Maharashtra Government to Map Rapidly Expanding Villages Near Urban Centers
Mumbai, 4th March 2025: The Maharashtra government has tasked a seven-member committee, led by the Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue), with identifying and mapping villages on the outskirts of urban areas that are witnessing uncontrolled growth. District collectors across the state have been instructed to submit their findings by the end of March, an official from the Urban Development Department confirmed.
This initiative is aimed at bringing order to peri-urban regions, which are currently expanding without proper oversight or governance. “The committee was formed to track and regulate unplanned development near cities. In its first meeting, it directed all district collectors to provide detailed data on such areas in their respective regions,” said an official who attended the discussions.
The committee has been given a two-month timeframe to submit its recommendations and is expected to identify around 100 rapidly growing urban centers that need structured planning. “The focus is to regulate these areas by bringing them under proper civic administration, ensuring essential services and preventing chaotic development,” the official added.
A significant concern for the government is the presence of ‘hung’ areas—settlements with populations between 10,000 and 25,000 that do not fall under any municipal jurisdiction. “These regions struggle with accessing basic civic amenities due to their undefined administrative status. The committee will propose ways to integrate them into the urban planning framework,” said a committee member.
With urban sprawl becoming a pressing challenge, the government’s initiative aims to ensure planned and sustainable development in these fast-growing areas.
