The Gujarat's Real Estate Regulatory Authority (GujRERA) office informed the media that 18% of all new building projects in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot are forced to develop areas where there are no town planning schemes (TP). Nearly 60% of newer developments are in non-TP areas in tier-2 and tier-3 Gujarat cities like Bharuch, Navasari, Ankleshwar and Junagadh. The non-TP areas lack planned networks or roads, amenities and infrastructure. A senior Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) official told the media that only 5% to 7% of new housing and commercial projects are coming up in non-TP areas when compared to the other three tier-1 cities in Ahmedabad. The non-statutory document suggested reforms in the existing town planning department and other flags that demand development in Gujarat's cities has often outpaced the supply of planned and serviced land provided through the TP scheme mechanism. GujRERA joined hands with the department of urban development and urban planning consultants to develop three non-statutory manuals — Town planning schemes, development plans and Local Area Plans (LAP) — and have uploaded them on their website. It is the first time such exercise has been carried out. Among the main recommendations to reduce delays ahead of an intention of the town planning scheme are a public consultation process where landowners and beneficiaries are consulted before freezing land records with shape, size and ownership boundary. The concept paper has also added a stage for preparing the vision while preparing the draft TP scheme. Other significant recommendations are that the state government appoints an expert review committee (ERC) to review and recommend approval of TP schemes submitted to the government at different stages. Image Source Also read: Ahmedabad News: Realtors convert commercial projects into residential Also read: UP RERA has decided to organise National Lok Adalat on July 10