Maharashtra Regional and Town planning act, 1966

• To effectively manage the new growth, it is essentially means that the irregular
landholdings and plots will have to be given regular shapes they must be ordered each
plot must be given access; infrastructure services such as water supply and drainage
must be provided; land must be appropriated for providing roads, parks, social
amenities, and low income housing, development controls must be prescribed to result
in a good quality-built form and levy development or betterment charges to offset the
cost of developing the physical and social infrastructure.
• As this developments for states was not able to accomplished by Bombay town
planning act, 1915

• Then MRTP Act, 1966 was regulated for developments in the urban area and well as
areas having potential of being urbanized. It is a comprehensive planning act with
development functions.

• The main objectives are as follows:-

1. To make provision for planning the development and use of land in “regions”
established for that purpose and for the constitution of Regional Planning Boards.
2. To make better provisions for the preparation of Development Plans with a view to
ensuring that Town Planning Schemes are made in a proper manner and their
execution is made effective.
3. To provide for the creation of New Towns by means of Development Authorities
4. To make provisions for the compulsory acquisition of land required for public
purposes in respect of the plans.
5. And for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid mentioned in 1st point.

• Salient Features of Act:

i. Provisions for Regional Planning, Development plan, Town planning Schemes.
ii. Implementation of schemes i.e. Land Acquisition, Transfer of Development Rights and
Plot Reconstitution Techniques.
iii. The Finance Aspect (Finance account and Audit)
iv. Governance for Plan Enforcement (Planning Authority).

• Urban Planning Process in Maharashtra was under Bombay Town Planning Act – 1915.
The oldest method of bringing about planned development by reconstitution of large
agricultural plots into serviced urban plots with the Town Planning Schemes. The
Bombay Town Planning Act, 1915 provided for the "Town Planning Schemes" (TPS).
Some of the TPS are included in MRTP act.

The M.R. and T. P. Act includes details such as agency for planning, matters to be
included in the various plan, procedure laid down from starting of work to the time plans
are finalized, as well as controls over development.
• Major Divisions: the M.R.T.P. Act is divided into four major categories of planning work
at present undertaken in Maharashtra state. These four categories are:

1. Preparation of Regional Plan for selected areas.

2. Preparation for development plans for towns, as an obligatory duty by every
planning Authority.
3. Preparation of town planning Schemes for selected urban areas.
4. Preparation of plans for New Towns, as proposed under Regional Plans in first.
Regional plans are to be prepared for Regional areas, as fixed by Government and as
notified in the gazette.

• There is hardly technical guidance in fixing the limits of regions, So far some big cities in
the state have been selected along with their surrounding areas as arbitrary boundaries,
for preparing regional plan.
• The obligatory duty for the preparation of development plans each local authority for
the area lying within its jurisdiction was placed on each such authority big or small from
Municipal Corporation to Smallest Village Panchayats under the Bombay town planning
act 1954.
• These provision are repeated in the M.R.T.P. Act 1966.
• The M.R.T.P Act, 1966 has been exclusively concerned with the orderly development
and use of land and compulsory acquisition of land in conjunction with the Land
Acquisition Act, 1894.
• The Act till the recent amendment was immune to other land policy objectives like
resource mobilization for infrastructure investment or imposing conditions of
development for more equitable development of land.
• Average time taken for completion of a TPS in Maharashtra has been 15 years.

Source -
https://lj.maharashtra.gov.in/Site/Upload/Acts/Maharashtra%20Regional%20and%20To
wn%20Planning%20Act.pdf

By Gauri Vinayak shelar Sr No – 58,