To streamline development of public amenities in rapidly expanding urbanisation in the region adjoining big cities in State, the Urban Development Department (UDD) has proposed handing over Government land in rural parts of district to Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA). With this in mind, UDD has notified setting up of an advisory body of local officials to suggest mechanism for ensuring unified development in rural areas adjoining Nagpur, Nashik and Pune plus Mumbai. The body will be headed by respective Metropolitan Commissioner and it will be multi-member body.

 

The members of the NMRDA would be Municipal Commissioner; Director, Town Planning and Chief Planner, MIDC (as nominee of MD, MIDC); Chief Officers (all Nagar Parishad and Nagar Panchayats); while Joint Director, Town Planning, Nagpur Division, will act as Member Secretary. The body has been given time frame of two months to suggest guidelines and modalities for earmarking open public places in NMRDA region for big ticket projects. Post notification, nearly 7,800 Ha Government land in NMRDA region would come under its jurisdiction for which the new body would require to lay out a perspective development plan.

 

The circular issued by UDD said the bureaucrats would engage in brainstorming to prepare a Regional Plan earmarking open public places for setting up stadium, garden, slaughter house, fire brigade station, sewage treatment plant, garbage processing plant, swimming pool and other public interest projects. For the same, the body should carry out detailed survey and mapping of areas under its jurisdiction and identify sites where these projects can be located in future. The idea is to ensure that in future, at Zonal level, an integrated development plan should be prepared so that any one of the institutions would be able to develop the public interest project. Further, the new body should recommend to State Government measures needed to be taken post survey of the sites identified for big ticket projects whether it has necessary road width, approach roads, etc. Also, they would have to suggest modalities for ensuring how these projects can materialise. In 2017, NMRDA was established having its jurisdiction over 717 villages in Nagpur district having 3,500 sq.km area.