Officials from the Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) met on Friday to review model town planning (TP) schemes being prepared for the bullet train station area.

Five TP schemes — 61, 62-A, 62-B, 62-C, and 63 — have been developed over the past year under guidance from the state and central governments, with technical support from JICA. Of these, TP schemes 61 and 63 have already received draft approval from the state government, while TP scheme 61 (Kosmada-Oviyan-Chedcha) has been submitted as a Preliminary Town Planning Scheme.

The remaining three schemes incorporate advanced urban planning concepts, including central plazas, green corridors, non-motorised transport systems, lakefront development, and Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions (MICE) facilities — features being implemented for the first time in India through a TP scheme.

The bullet train station is being developed on the outskirts of Surat, near Antroli, between National Highway 48 and the city.