Gujarat CM approves 3 town planning schemes for Alang, surrounding villages

The three draft TP schemes were submitted to the state government by the Alang Area Development Authority (AADA) in October, 2020.

The TP schemes cover areas along the National Highway-51 which connects Bhavnagar to coastal Dwarka via Trapaj village near Alang and state highway 37 which connects Alang and Sosiyo villages to Trapaj. These areas are located in the western part of the AADA development plan approved by the state government in 2018. The schemes envisage planned urban development of Alang and other 16 villages spread across 131 square km in Talaja and Ghogha talukas of Bhavnagar.

“The plan is to facilitate development along these highways by providing basic infrastructure through the TP schemes,” Vikas Ratada, the chief executive authority (CEA) of AADA told The Indian Express.

“Unlike conventional TP schemes, the draft TP schemes for Alang focus on commercial and industrial space as they were drafted keeping in mind the ship recycling industry and the plan to develop a new industry of scrapping old vehicles,” Ratada said.

The government approval to the draft TP schemes came amid sluggishness in the ship recycling industry in Alang since 2016-17 as ship-recyclers are finding it hard to sell their scrap to steel re-rolling mills.

“Roads will be developed and upgradation of infrastructural facilities will increase the ease of living of people. A total of 21.14 hectares of land have to be acquired for housing of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) under the three draft TPs … and a total of 18,900 EWS houses can be constructed here,” he said.

Thousands of workers, a large majority of them migrants, engage in the ship recycling and allied industries at Alang. Many of them live in huts in nearby areas. “Through these TP schemes, we shall be able to provide affordable housing as well as recreational space to these labourers by building houses and developing parks and gardens,” the CEA said.

Former AADA chairman and BJP leader Girish Shah welcomed the development.

“The AADA had prepared 8 draft TP schemes when I was its chairman from 2014 to 2020 and three of them were forwarded to the state government. This (the TP schemes) will facilitate faster development of Alang. It will benefit farmers also as the government will spend money on developing basic infrastructure,” he said.

The four TP schemes in Ahmedabad – TP scheme no. 74 (Chandkheda-Zundal), TP Scheme No.123/A (Naroda), TP Scheme No.90 (Vinzol-2) and TP Scheme No. 96/A (Hansol-Asarwa) – will make 83 hectares of land available for construction of 4,350 EWS houses. The seven TP schemes will make 29.31 hectares of land available for gardens, playgrounds and open space and 25.56 hectares for public facilities in Alang and Ahmedabad. They will also make 65.68 hectares of land available for sale for the purpose of generating revenue for meeting the cost of infrastructural facilities, the release said, adding CM Bhupendra Patel has so far approved about 100 TP schemes for “expediting the development of urban areas”.