Maharashtra: CIDCO To Begin Its 11th New Town Project, Appointed To Develop Jalna-Kharpudi Area

Under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has been appointed by the state government as the "New Town Development Authority" for the Jalna-Kharpudi project.

Jalna district in Maharashtra is recognised for its agro-based and steel industries.

In 2019, the government marked the Jalna-Kharpudi as a notified area, but later, denotified it.

Following that, CIDCO proposed for it to be appointed as a special planning authority to develop the area.

Accordingly, after consultation, it was decided by the state government to declare the said area as a “New Town” and CIDCO as “Jalna-Kharpudi New Town Development Authority (NTDA)", reports Hindustan Times.

According to CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Sanjay Mukherjee, “A thought was put forward that the Jalna-Kharpudi project should be completed by an agency or company of a government-owned or government-controlled corporation or a secondary company, considering the scope and complexity of the work, the time required to set up new machinery for the work, the comparative time required to undertake the work in the public interest and complete it.”

CIDCO's appointment as NTDA for Jalna-Kharpudi Notified Area is subject to the submission of a financial feasibility report.

Upon CIDCO's appointment, any other special planning authority working in the notified area will cease to function.

The authority has started work on the preparation of the financial feasibility report for the project.

The MD stated that CIDCO will follow the prescribed MRTP Act procedure to create and publish planning proposals for the notified area, which will then be submitted for government approval.

The authority has undertaken development of several new towns in Maharashtra — including Navi Mumbai, New Aurangabad and New Nashik, as well as Oros and Vasai-Virar sub-region.

The Jalna-Kharpudi New Town will be CIDCO's eleventh project in the New Town undertaking.