Town Planning Scheme

Book excerpt: Over the past three decades, India has witnessed rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. It is the world’s second-most populous country, with a population of 1028 million and, of this, 285 million (27.8%) live in its 7,935 cities and towns (as per census 2011). Economic reforms have given a push to the process of urbanization and it is expected that by 2050, half of its population will be living in cities and there will certainly be an increase in the number of cities and towns. The land available for development is scarce in cities, with serviced urban land being scarcer and mostly privately owned. It is therefore imperative to design a land management tool catering to both the existing developmental need and the future urban growth. Indian cities have the urban development planning process is done at a hierarchical level. Urban development is regulated to the macro-level plan by the Development Plan or Master Plan which is a statutory instrument to control, direct and promote the growth of the development and redevelopment of the urban area. The development plan is prepared with the view of achieving maximum social and economic benefits. A micro-level plan, on the other hand, indicates details and specific locations of various activities and facilities as suggested in the development plan. Therefore, town planning schemes are necessary for the implementation of the development plan.