s share of investments in more advanced regions as the benefits accrued from them will be made available even to the weaker regions. In the context of Nepal, this is the only choice that will integrate the terai region with the hill economy.
It becomes thus necessary to conceive of a national system comprising of the regional sub-systems where these sub-systems are closely interwoven thorough functional interrelations. Activity complex analysis of each region in their interregional settings will help to fix the priority of regional development efforts. For a self sustaining growth of any region, it is necessary to perceive how the region will establish strategic links with others, regional development depends upon a regions’ influence over the national system. Therefore an activity will be encouraged in a region only when its location in the region makes the region more vulnerable to interregional relationship and linkages and regional activities will be so conceived as to create highly interrelated sub-systems. Alternatively, a system where the regional interests and objectives are mutually consistent may be conceived of.
The process of development planning can be initiated from the top as well as from the bottom. But for an emerging country like Nepal, it should be done both from the top as well as from the bottom. If the first strategy is adopted by the time the efforts would be transmitted to grassroots level, everything will be dissipated. The other strategy will pose a formidable problem of assembling the smaller parts. The smaller parts when assembled together may give absurd results.
Feedback between different levels of planning is thus indispensable. Starting from the national economy, in order to double the per capita GDP within a period of two decades, different rates of growth for the four development regions considering regional equality and the national efficiency have been anticipated. The regional investments concomitant to these growth rates for different development regions have been computed for the period 1975/76 to 1994/95 using a simple econometric model. The analysis showed that equity and efficiency are conflicting goals. Eastern Development Region is the most productive region and Far-western Development Region is the least one. These investments will be allocated to the respective planning regions of each of the development regions. In doing so, the strategic activities in each of the planning regions are identified. They are given the topmost priority.
Equality will have meaning if all the regions have equal opportunity to develop and the poor like the rich are not denied the rights to the minimum necessities of life. Huge investments in the form of human capital and social services have been planned in the lagging regions.
Sectoral plans should be formulated at the level of planning regions as well. Infrastructural development should be the part and parcel of these plans. Three categories of infrastructure are identified – local infrastructure, regional infrastructure and national infrastructure. Regional plans should be prepared considering all these aspects. Such plans thus become the key instrument in the process of national integration.