Latest news with #UrbanDevelopmentAuthorities
Hans India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Hans India
NTR Smart Township scheme revamped to boost sales
Vijayawada: The state government announced a significant revamp of the NTR Smart Townships scheme, aiming to revitalise Middle-Income Group (MIG) housing projects, streamline plot allotments, and boost revenue. The updated guidelines, outlined in GO Ms No 148 by the municipal administration and urban development department, seek to expedite project execution, enhance transparency, and better cater to market demand. The NTR Smart Townships initiative, originally designed to provide affordable and well-planned housing for the middle class, has encountered substantial hurdles. Out of 74 approved projects across 66 Assembly Constituencies, only 36 have commenced, with a mere 29 per cent of plots sold and just 23 per cent of anticipated revenue realised. The government attributes this lackluster performance to restrictive policies, including a lottery-based plot allocation system, an Rs 18 lakh income ceiling, a one-plot-per-family rule, and uniform pricing irrespective of plot size or location. To rectify these issues, the government has suspended new applications for launched layouts. Pending applications will be addressed through one-time lotteries. Unsold plots will now be put up for auction, adhering to Development Authority norms, to accelerate infrastructure development. Furthermore, non-launched MIG projects will be re-designated as commercial housing layouts, to be managed by Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) under revised regulations or government directives, promoting a more market-driven strategy. Municipal administration and urban development principal secretary S Suresh Kumar said, 'The NTR Smart Townships were conceived to provide affordable housing, but public response has been inadequate. These revised guidelines are intended to streamline processes and attract more buyers.' The special officer for MIG layouts, Director of Town and Country Planning, and engineer-in-chief of public health have been instructed to implement these changes immediately. Provisions under Section 3 of GO Ms No 76, dated July 28, 2021, will no longer apply to unallotted plots in launched layouts.
The Hindu
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP legislators urge Karnataka government to hasten single layout approval in rural areas
The BJP legislators said on Monday that there is an inordinate delay in Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) approving sketches of single layouts in gram panchayat areas and that the government should hasten the process of issuing Forms 9 and 11 to single layout applicants on a priority basis. Speaking at a protest organised by BJP Udupi district unit on the premises of the Udupi Deputy Commissioner's office, MLA for Udupi, Yashpal Suvarna, and K. Prathapsimha Nayak, MLC, said that the cumbersome procedure involved in issuing Forms 9 and 11 has made people to run from pillar to post to sell their non-agricultural properties in rural area. Mr. Nayak alleged that the State government lacked the will power to expedite the single layout approval process. The MLC said that after the power to approve single layouts was transferred from Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) to UDAs following a ruling by the Karnataka High Court, the government had not appointed enough staff to the UDAs to clear the files, leading to the piling up of pending files with the UDAs in the coastal districts. 'This is a typical problem restricted to only coastal districts,' Mr. Nayak said, adding that many people are waiting to get their non-agricultural properties registered or sold. Many people are unable to construct houses and avail themselves of loans for construction purposes. The MLC alleged that there appeared to be some conspiracy behind making people wait for a long time to get single layout approval. Mr. Suvarna said that people in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts are already facing a dearth of sand and laterite stones for building houses and other structures. The delay in obtaining approval for single layouts has added to the list of problems being faced by people. The MLA alleged that the government is acting as if it were not a major problem being faced by the people living under the jurisdiction of 399 gram panchayats in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. 'The Congress government should not indulge in hate politics. Instead, it should address problems of coastal people,' he said. Kiran Kumar Kodgi, MLA for Kundapur, and BJP president for Udupi district, Kutyar Naveen Shetty, were among those who participated in the protest organised to seek to speed up the process of issuing Forms 9 and 11.
Indian Express
22-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Punjab Cabinet decisions: Chief secretary to be chairperson of town planning & development board
The Punjab Cabinet Saturday gave powers of chairman of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Board (PRTPD) to chief secretary of Punjab. With the development, the chief secretary will give approval nod to all development projects initiated by various development authorities in the districts of the state. The chief secretary will now be the chairperson of the Board regulating the GMADA, GLADA, PDA (Patiala development Authority), BDA (Bathinda), JDA (Jalandhar), ADA (Amritsar), Anandpur Sahib Urban development Authority, Dera Baba Nanak Urban development Authority. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that the Cabinet gave its nod to amend Section 29 (3) of the PRTPD Act, on the pattern of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA), New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (NOIDA), Meerut, Kanpur, Lucknow and others. Earlier, the Chief Minister was chairman of the authority. Cheema said that the Chief Minister has been busy with other engagements and the work of authorities was adversely affected. Hence, the Chief Secretary has been given the powers. He added, 'Nevertheless, all the projects, cleared by the Chief Secretary as chairman will be passed by the Chief Minister in the Cabinet.' Meanwhile it was also decided to include departments of Revenue, industry, Water Supply & Sanitation and others in the development authorities. Later in the evening, the government issued a statement saying that 'in a landmark decision reflecting visionary leadership, the Chief Minister has proactively decided to delegate the Chairmanship of all Urban Development Authorities to the chief secretary. This bold reform is aimed at strengthening decentralised governance, speeding up decision-making, and empowering the administrative setup to act swiftly on ground-level issues.' The statement added that previously, these authorities had inconsistent structures. Now, the Cabinet has approved a uniform framework across all 8 authorities, with Deputy Commissioners and Municipal Commissioners included as members—ensuring that local matters are resolved efficiently at the authority level itself. The decision is based on a comprehensive review of national models, where such bodies are headed by IAS officers or Ministers—not Chief Ministers—as seen in Ahmedabad, NOIDA, Kanpur, Bangalore, and others. By delegating routine matters, the CM has ensured that strategic oversight remains focused on larger state priorities, while operational decisions are handled promptly, the statement added. 500 posts to be filled in jails The Cabinet gave its concurrence to fill 500 vacant posts of Assistant Superintendents, Warder and Matron under direct recruitment quota in the Jails Department, Punjab. This recruitment will include 29 Assistant Superintendents, 451 Warder and 20 Matron, which will be done by Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board, thereby helping to beef up the security in the jails. This move will act as a catalyst in further streamlining the functioning of the jails besides helping in making them safe and secure. Ex-post facto approval The Cabinet also gave Ex-post facto approval for the constitution of the High-Powered Cabinet Sub Committee to intensify the 'War on Drugs' program of the State of Punjab. This move will further help in day to day scrutiny of the ongoing war against drugs thereby making Punjab free from the menace of drugs and wean away the youth of state from this scourge. Punjab fire and emergency services The Cabinet also gave nod for Framing of Punjab Fire and Emergency Services (Validity of Fire Safety Certificate) Rules, 2025. This will enable the state Government to prescribe the per…
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
49% posts vacant across urban development authorities in Gujarat
At 49.49 per cent, a significant share of sanctioned planning posts across Urban Development Authorities (UDAs) and Area Development Authorities (ADAs) are lying vacant in Gujarat. Of the total 683 posts on deputation and 457 regular posts sanctioned in the Town Planning and Valuation Department (TPVD), 439 and 125, respectively, are vacant. Lower-level positions, such as Junior Town Planners and Planning Assistants, have the highest vacancies, revealed a report by a high-level committee (HLC) on urban planning under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. 'In view of the rapid urban and economic transformation in Gujarat, the capacity of planning and governance in Urban Development Authorities needs to be scaled up and professionalised. Analysis of the current sanctioned planning capacity and required capacity shows a gap in the projected demand and current supply. It is estimated that urban Gujarat would require between 1,300-2,100 planners by 2047 to cater to the projected urban population,' the report highlights. Taking into consideration the current vacancy rates across planning departments and future demand for higher number of urban planners, the HLC pointed out to the need to 'incrementally bridge the demand-supply gap'. 'It is recommended that the government streamline the hiring processes in the constituted urban and area development authorities and expedite the filling of vacancies and strengthen urban planning capacities,' it suggested. Among key steps, the HLC has suggested mapping of sanctioned versus filled posts across all UDAs and ADAs, prioritising recruitment in high-growth regions and under-capacitated authorities and establishing a state-level monitoring cell within the Urban Development department to track recruitment progress and address systemic hiring delays. 'The growing scale and complexity of Gujarat's urban transformation driven by high-speed rail, Special Investment Regions (SIRs), smart cities, and large-scale infrastructure indicate that the present structure of the TPVD may require creation of new verticals within the department focused on regional zones and special infrastructure projects,' it further stated. To effectively steer the urban transformation envisioned under the Viksit Gujarat 2047, there is a long-term need for enhanced institutional capacity of the TPVD, the HLC suggested. The TPVD is the main technical wing of the state government for urban planning and works under the Urban Development and Urban Housing Department of the Gujarat government, with the Chief Town Planner (CTP) as head of the department and its jurisdiction covering the entire state. The main aim of the department is to secure a well-balanced and planned development of the major urban centres of the state as well as small and medium towns. The HLC has also proposed the Gujarat State Urban Observatory (G-SUO) to be housed within the TPVD and operated under the strategic oversight of the Additional Chief Town Planner (Research). The state urban observatory aims at serving as a statewide urban intelligence network responsible for producing, managing and disseminating high-quality urban data expected to support evidence-based decision-making and policy design for the state government and urban local bodies through a knowledge repository system that it builds.
