Ahmedabad/Gandhinagar: Keeping in mind the planning for Olympics-2036, the Gujarat government is preparing an ambitious plan to bring the urban areas of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar under a single administrative structure. Under this plan, a single joint urban authority will be formed by merging AUDA and GUDA, for which the exercise of preparing a new Development Plan-2041 (DP-2041) has been started.

The main features of this mega merger are as follows:

Major increase in area: At present, the area of the urban development authorities of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts is approximately 2,600 square kilometers, which is planned to be increased to 5,000 to 6,000 square kilometers under the new plan.

Administration under a single umbrella: This new authority will bring together two municipal corporations, two authorities and five municipalities. This will bring uniformity in town planning schemes, FSI and zoning laws.

Metropolitan Region Model: On the same lines as MMRDA functions in Mumbai, this joint authority will handle the development, pollution control and waste management of the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar region.

Integration of transport services: The operation of local transport services such as BRTS, Metro and City Bus under a single umbrella will provide better facilities to citizens.

Inclusion of new areas: In addition to industrial areas such as Kalol, Dahegam, Sanand, Bavla, Chhatral and Changodar, this plan also proposes to provide uniform infrastructure in Mehmedabad and OG areas of Kheda district.

Population burden: According to the latest census, 25% of Gujarat’s total population is likely to reside in this conurbation in the near future.

With this planning, firm steps are being taken by policymakers to maintain the modern facilities and economic dynamism required for world-class events.