Bhopal, May 20 (IANS) In a significant development, the Madhya Pradesh Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Metropolitan Region Planning and Development Act, paving the way for developing two major cities – Bhopal and Indore as metropolitan cities.

The proposed Bhopal Metropolitan area will span five districts – Bhopal, Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore and Rajgarh, while, Indore Metropolitan area will cover Indore, Ujjain, Dewas and Dhar districts.

After clearing the proposal, the government will now set up metropolitan planning committees and metropolitan region development authorities in the state, according to the state government.

“These authorities will prepare and implement integrated development plans tailored to the geographic and economic needs of each metropolitan area. This move aims to ensure integrated regional development of urban areas in the state with populations exceeding 10 lakh,” said the Chief Minister.

The metropolitan region development authority will prepare a draft development plan for the designated metropolitan region. Once the draft is approved, the development plan will be implemented by the respective metropolitan region development authority.

The development plan will be tailored to the specific geographic and infrastructural needs of each metropolitan area.

It will encompass sectors such as education, industry, and healthcare, ultimately facilitating employment generation and economic growth in the region.

During the special meeting held at Rajwada Palace in Indore, the Cabinet approved several other key development proposals, including the extension of the Chief Minister Urban Sanitation Mission till the financial year 2028-29.

The Cabinet also approved a revised cost of Rs. 2,195.54 crore for the construction of the Acharya Shankar Museum ‘Advait Lok’ under the Ekatma Dham Project at Omkareshwar.

The funding will cover the development of Advait Lok Museum, Acharya Shankar International Institute of Advaita Vedanta, Advait Nilyam, Project Information Centre, Shankar Setu, and Abhay Ghat.

–IANS

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