VIJAYAWADA: A high-level Andhra Pradesh delegation has completed a two-day study visit to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to examine models of metropolitan governance, land-based financing, transit-oriented development, slum redevelopment and large-scale city building for application to the Vizag Economic Region (VER).
MA&UD Principal Secretary S Suresh Kumar led the delegation, which included senior officials from the MA&UD Department, the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA), the Directorate of Town and Country Planning and the State Project Management Unit. The visit took place on January 12 and 13.
The delegation interacted with senior Maharashtra officials, including Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development) Aseem Kumar Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Ashwini Bhide, MMRDA Metropolitan Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee, CIDCO Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Vijay Singhal, Slum Rehabilitation Authority officials and ISEG Foundation representatives.
Officials studied Mumbai’s approach to financing and governing metropolitan regions through land monetisation, development rights and institutional mechanisms instead of budgetary grants. They examined planning controls at the Bandra-Kurla Complex and reviewed CIDCO and MMRDA’s self-sustaining revenue models.
Based on the findings, the State is finalising a Land Value Capture and Land Monetisation Policy and a new Slum Rehabilitation and Cluster Redevelopment Policy to finance infrastructure and housing and support sustainable growth in the Vizag Economic Region.