Development Plans or the Sub Zonal Master Plans for the Municipal Towns

At the time of the 2001 ESZ notification, Mahabaleshwar was being governed by the Final Development Plan of 1985 (which included the Development Control Rules) while Panchgani, was under the governance of the Final Development Plan of 1988.

When the Government of India published the ESZ declaration in 2001, it directed the Government of Maharashtra to create separate Sub Zonal Master Plans for the municipal areas of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani, which are commonly still referred to as Development Plans.

Mahabaleshwar Development Plan

On July 30, 2009, the Government of Maharashtra published the SZMP /Draft Development Plan for Mahabaleshwar, along with its DCRs along with Sector 1 and Sector 2 Plan for public suggestion and objection.

BEAG had been filing suggestions and objections under the MRTP Act during the entire process of the  Mahabaleshwar SZMP Development Plan formulation to ensure that the policies and regulations in the plan were consonant with the ESZ notification.

In accordance with procedures stipulated by the MRTP Act, the Government of Maharashtra sanctioned part of the SZMP /Draft Development Plan for Mahabaleshwar as the Sanctioned Modifications portion of the Plan and published it as the final plan on March 28, 2013. Shortly after, on October 9, 2013, it published the Excluded Part or substantial modifications portion.

On March 1, 2016, the Government of Maharashtra finalized the SZMP / Development Plan for Mahabaleshwar and forwarded it to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for approval, as mandated by the ESZ notification.  The final SZMP Development Plan for Mahabaleshwar will be published by the Government of Maharashtra after it receives the Ministry’s approval.

BEAG continues to follow up with the Government of India, the Government of Maharashtra and the High-Level Monitoring Committee (HLMC) to expedite the finalization of the SZMP for Mahabaleshwar and its subsequent final notification, as mandated by the 2001 ESZ Notification.