Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
Serious mistakes in the city’s development plan are now gradually being exposed. One major issue has come up regarding the road from Ambedkar Chowk to Pisadevi (municipal corporation limits) on Jalgaon Road. Earlier, the road was shown as 45 meters wide, and based on that, over the past few years, the municipal corporation had also granted TDR (Transfer of Development Rights) to several property owners. But in the newly proposed development plan, the road width has shockingly been reduced by 15 meters — now shown as only 30 meters wide. Urban settlements have rapidly expanded on both sides of this road, which has already led to traffic congestion on this main route.
City growing rapidly, yet plans lagging
The city’s population is rising quickly. A new water supply scheme worth ₹2,740 crore is underway, and daily water supply to the city is expected soon. In addition, large companies are entering the Bidkin and Shendra MIDC industrial areas. Experts believe that, similar to the way the city saw holistic development in the 1980s, such growth could happen again in the near future.
However, for the past 33 years, no development plan was prepared. The new plan was expected to promote organised growth with wider roads, large housing projects, reserved land for parking, hospitals, vegetable markets, and more. But now, glaring errors in this plan are being revealed. Instead of widening major roads, some have been made narrower.
Ambedkar Chowk to Pisadevi: Width cut in new plan
According to the 1991 development plan, the Ambedkar Chowk to Pisadevi road was supposed to be 45 meters wide. Based on this, the municipal corporation had already issued TDRs to affected land and building owners. However, the newly released plan has marked this road as only 30 meters wide. It has been placed under the "Excluding Part" (EP) section, and the government has invited objections and suggestions from the public regarding this.
The municipal administration has also raised objections with the government, requesting that the road width remain 45 meters as per the old plan. The Town Planning section has supported this demand.
Many properties will be affected
If the road remains at 45 meters width, many properties will be impacted. This includes residential and commercial buildings that have already received construction permissions, such as those in front of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee and in Vaishali Dhaba Chowk.
What about the 7.5 meters of “leftover” land?
If the road width is reduced to 30 meters, then 7.5 meters on each side (which were earlier part of the road plan) will remain unused. The municipal corporation has questioned what will happen to this leftover land, raising further doubts about the planning logic.