Urban Development Sector
The Urban Development Branch of this Department presently has three wings viz.-Metropolitan Development (MD), Town and Country Planning (T&CP) and Urban Land Ceiling (ULC), each of which has a different history of its own.
In 1947 after the partition of Bengal, there was an exodus of people from Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, and thereby increasing the population of Calcutta rapidly. Helmed in by the Hooghly on the west and the marshes and brackish lakes in the east, the city could grow only in the north –south direction. Dr.Bidhan Chandra Roy, ex-Chief Minister of West Bengal founded the city of Kalyani, about 30 miles in the north of Calcutta to accommodate those hapless people. But this did not succeed. So as an alternative solution Salt Lake had to be developed. On September 18, 1953, the Dutch engineering from Nedeco started surveying the salt water lakes on the invitation of Dr.Roy. On February, 1955, a government gazette notification was published regarding the acquisition of 173.4 acres for the reclamation of the north of Salt lake area. By May, 1956 the government had taken over the land. The erstwhile Yugoslav firm Invest Import selected by a global tender was entrusted with the reclamation work of the swampy land area. On April 16 , 1962 , Dr. Roy switched on the delivery pipeline bringing forth a gushing flow of sandy slurry from the bed of the Hooghly in the salt lakes. Reclamation of Sector-I of modern Salt Lake Township was completed in 1965, Sectors II & III in 1969. Sector I, II & III have been developed mainly as residential area whereas Sector IV and V have been converted to mainly commercial with Jhilmil (Safari Park) and resettlement Blocks.
In 1961 the Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Organization, the first of its kind in India, was set up through a resolution of the Development and Planning Dept, to develop a comprehensive development plan for the Metropolis of Calcutta. Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA), the largest urban agglomeration in eastern India, extends over 1886.67 sq.km. and envelopes 3 Municipal Corporations including Kolkata municipal Corporation ,39 Municipalities and Panchayat Samities KMA held a population of around 17 million according to 2011 Census , as against total urban population of West Bengal of about 29 million. KMDA established in 1970 under the Presidential Ordinance and later sanctified under the KMDA Act of 1972 functioned essentially as a development agency with the specific purpose of carrying out major infrastructure development agency and with the specific purpose of carrying out major infrastructure development in KMA. With the enactment of the West Bengal Town & Country (Planning & Development) Act, 1979 the KMDA was designated as the statutory planning and development authority for KMA. KMDA is a parastatal –an authority functioning under the administrative control of the Urban Development & Municipal Affairs Department. Later on, the Department has gradually set up the 18 other Development Authorities throughout the State. The purpose of setting up of these Development Authorities was all-round development and preparation of Land Use Development and Control Plan (LUDCP) of the local areas. All the above Development Authorities were created under the provisions of the West Bengal Town & Country (Planning) Act, 1979 by the wing of the Urban Development Branch of this Department.
For all round development of certain other local areas, Kanchrapara Area Development Scheme e.g.-Kalyani Township and Patipukur Township were undertaken by the Development & Planning Department in the fifties and sixties, respectively. Later on, as the activities of these two Sectors gradually gained momentum two full fledged offices in the name and style of Kalyani Estate Office and Patipukur Estate Office were established under the said Development and Planning Department.
In the year of 1966, Calcutta Metropolitan Water & Sanitation Authority (CMW & SA) was established for implementation of a large-scale urban infrastructure development programme, the objective of which was to arrest the rapid deterioration in the urban involvement of Kolkata Metropolitan Area and to address the emerging urban aspirations of the urban people.
In 1912 Calcutta Improvement Trust (CIT) had started operation with a programme of development of urban infrastructure of the city of Kolkata in terms of the Calcutta Improvement Trust Act, 1911. Both (CIT) KIT and (CMW&SA) KMW & SA were later placed under the administrative control and supervision of the KMDA w.e.f. 28.04.2017 in terms of Kolkata Improvement Trust and Kolkata Metropolitan Water & Sanitation Authority repealing Act and amendment of the West Bengal Town & Country (Planning & Development) Act, 2017 for integration and quicker implementation of various Urban Development Projects within the KMA.
The Urban Land Ceiling Branch with a directorate at Kolkata and sub-divisional offices in the districts were set-up by the Land and Land Reforms Department under the Urban Land (Ceiling & Regulation) Act, 1976. Later on, it was brought under the control of the Urban Development Department.
In the late sixties Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) was setup under the HRBC Act, 1969 for the purpose of construction of the third bridge across the river Hooghly. It was, subsequently transferred to the Transport Department.
In the pace of rapid urbanization and growing demand for housing and commercial spaces, the New Town, Kolkata was created in the eastern outskirts of Kolkata to serve the dual purposes of:
• establishing new business centre to reduce the mounting pressure on the existing Central Business Districts (CBD) and
• Increasing housing stock supply by creating new residential units.
The New Town Kolkata Development Authority has been constituted under The New Town Kolkata Development Authority Act, 2007 (The West Bengal Act XXX of 2007) for rendering various civic services and amenities within New Town, Kolkata and it has come into effect since November, 2008.
The area of entire township is comprised of 34 Mouzas (both part and full) falling in areas of Airport Police Station, Rajarhat Police Station and Kolkata Leather Complex Police Station.
The Development Authority has been vested with the various powers and functions under the said Act.
It is a transitional arrangement in the way of creation of an Urban Local Body (ULB).