14 Acts & Rules · 14.1 MRTP Act 1966: framework
14.1.1 Evolution of town planning law in Maharashtra: Bombay TP Acts 1915 and 1954 to the MRTP Act 1966
Town planning law in Maharashtra grew in three steps: the Bombay Town Planning Act 1915 introduced town planning schemes, the 1954 Act made a Development Plan for the whole town compulsory, and the MRTP Act 1966 added regional plans, new towns and land acquisition for plans, replacing the 1954 Act.
- MPSC ATP
- Standard level
- 8 min read
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Core facts
- Bombay Town Planning Act, 1915: the first town planning law in India.
- Provided only for Town Planning Schemes (TPS) for parts of a town.
- Bombay Town Planning Act, 1954 (Bom. XXVII of 1955):
- Made it obligatory for a local authority to prepare a Development Plan for its whole area.
- TPSs became the tools to carry out the Development Plan.
- Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966 (Mah. Act No. XXXVII of 1966):
- President's assent: 13 December 1966; published in the Gazette on 20 December 1966.
- Came into force: 11 January 1967.
- Extends to the whole State of Maharashtra (s.1(2)).
- Repealed the Bombay TP Act 1954 and ss.219 to 226A of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act, 1961 (s.165(1)).
- New in 1966: Regions and Regional Planning Boards, Regional Plans, New Town Development Authorities, and compulsory acquisition of land for plans.
- Chapter VI-A (development charge): inserted by Mah. 16 of 1992, in force 10 August 1992.
Explained
Chronology of key laws
| Year | Law | Main contribution |
|---|---|---|
| 1888 | Mumbai (Bombay) Municipal Corporation Act | Municipal government for Bombay city |
| 1898 | City of Bombay Improvement Act (Improvement Trust) | Slum clearance and new streets after the 1896 plague |
| 1915 | Bombay Town Planning Act | Town Planning Schemes (first in India) |
| 1949 | Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporations Act | Corporations for other big cities |
| 1954 | Bombay Town Planning Act | Compulsory Development Plan for the whole area |
| 1966 | MRTP Act | Regional plans, DPs, TPSs, new towns, acquisition |
Order to remember: 1888 → 1915 → 1949 → 1954 → 1966.
What the 1915 Act did
- A local authority could make a scheme for land in course of development.
- Plots were pooled and reconstituted into regular final plots with roads and open spaces.
- An Arbitrator decided final plots, valuations and contributions.
- The cost was recovered from owners as a share of the increment (rise in land value).
- Weakness: schemes covered only small pieces. There was no plan for the whole town to tie them together.
What the 1954 Act added
- A Development Plan for the entire local authority area: land use zoning, roads, and sites reserved for public purposes.
- Town Planning Schemes now had to fit the Development Plan.
- It still had no regional level and no special body for new towns.
Why the MRTP Act 1966
- Maharashtra was formed on 1 May 1960 from regions that had grown up under different laws (the old Bombay Province, Marathwada from Hyderabad State, and Vidarbha from the Central Provinces and Berar). A single state-wide planning law was needed.
- Urban growth spread beyond municipal limits, so regional planning was needed.
- Large new urban centres (such as a twin city for Bombay) needed New Town Development Authorities.
- Land for plan reservations had to be acquired in a clear way (Chapter VII).
The Preamble's objects (four main ones)
- Planning the development and use of land in Regions, and constituting Regional Planning Boards.
- Better provision for Development Plans, so that town planning schemes are made properly and executed effectively.
- Creating new towns through Development Authorities.
- Compulsory acquisition of land required for public purposes in respect of the plans.
Common traps
- ✗ "The first Bombay Town Planning Act was 1954." ✓ It was 1915. The 1954 Act was the second.
- ✗ "The 1915 Act required a Development Plan for the whole town." ✓ The 1915 Act had only TPSs; the 1954 Act made the DP obligatory.
- ✗ "The MRTP Act came into force on 1 May 1960." ✓ 11 January 1967. 1 May 1960 is the formation of Maharashtra.
- ✗ "Regional Planning Boards existed under the 1954 Act." ✓ They came with the MRTP Act 1966.
- ✗ "The MRTP Act is Mah. Act XXXVII of 1967." ✓ It is Mah. Act No. XXXVII of 1966.
- ✗ "The development charge chapter was part of the original 1966 Act." ✓ Chapter VI-A was inserted in 1992 (in force 10 August 1992).
Quick revision
- 1915: Bombay TP Act, first in India; TPS only.
- 1954: Bombay TP Act; DP compulsory for the whole area.
- 1966: MRTP Act, Mah. XXXVII of 1966.
- Assent 13 Dec 1966; in force 11 Jan 1967.
- Extends to the whole State (s.1(2)).
- s.165: repealed the 1954 Act and ZP Act ss.219–226A.
- New in 1966: regions, Regional Boards, regional plans, new towns, acquisition.
- Chapter VI-A development charge: 10 Aug 1992.
- Chronology: 1888 → 1915 → 1949 → 1954 → 1966.
- UDCPR sanctioned 2 Dec 2020 under ss.37(1AA)(c) and 20(4).
Go deeper: Deeper, Mains writing (beyond what MPSC ATP usually asks)
Deeper Advanced
- Continuity through s.165. Anything done under the 1954 Act (declarations, draft and sanctioned plans and schemes, commencement certificates, purchase notices, appointments of Town Planning Officers) is deemed done under the corresponding provisions of the MRTP Act (s.165(2)). Appeals pending before the Board of Appeal under the 1954 Act moved to the Tribunal of Appeal under the MRTP Act (s.165(3)). Earlier DPs are saved by ss.35–36.
- Major amendments up to 2011 (as listed in the 2011 official text):
| Amendment | Change |
|---|---|
| Mah. 47 of 1974 | s.159A and the Schedule on New Town Development Authorities and Special Planning Authorities |
| Mah. 16 of 1992 | Chapter VI-A: development charge (from 10 Aug 1992) |
| Mah. 10 of 1994 | "Development right" and TDR, s.2(9A) (deemed from 25 Mar 1991) |
| Mah. 39 of 1994 | FSI, heritage building and heritage precinct definitions, ss.2(13A)–(13C) |
| Mah. 5 of 1996 | Slum Rehabilitation Authority included as a Planning Authority, s.2(19) |
| Mah. 22 of 2005 | Special Township Projects (renamed Integrated Township Projects in 2015); special development control regulations |
| Mah. 25 of 2009 | Chapter III-A: Area Development Authority |
- Major amendments after 2011 (official text as on 28 July 2026):
| Amendment | Change |
|---|---|
| Mah. 5 and 38 of 2014 (w.e.f. 4 Oct 2013) | Tighter DP time limits (ss.21–31); s.148A exclusion of time for court orders |
| Mah. 43 of 2014 (w.e.f. 22 Apr 2015) | Integrated Township Project, s.2(13D); s.37 one-year lapse; s.37A 45 days; s.156 gaothan/Gunthewari proviso; s.159(2) Special DCRs |
| Mah. 42 of 2015 (w.e.f. 29 Aug 2015) | Acquisition under the RFCTLARR Act, 2013; s.127 period 24 months |
| Mah. 32 of 2017 | Compounded structures (ss.2(5A), 52A); s.142 proviso |
| Mah. 29 of 2024 | ss.30–31: twelve months; DP deemed-sanction provisos deleted |
| Mah. 44 of 2025 | Local Area plan (ss.33A–33D), Structure plan (Ch. III-B, ss.42H–42O), TP scheme and development charge changes |
- UDCPR link. The Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations were sanctioned on 2 December 2020 under ss.37(1AA)(c) and 20(4) of the MRTP Act, with directives under s.154. They apply to most Planning Authorities and Regional Plan areas, except Greater Mumbai and certain other bodies.
Mains writing Mains writing
- Frame: Maharashtra's law moved from piecemeal schemes (1915) to whole-town plans (1954) to a regional, multi-level system (1966). This sequence is a model for other states.
- Analysis points:
- TPS gave a tool for land pooling without full acquisition.
- DP gave a city-wide land-use and reservation framework.
- The MRTP Act linked regions, towns and schemes, and added new towns and development charges.
- Weaknesses: delayed DPs, unacquired reservations, frequent amendments.
- Way forward: time-bound plan preparation, faster TPS and land pooling, financing reservations through TDR and development charges, and regular consolidation of the Act.
- Example: a city that implements its DP mainly through TPSs needs little cash for land acquisition, because roads and amenity plots come from pooled land.
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