Nagpur Improvement Trust

Logo of Nagpur Improvement Trust

Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT)(Template:Lang-mr) is a local civic government body with the task of developing new areas within city limits of Nagpur, India and maintaining existing city infrastructure. Trust works along with Nagpur Municipal Corporation(NMC) which is an elected body of city representatives(Corporator). NIT itself is not a democratically elected civic body and has members appointed in it from various levels like Government of Maharashtra, NMC and other representatives of Nagpur city. NIT thus has a small management body as compared to NMC. NIT holds the planning and development authority for Nagpur city but does not receive any funds from state government. Funds needed for development work is raised by NIT through the auction of newly developed areas.

About

NAGPUR, the second capital of Maharashtra and the second greenest City of IndIa. popularly known as "Orange City" IS spread across an area of 217 sq.kms. It is an Important rail road Junction and anupcoming industrial hu~buzzing with hectic commercial activities.

Historically the City of Nagpur was the capital of the erstwhile Central Provinces and Berar The need for planned development of the city was felt at that time,as the existing Municipal CommIttee was not equipped to undertake such a gigantic task nor did it have the ability to generate the necessary funds.

With this view. The Nagpur Improvement Trust was formed by enacting Nagpur Improvement Trust Act, 1936. Actual functioning of Nagpur Improvement Trust started in the year 1937. The goal set before the Nagpur Improvement Trust was,to develop new areas within the city of NagpuJto cater to the needs of the growing population.

For proper development of the city. the Nagpur Improve:;nent Trust has powers to form vanous types of schemes. For Implementation of these ifiChemes~;: powers of Planning Authority as well as Development Authority are vested with the Nagpur Improvement Trust. During the last 6 decades of its existence, Nagpur Improvement Trust has transformed the sleepy old city Into an emergIng Metro by executing 45 development schemes whereby about 55% area of Nagpur City has beer! developed Thesn schemes and projects undertaken by NIT, have given a face-lift to this historic City. The implemented projects have Impr'oved the urban environment of the City and upgraded the existing Infrastructure. adequate enough to meet the growing demands of rapid urbanlsatlon and Increasing population. Now the State Govt. of Maharashtra vide G.R. dated 24.12.2002 has extended the jurisdIction of NIT beyond the Municipal limits of Nagpur over an area that constitutes the Metro Region thereby widening the scope of its work.

Because of the small size of the managing body of Nagpur Improvement Trust, the decIsion-making IS speedy and effective which is the hallmark of any dynamic institution. Unlike other InstitutionS managed by the State Government, NIT does not receive any grant whatsoever ,from the State Government As a result, there is no financial burden on the State Government on account of NIT.

Over the last six decades. the City has got the much needed face lift owIng to the all round eHorts put In by Nagpur Improvement Trust. This information book is a humble attempt on our part to bnef the readers about various schemes that have been successfully planned and executed by NIT so far.

NIT - The Scope As the Planning Authority and Development Authority for the entire Nagpur Metropolitan region, NIT's jurisdiction touches all aspects of the city's development.

NIT is the sole authority for land Planning and land Acquisition and is responsible for infrastructure such as roads. streetlights. drainage & sewerage systems and public utilities to meet the diverse needs of the citizens.

Working:

As per the Provisions of Section 27 of the act, NIT is empowered to plan and execute various development schemes. An improvement scheme shall be one of the following types or may combine any two or more of such types, or any of the special features there of, that is to say,

(a) a general improvement scheme;

(b) a re-building scheme;

(c) a re-housing scheme;

(d) a street scheme;

(e) a deferred street scheme;

(f) a development scheme;

(g) a housing accommodation scheme;

[(h) a future expansion or improvement scheme] ;

[(i) a drainage or drainage including sewage disposal scheme.]

Thus the Nagpur Improvement Trust has played a major role in changing the visage of the city. By playing a crucial role in area planning and development. the NIT primarily undertook to plan and execute development of various pockets of the city. It has been a relentless forging ahead on this front single-handedly for the NIT for the past 65 years.

Section 57 of the act provides for the handing over of layouts developed by NIT to NMC for maintenance. Section 57 is reproduced below for quick reference: - 57 Whenever the Trust is satisfied

a) that any street laid out or altered by the Trust has been duly levelled, paved, metalled, flagged, channelled, sewered, and drained in the manner provided in the plans sanctioned by the (State)Government under this act, and

b) that such lamps, lamp-posts, and the other apparatus as the Trust may consider necessary for the lighting of such streets have been so provided, and

c) that water and the other sanitary conveniences ordinarily provided (in the city) have been duly provided in such street.

the Trust may call upon (the Corporation) by a notice in writing, to take over the management of such street within a period specified in the notice, which shall not be less than one month and, on -receiving such a notice (the Corporation) shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (3) by a ,i written notice affixed in some conspicuous place in such street, declare the street to be a public street; and the street shall thereupon vest in (the Corporation) and shall henceforth be maintained, kept in repair, lighted and cleansed by (the Corporation);

2) When any open space for purposes of ventilation or recreation has been provided by the Trust in executing any improvement scheme, it shall on completion, be transferred to (the Corporation) by a resolution of the Trust and shall thereupon vest in, and be maintained at the expenses of (the Corporation); provided that (the Corporation) may require the Trust, before any such open space is so transferred, to enclose, level, drain and layout such space and provide footpaths therein.

3) I f any difference of opinion arises between the Trust and (the Corporation) in respect of any matter referred to in the foregoing provisions of this sections, the matter shall be referred to the (State) Government, whose decision shall be final.

4) The (State) Government may resume the management of any street or open space (..... ) vested in the Trust under clause (b) of sub-section of section 45. The Constitution of NIT As the end result of the sustained endeavour of the NIT is to better the life of the denizens. its Constitution too aims at making it more people-oriented. As per the provisions of the NIT Act. the management and working of NIT has been entrusted to a Board of Trustees. A senior IAS Officer of the rank of Secretary or Commissioner heads the Board as its Chairman. This Chairman is a State-Government appointee.

Other Members of the board are:

1. Commissioner, NMC. Nagpur Ex-officio Member.

2. Deputy Director. Town Planning. Nagpur Division Ex-officio Member.

3. Chairman. Standing Committee. NMC Ex-officio Member.

4. A Corporator elected by NMC.

.5. A member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly who is a resident of Nagpur City.

6. Three members appointed by the State Government.

Thus it can be seen that the provisions ensure that there is adequate participation of people's representatives in the work of the NIT. The Constitution has made the NIT accountable to the public at different levels. The appointment of three NMC members to the Board is yet another progressive step towards this.

Working of NIT :

As per the provisions of the land Acquisition Act, 1894 the acquisition and  disposal of land by agreement or compulsory acquisition is carried out by NIT in the following manner.

NIT outlines schemes and sends the same to the Government for their sanction. On obtaining the required sanction, NIT acquires the land as per the identified areas to execute development work in the layouts as per the scheme chalked out. The plots in the developed layouts are then sold by NIT by auction. Revenue generated through the auctioning of plots in the developed layouts constitutes NIT's major source of funds which are utilised for carrying out various activities.

Part of the acquired land is retained by NIT and developed for public utility, open spaces, civic amenities etc. Public utility land areas are also allotted to public -institutions by NIT on concessional rates thereby contributing to social welfare.

Community Welfare

NIT also distributes significant part of the acquired land to economically weaker sections of society at nominal rates. 20,000 plots have been distributed so far under NIT's scheme of land Distribution for community welfare.

Since its inception, NIT has functioned as the backbone of city planning. Due to the land Planning and Development function effectively carried out by NIT over the past 6 decades, Nagpur has emerged as one of the most well planned cities. Nagpur is probably the only city in India with such well developed layout structure and open spaces.

NIT has also undertaken road widening scheme for the city for which NIT has spent large amount from its own funds for betterment of prime roads such as C.A.Road, Panchpaoli Road [Phase I & II), Ganga Jamuna Road, Itwari Station Road and several other roads passing through remote areas have also been revived under NIT's public oriented schemes.

Overview

NIT has played a major role in expansion and maintaining Nagpur in its past its bad 65+ years of work. However, existence of NIT alongside NMC has been criticized several times as violation of constitution of India. Several Chief Ministers of Maharashtra and former Governor of Maharashtra tried to abolish this agency but did not succeed. The Argument is that the Constitution of India allows only democratically elected bodies to carry out the work of civic administration. Since NIT is not such a body, it has been demanded by several political bodies to abolish the NIT Act of 1936 or to merge NIT with NMC. It has been claimed that due to political reasons state government has failed to take any action till now. However, there are similar organizations like the Mumbai Metropolitan and Area Development Authority (MMRDA), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and several such agencies that are functioning in the country today and the argument of NIT not fulfilling Constitutional Requirements has ot been substantiated in the Courts of Law. NIT has also faced criticism from those farmers which had to hand over their lands as per NIT directives and Urban land ceiling act.

History

Nagpur is an important city in central India and during days of British Raj two separate committees were formed to look after city's development. The Nagpur Municipal Committee was established in 1864. The Civil Station Sub-Committee was established in 1884. In 1928, the Municipal Committee passed a resolution for creating an "Improvement Trust" for Nagpur which was established in 1937 under the Nagpur Improvement Trust Act, 1936. NIT began functioning in 1937 and has collateral jurisdiction over the areas within the limits of the town wherever schemes are prepared by the trust and approved by the government.

After Indian independence, the Town Planning department was established in 1947 under Central Provinces and Berar State Town Planning Expert with head office at Nagpur. The department functioned under the administrative control of the local Self-Government Department. The Central Provinces and Berar Town Planning Act was enacted in 1948 and the Central Provinces and Berar Regulation of Uses of Land Act was also enacted in the same year to provide for the making and execution of town planning schemes and to regulate the development of areas with the object of securing proper sanitary conditions, amenities and convenience to persons living in such areas and in neighboring areas.

Later with creation of Maharashtra, Nagpur became part of Maharashtra state. A new branch office of this department came into existence at Nagpur for the four districts of Nagpur, Chandrapur, Wardha and Bhandara. Nagpur department continued to function along with NMC.

Organization

NIT board members include -

1. A Chairman, who is a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer (currently Shyam Wardhane)
2. Commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation.
3. Deputy Director of Town Planning for Nagpur Division.
4. Chairman of Standing Committee.
5. One Corporator elected by NMC.
6. A member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly who is a resident of Nagpur City.
7. Three members appointed by the State Government of Maharashtra.

Work

Nagpur Improvement Trust has played a major role in transforming Nagpur into a mega city. Its major responsibilities include - housing schemes, rebuilding of certain city pockets, maintaining city streets, drainage and sanitation and city improvement schemes.

NIT act of 1936, allows NIT to acquire land from surrounding rural areas to develop into new urban layouts. Money needed to acquire these lands and develop them is recovered back by the auction to general public when they are ready. Once a new area of the city is developed by NIT it is handed back to NMC for maintenance. NMC then recovers the money in form of various taxes from the residents of which two percent is given back to NIT. NIT in turns has the responsibility to provide drinking water and sewage disposal for these areas. NIT also distributes significant land acquired to weaker sections of the society at considerably lower rates. NIT also undertakes the work of regularization of unauthorized residential zones. NIT is also responsible for maintaining the 8 major gardens and 40 mini gardens in Nagpur. Various lakes and city monuments that come under the jurisdiction of local bodies are maintained by NIT. It has recently started a project to rejuvenate the Futala Lake in city. NIT is also working on rejuvenating the Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis.

In 2007, NIT unveiled the plans for setting up the Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority(NMRDA). NIT was given the status of development authority by the state government and it has identified a total area of 3780 km² for the Greater Nagpur Metropolitan Area excluding the area under NMC limits. The first phase of this Nagpur Metropolitan Region is to cover 1, 520 km² of area. NIT is also planning to build a monorail in Nagpur. Maharashtra Airport Development Company ( MADC ) which is currently building MIHAN in Nagpur has also shown keen interest in the project.