The Gazetteers Department

THE MAHARASHTRA STATE HAS AN INDEPENDENT " TOWN PLANNING AND VALUATION DEPARTMENT " which deals principally with the subjects of "Town Planning" and "Valuation of Real Properties". It also advises Government on matters relating to slum clearance, housing, etc. including legislation.

Organisation.

The department was established in 1914 with the Consulting Surveyor to Government as its head. The Bombay Town Planning Act (I of 1915) was passed in the next year providing for the preparation of statutory town planning schemes in respect of areas in course of development within the jurisdiction of local authorities. Under this Act the Local Authorities are both initiating and executing authorities and the functions of the department are of an advisory nature. Very few local authorities have, however, the trained staff required for the preparation of statutory town planning schemes and, therefore, usually an assistant from the department is deputed to prepare scheme for them.

About 125 statutory town planning schemes have so far been undertaken by the local authorities at various places in the State of which 46 have been finally sanctioned and come into force.

The provisions of the Bombay Town Planning Act enable the planner to ignore to a great extent existing plot boundaries. In designing his layouts, existing holdings can be reconstituted and made subservient to the plan, and building plots of good shape and frontage can be allotted to owners of land ill-shaped for building purposes and without access. The cost of the scheme can be recovered from the owners benefitted to the extent of 50 per cent, of the increase in the value of the land estimated to accrue by the carrying out of the works contemplated in the scheme. When a draft scheme prepared by a local authority in consultation with the owners is sanctioned by Government, an Arbitrator is appointed. His duties are to hear each owner individually, consider his objections or proposals and make suitable adjustments or amendments in the draft scheme proposals, if found necessary. The department also provides the necessary Arbitrator. The department issues certificates of tenure and title in respect of the plots after a scheme is finally sanctioned. Preparation and scrutiny of layout of co-operative housing societies, when they apply for loans from Government, are the other duties of the department. The Consulting Surveyor is often called upon to give advice on or to prepare layouts of Government, municipal or private lands for purposes of town extension.

In addition to the statutory town planning schemes the department prepared master plans for 27 towns under the First Five-Year Plan Programme. These master plans were prepared only under departmental orders and had no statutory backing. It was experienced that without legal sanction it was difficult to implement them. The law relating to town planning was, therefore, consolidated and amended by the Town Planning Act (XVII of 1954), which has come into force from 1st April 1957. The new Act makes it obligatory upon every local authority (except village panchayat) to prepare a " Development Plan" [Section 7 of the Act lays down:

" A development plan shall generally indicate the manner in which the development and improvement of the entire area within the jurisdiction of the local authority are to be carried out and regulated. In particular it shall contain the following proposals, namely:-

(a) proposals for designating the use of the land for the purposes such as (1) residential, (2) industrial, (3) commercial, and (4) agricultural.

(b) proposals for designation of land for public purposes such as parks, playgrounds, recreation grounds, open spaces, schools, markets or medical, public health or physical culture institutions;

(d) proposals for the reservation of land for the purposes of the Union, any State, any local authority or any other authority established by law in India; and

(e) such other proposals for public or other purposes as may from time to time he approved by a local authority or directed by the State Government in this behalf."] for the entire area within its jurisdiction. The local authorities who have been given powers to implement the proposals in these plans, may, for the purpose make one or more town planning schemes for the whole area within its jurisdiction or any part thereof.

In land acquisition cases the Consulting Surveyor to Government has to render expert advice to Government in matters of valuation and in cases where the claimants go in for court references on the awards of the Land Acquisition Officers. He gives expert evidence in the court in such references and is also called upon to fix the rateable values of Government properties within the limits of borough municipalities for determination of municipal assessment. His department is entrusted with the fixation and revision of standard rates of non-agricultural assessment, and when Government has to sell, lease or purchase land, the department is consulted as regards the price and rent.

The revenue officers of Government are sent to this department for training in the broad principles of village planning, valuation, fixation of non-agricultural assessment, rural development, etc. Lectures on town planning are given by the officers of the department at centres of the Local Self-Government Institute at Poona.

Recoveries are made from local authorities and private persons who avail themselves of the services of the Consulting Surveyor or of his officers in the preparation of town planning schemes, layouts, etc. and also for the performance of the duties as an Arbitrator in town planning schemes.

From a small beginning in 1914 when the activities of the department were mainly restricted to the suburbs of Bombay and other big towns such as Poona, Ahmedabad, Sholapur, etc. the department has developed considerably. In addition to the Head Office at Poona there were five branch offices at Bombay, Ahmedabad, Kalyan, Kolhapur and Baroda in the area of the erstwhile Bombay State and three more at Amravati, Aurangabad and Nagpur were added after the coming into being of the bilingual Bombay State in November 1956.

In view of the fact that the regular depleted staff of the department was quite unable to cope with the extra work created as a result of the merger of the Deccan State including the major State of Kolhapur, Government created a branch office of this department at Kolhapur on 1st December 1949, in-charge of the Deputy Assistant Consulting Surveyor to Government with necessary staff. The activities of this branch office are, however, not restricted to the district of Kolhapur but are extended to other adjoining districts as well. There are two draft town planning schemes at Kolhapur already sanctioned by Government, arbitration proceedings in respect of which are in progress (August 1957). Government accorded sanction to the making of town planning schemes, Kolhapur No. III, on 30th November, 1956 and the draft scheme is being prepared by the local authority through the agency of this department. Similarly, the work of preparation of a draft town planning scheme at Ichalkaranji is also being carried out through this department.

Community Development Project.

The work of preparing layouts under the Community Development Project for 45 villages in the Kolhapur district has been entrusted to the Deputy Assistant Consulting Surveyor to Government, Kolhapur, with the assistance of necessary additional staff. Requisite layouts for 20 villages were prepared and supplied to the Collector of Kolhapur (1957). In addition to the above work in the Community Development Project Area of Kolhapur district, a few cases outside the Community Development Project Area have also been dealt with in this district.

Development of Panhala Hill Station.

Government desired to develop the plateau of Panhala as a hill station and, for this purpose, this department has been asked to prepare a Development Plan for Panhala. Government also sanctioned special staff for this purpose under the Deputy Assistant Consulting Surveyor to Government, Kolhapur. A tentative development plan has been prepared which when finalised would be submitted to Government along with the detailed report explaining the proposals thereof.

Planning of New Village Sites.

The unprecedented disastrous river floods during the monsoon of 1953, washed away a number of villages in the district of Kolhapur causing very heavy damage. In respect of Paragaon village, it was decided to abandon the old gaothan and to resettle the villagers in new sites at a safe level above the high flood level.

The work of planning of new village sites was entrusted to the Kolhapur branch office. The principal idea underlying the plans for these new villages is to create a self-sufficient village community provided with its own school, bazar, dispensary, chavadi, gymnasium, play-ground, etc. The plans were prepared after careful survey and enquiry of the needs in consultation with the villagers and received their wholehearted approval. This has set a new trend in rural planning and its popularity is reflected in the increasing demand for planning and improvement from a number of villages in this region.

Master Plan of Kolhapur.

The most outstanding work done in this district is the preparation of a master plan of Kolhapur town. Under the provisions of the Bombay Town Planning Act, 1954, a concession has been granted to those local authorities for whose areas master plans have already been prepared to submit such plans to Government as Development Plans for sanction, provided they do so within a period of six months from the coming into force of the Act. The work of finalisation of the master plan so as to conform to the provisions of the new Act is in progress (1957) and the local authority would submit the same to Government for sanction before the prescribed period.

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