The Puducherry District Planning Committee Act, 1994

(1) This Act may be called the Puducherry District Planning Committee Act, 1994.

(2) It extends to the whole of the Union territory of Puducherry.

(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, –

(1) "Committee" means the District Planning Committee constituted under section 3;

(2) "District" means a revenue district;

(3) "Government" means the Government of Puducherry;

(4) "Union territory" means the Union territory of Puducherry;

(5) words and expressions used herein and not defined but defined in the Puducherry Municipalities Act, 1973 or, as the case may be, the Puducherry Village and Commune Panchayats Act, 1973 shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in those Acts.

(1) The Government shall constitute in every district, a District Planning Committee to consolidate the plans prepared by the Village Panchayats, Commune Panchayat Councils and the Municipal Councils and to prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole.

(2) (a) The committee shall consist of not more that fifteen members representing the following, namely: --

(i) such number of persons, not less than four-fifth as may be specified by the Government, elected in the prescribed manner from amongst, the elected members of Commune Panchayats and the Municipal Councils in the district in proportion to the ratio between the population of the rural areas and of the urban areas in the district;

(ii) Secretary to Government in-charge of the work relating to local self-Government.

(iii) the Director, Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry;

(iv) the District Collector concerned, ex-officio.

(b) The following persons shall be permanent special invitees of the committee: --

(i) the Member of the House of the People who represents the Union territory of Puducherry.

(ii) the Member of the Council of States whose name is registered as an elector in the Union territory of Puducherry.

(iii) not more than four members of the Legislative Assembly whose constituencies lie within Puducherry district and not more than two members of the Legislative Assembly whose constituencies lie within Karaikal district, as nominated, from time to time by the Speaker:

Provided that where a Member of Parliament or a Member of the Legislative Assembly of the Union territory is appointed as Minister or elected as Speaker or Deputy Speaker or appointed as the Government Chief Whip or a recognised Leader of the Opposition, he may nominate a person from the area he represents as member to represent him in the committee of the district to which he was a permanent invitee;

(iv) the Chairpersons of the Commune Panchayat Councils in the district;

(v) the Chairpersons of the Municipal Councils in the district;

(vi) the Secretary to Government in-charge of the work relating to finance;

(vii) the Secretary to Government in-charge of the work relating to planning;

(viii) such number of persons having special knowledge and experience in matters relating to local self-Government, administration, planning and other allied subjects, as nominated by the Government.

(c) The permanent special invitees referred to in clause (b) shall be entitled to take part in the proceedings of the meetings of the committee.

(3) The Chief Minister of the Union territory of Puducherry shall be the ex-officio Chairperson of the every District Planning Committee.

(4) The Director, Local Administration Department, Government of Puducherry shall be the Secretary to every District Planning Committee.

(1) The District Planning Committee shall ––

(i) consolidate the plans prepared by the commune panchayat councils and municipal councils in the district and prepare a draft development plan for the district as a whole;

(ii) in preparing the draft development plan, ––

(a) have regard to, ––

(i) matters of common interest between the panchayats and municipal councils including co-ordinated spatial planning of the district, sharing of water and other physical and natural resources, the integrated development of infrastructure and environmental conservation;

(ii) the overall objectives and priorities fixed by the Government;

(iii) the extent and type of available resources, whether financial or otherwise; and

(b) consult such institutions and organisations as the Government may, by order, specify.

(2) The Chairperson of the District Planning Committee shall forward the development plans, as recommended by such Committee, to the Government.

(1) Every village panchayat shall prepare every year a development plan and submit it to the commune panchayat council before such date and in such manner as may be prescribed.

(2) Every commune panchayat council shall prepare every year a development plan of the commune panchayat after including the development plans of the village panchayats and submit it to the District Planning Committee before such date and in such form as may be prescribed.

(3) Every municipal council shall prepare every year a development plan of the municipality and submit it to the District Planning Committee before such date and in such form as may be prescribed.

(1) The Committee shall continue for a term of five years from the date of its Constitution, but the members shall hold office during the pleasure of the Government.

(2) A person shall cease to be a member of the Committee if he no longer holds office by virtue of which he is a member of the Committee.

The procedure for the transaction of business at the meetings of the Committee shall be such as may be prescribed.

(1) Without prejudice to any power to make rules contained elsewhere in this Act, the Government may, by notification, make rules to carry out all or any of the purposes of this Act.

(2) Every rule made under this Act, shall, as soon as may be after it is made, be laid before the Legislative Assembly of Puducherry while it is in session for a total period of fourteen days which may be comprised in one session or in two or more successive sessions and if before the expiry of the session in which it is so laid or the sessions aforesaid, the Assembly makes any modification in the rule or decides that the rule should not be made, the rule shall thereafter have effect only in such modified form or be of no effect, as the case may be, so, however that any such modification or annulment shall be without prejudice to the validity of anything previously done under that rule.