Gujarat govt to clear town planning schemes for Surat

Reports indicate that the Gujarat government has given preliminary approval for 27 town planning schemes in Surat and a final approval would be given soon. The others are in different stages of approval, reports indicate. Reports also indicate that the state government was slow in giving approval for the TP schemes in the city. Out of the around 127 TP schemes envisioned for the city, so far approval has been given to only 25, reports suggest. The slow pace of approval of TP schemes is said to be affecting the growth of development of the city. Once the schemes are approved, the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) will have the right to collect incremental charges (IC). The corporation is said to be facing financial strain and it is unable to collect any charges for basic infrastructure facilities owing to lack of clearance for TP schemes. Incremental charges would fetch the municipal corporation an estimated additional income of Rs 500 crore, reports indicate. The civic body may use the income in providing basic amenities like roads, drainage and water in these developing areas. SMC had collected Rs 187 crore from developers as IC deposits.