Question

The oldest Town Planning Act in India is -

• A. The Calcutta Improvement Act
• B. The Uttar Pradesh Town Improvement Act
• C. The Madras Town Planning Act
• D. The Bombay Town Planning Act

Hint:

The Calcutta Improvement Act laid the foundation for future urban planning laws in India and focused on controlling urban growth and improving infrastructure.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Town planning legislation rolled out province by province in India, so this comes down to which act came first.
The Uttar Pradesh, Madras, and Bombay acts all followed later, each addressing their own province's urban growth after the fact.
The Calcutta Improvement Act, passed in 1911, is the earliest of these.
So, the correct answer is The Calcutta Improvement Act.

Answer 2

Rather than recalling dates directly, it helps to think of these acts as a timeline of provinces adopting formal urban legislation one after another, starting from the busiest, fastest-growing colonial city:

1. The Bombay Town Planning Act: Part of the wave of provincial planning legislation that followed the earliest such act elsewhere in India.
2. The Madras Town Planning Act: Also part of that later wave, addressing the Madras Presidency's urban needs.
3. The Uttar Pradesh Town Improvement Act: Again part of the later wave of province-specific legislation.
4. The Calcutta Improvement Act: Positioned at the start of this timeline, as the first formal town planning legislation in India, addressing Calcutta's rapid colonial-era growth.

Placing all four acts on a timeline puts the Calcutta legislation first.

Therefore, the correct answer is The Calcutta Improvement Act.