A sub-committee of the Joint Town Planning Committee (JTPC) will meet on April 28 to approve about 500-odd suggestions from the public on the draft of the master plan for Kozhikode Urban Area 2035.
Final touches are being given to the master plan after dropping proposals such as the construction of a stadium at Vengeri at a 40-acre land, the expansion of the solid waste management plant with a buffer zone at Njeliyanparamba and the setting up of an advanced slaughterhouse at the thickly populated Kothi.
The proposals were excluded in the wake of protests from people in the region. About 20 families at Vengeri and Malikkadavu will be uprooted if the stadium is constructed. Residents of Mukhadar and the Nainamvalappu Football Fans Association have protested against the new slaughter house in their locality.
Regional Town Planner K.V. Abdul Malik, who is also the secretary of the JTPC, said that maps of the master plan had to be modified in accordance with the amendments being made. A two-month statutory procedure had been given for the citizens to give their suggestions.
The master plan was prepared for the Kozhikode Corporation, Feroke and Ramanattukara municipalities, and Olavanna and Kadalundi grama panchayats. Till now, the local bodies depended on the master plan prepared by the Calicut Development Authority in 1980. “After the JTPC approves the master plan it will be submitted to the State government for publication in the gazette,” he added.
Claims for regularisation of landfilled paddy fields and wetlands in the areas coming under the master plan for Kozhikode urban area were one of the biggest issues confronting the authorities. Majority of the claims were fake. A probe carried out by the JTPC had revealed attempts by wetland owners to landfill their plots. As many as 300 complaints were received about the origin of sites in the limits of Kozhikode city corporation and other municipalities.
The master plan has been designed taking into consideration the rocketing land values and unavailability of land for public purposes, unplanned development of urban fringe areas and sprawling residential development. Three special economic zones have been identified at Beypore, landward side of the Kozhikode beach, and Olavanna industrial centre. Five dedicated high-speed bus routes have been planned to connect the city with its suburbs.
