18-members DP Unit calls on AMC administrator today

Aurangabad, Aug 10:

An independent development plan (DP) unit led by the deputy director (town planning) Mohammed Raza Khan has arrived at Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) today evening. The unit comprising 18 officers and personnel met the AMC administrator A K Pandey. The state government has deployed the DP Unit to draft a new integrated development plan (of the old city and the expanded city). The unit will start to work from Wednesday and it is hoped that the new plan would be ready in six months.

The City Development Plan was prepared in 2001. It has been also implemented in the city. In 2015, the state government through special planning authority (SPA) prepared the revised development plan including 18 villages (fringe areas). This plan triggered controversy as the office-bearers using the rights of the General Body (GB) made changes in it as per their convenience. The matter is now sub judice in the Supreme Court.

Later on, the state government on February 1, 2020, has directed the AMC to draft an integrated development plan of the old city as well as its expanded area with the assistance of the state's DP Unit. Hence the AMC was waiting for the unit for the past one and a half years. Today evening, the unit arrived at the AMC to meet the administrator. The city engineer S D Panzade and deputy commissioner Aparna Thete were also present on the occasion.

The acting deputy director (Town Planning) Jayant Kharwadkar said, " The arrangement of DP Unit has been made in the AMC's Sardar Karamsingh Oberoi Hall. The town planning section will provide all stationery, old maps etc needed to draft the integrated DP plan."

During the interaction, the AMC administrator told the DP Unit to seek help from the private agency which is surveying properties through GEO mapping in making the new plan. If all goes well, the plan could be ready in six months, he hoped.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the building permissions to big properties will be sanctioned after seeking consultation with the DP Unit, hereafter.