(1) This Act may be called the West Bengal Metropolitan Planning Short title, Committee Act, 1994. extent and commence- (2) It extends to the whole of West Bengal, except the areas to which ment.
the provisions of the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council Act, 1988, apply.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification, appoint, and different dates may be appointed for different areas.
2. In this Act, unless there is any thing repugnant in the subject or Definitions.
context,—
(a) "Constitution" means the Constitution of India;
(b) "district" means a district of West Bengal;
(c) "Metropolitan area" means an area having a population of ten lakhs ormore, comprised in one or more districts and consisting of two or more Municipalities or Panchayats or other contiguous areas, specified by the Governor by public notification to be a Metropolitan area for the purposes of this Act;
239 The West Bengal Metropolitan Planning Committee Act, 1994.
[West Ben. Act (Chapter IL—Constitution of Metropolitan Planning Committee, its functions and matters related thereto.—Section 3.)
(d) "Municipal area" means the territorial area of a Municipality as is notified by the Governor;
(e) "Municipality" means an institution of self-Government constituted under article 243Q of the Constitution;
(f) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;
(g) "Panchayat" means a Panchayat constituted under article 243B of the Constitution;
(h) "population" means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published;
(i) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act.
CHAPTER II Constitution of Metropolitan Planning Committee, its functions and matters related thereto Metropolitan 3. (1) There shall be constituted in every Metropolitan area a Planning Metropolitan Planning Committee (hereinafter referred to in this Act as Committee. the Committee) consisting of such number of members, including a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson, as the State Government may determine, to prepare a draft development plan for the Metropolitan area as a whole:
Provided that not less than two-thirds of the members of the Committee shall be elected by, and from amongst, the elected members of the Municipalities and Chairpersons of the Panchayats in the Metropolitan area in proportion to the ratio between the population of the Municipalities and of the Panchayats in that area.
(2) The representation in the Committee of the Government of India and the State Government and of such organisations and institutions as may be deemed necessary for carrying out the functions assigned to the Committee shall be such as may be notified by the State Government from time to time.
(3) The Committee shall perform such functions relating to planning and co-ordination for the Metropolitan area as the State Government may, by notification, assign to it.
(4) The Committee shall, in preparing the draft development plan,—
(a) have regard to—
(i) the plans prepared by the Municipalities and the Panchayats in the Metropolitan area;
240 The West Bengal Metropolitan Planning Committee Act, 1994.
XXV. of 1994.]
(Chapter 11.—Constitution of Metropolitan Planning Committee, its functions and matters related thereto.—Sections 4-6.)
(ii) matters of common interest between the Municipalities and the Panchayats, including co-ordinated spatial planning of the area, sharing of water and other physical natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation;
(iii) the overall objectives and priorities set by the Government of India and the State Government;
(iv) the extent and nature of investments likely to be made in the Metropolitan area by agencies of the Government of India and of the State Government and other available resources, whether financial or otherwise;
(b) consult such institutions and organisations as the Governor may, by order, specify.
(5) The Chairpersons of every Committee shall forward the development plan, as recommended by the Committee, to the State Government.