Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Development) Act, 1979

No: 13 Dated: Jun, 11 1979

THE WEST BENGAL TOWN AND COUNTRY (PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT) ACT, 1979

West Bengal Act XIII of 1979

    An Act to provide for the planned development of rural and urban areas in West Bengal and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

    WHEREAS it is expedient in the public interest to provide for the planned development of rural and urban areas in West Bengal and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto;

    It is hereby enacted in the Thirtieth Year of the Republic of India, by the Legislature of West Bengal, as follows:—

CHAPTER I

Preliminary

1. Short title, extent and commencement:- (1) This Act may be called the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Development) Act, 1979.

(2) It extends to the whole of West Bengal, excluding any area to

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint and different dates may be appointed for different areas.

2. Definitions:- In this Act, unless there is anything repugnant in the subject or context,—

(1) "agriculture" includes horticulture, farming, growing of crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, grass, fodder and trees, or any kind of cultivation of soil, breeding and keeping of live-stock including cattle, horses, donkeys, mules, pigs and poultry, and the use of land which is ancillary to the farming of land or any other agricultural purposes, but shall include the use of any land attached to a building for the purpose of a garden to be used along with such building; and the expression "agricultural" shall be construed accordingly; 

(2) "amenities" includes roads and streets, open spaces, parks, recreational grounds, playgrounds, water and electric supply, street lighting, sewerage, drainage, public works and other utilities, services and conveniences;

(3) "building operations" includes—

(a) erection or re-erection of a building or any part of it,

(b) roofing or re-roofing a building or any part of a building or an open space,

(c) any material alteration or enlargement of any building,

(d) any alteration of a building as is likely to affect an alteration of its drainage or sanitary arrangements or materially affect its structural stability, and

(e) the construction of a door opening on any street or land not belonging to the owner of a building;

(4) "Calcutta Metropolitan Area" means the Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Area as referred to in section 16 of this Act;

(5) "commerce" means the carrying on of any trade, business or profession, sale or exchange of goods of any type whatsoever, and includes the running of, with a view to making profit, hospitals, nursing homes, infirmaries, educational institutions as also hotels, restaurants, boarding houses not attached to any educational institution and sarais; and the expression "commercial" shall be construed accordingly;

(6) "commercial use" means the use of any land or building or part thereof for purposes of commerce or for storage of goods or as an office, whether attached to any industry or otherwise;

(7) "development" with its grammatical variations means the carrying out of building, engineering, mining or other operations, in, on, over, or under land or the making of any material change in any building or land or in the use of any building or land and includes division of any land;

(8) "Development Authority" means a Development Authority constituted under this Act and includes the Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority as referred to in section 17 of this Act;

(9) "Development Plan" means any Outline Development Plan or Detailed Development Plan prepared under this Act;

(10) "industry" includes the carrying on of any manufacturing process as defined in the Factories Act, 1948, and the expression "industrial" shall be construed accordingly;

(11) "industrial use" includes the use of any land or building or part thereof for purposes of industry;

(12) "land" shall have the same meaning as in the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 and shall include land covered by water;

(13) "local authority" means a municipal corporation or committee or a board or any other authority legally entitled to, or entrusted by the State Government with, the control or management of a municipal or local fund or which is permitted by the State Government to exercise the powers of a local authority and includes a Zilla Parishad, a Panchayat Samity and a Grant Panchayat constituted under the West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973.

Explanation.—The expression "local authority concerned" shall mean that authority if any land within its local limits falls in the area of a plan prepared or to be prepared under this Act;

(14) "local newspaper" in relation to a Planning Area means any newspaper published or circulated within the Planning Area;

(15) "notification" means a notification published in the Official Gazette;

(16) "occupier" includes—

(a) a tenant,

(b) an owner in occupation of or otherwise using his land,

(c) a licensee in occupation of any land, and

(d) any person who is liable to pay to the owner damages for the use and occupation of any land;

(17) "operational construction" means any construction, whether temporary or permanent, which is necessary for the operation, maintenance, development or execution of any of the following services:—

(i) railways,

(ii) national highways,

(iii) national waterways,

(iv) major ports,

(v) airways and aerodromes,

(vi) posts and telegraphs, telephones, wireless, broadcasting and other like forms of communication,

(vii) regional grid for electricity,

(viii) any other service which the State Goverment may, if it is of opinion that the operation, maintenance, development or execution of such other service is essential to the life of the community, by notification, declare to be a service for the purposes of this clause.

Explanation.—For the removal of doubts, it is hereby declared that the construction of—

(i) new residential buildings not connected with operations like gate lodges, hospitals, clubs, institutions, schools, railway colony roads, drains, etc., in the case of railways, and

(ii) a new building, new structure or new installation or any extension thereof, in the case of any other service,

shall not be deemed to be construction within the meaning of this clause;

(18) "owner" includes d mortgagee in possession, a person who for the time being is receiving, or is entitled to receive, or has received, the rent or premium for any land whether on his own account or on account of, or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any other person or as an agent, trustee, guardian or receiver for any other person or for any religious or charitable institution or who would so receive the rent or premium or be entitled to receive the rent or premium if the land were let to a tenant; and also includes the Head of a Department or an Undertaking of the Central or a State Government, the General Manager of a Railway, the Secretary or other principal officer of a local authority, statutory authority or company in respect of properties under their respective control;

(19) "Planning Area" means any area declared to be a Planning Area under this Act and includes Calcutta Metropolitan Area;

(20) "Planning Authority" means any Planning Authority constituted under this Act;

(21) "prescribed" means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(22) "public place" means any place or building which is open to the use or enjoyment of the public whether it is actually used or enjoyed by the public or not and whether the entry is regulated by any charge or not;

(23) "regulation" means a regulation made under this Act;

(24) "residence" means the use for human habitation of any land or building or part thereof including gardens, grounds, garages, stables and out-houses, if any, appertaining to such building; and the expression "residential" shall be construed accordingly.