The new master plan for Mangalore has recommended widening of some of the main roads in the city, an end to parking of vehicles on roadsides, and building of truck terminals on the outskirts of the city.
Chairman of Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) Mr. B. Madhava Bhandary and its Commissioner Mr. P.G. Ramesh gave the details of the master plan at a press conference here on Thursday.
Mr. Ramesh said that the roads recommended for widening to decongest the city included: Sulthan Battery-Jodupalli-Kudroli-Lower Car Street-Police Station-State Bank Road; Urwa Market-Mannagudda-Chitra Cinema-Car Street-Ganapati High School Road-Hampanakatta; and Bejai Church Road-Shedigudde Market-Hampanakatta-State Bank.
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Mr. Ramesh said that MUDA had recommended widening of 66 roads. They included Woodlands-Balamatta Road, Bunder Road, Hampanakatta-Mangaladevi Road, Mariyamma Temple Road at Urwa, and Mahatma Gandhi Road.
The master plan had decided that the national highways should be 45-m wide. It had reiterated the need for a ring road passing through Kotekar, Deralakatte, Belma, Adyaru, Neerumarga, Mudushedde, Marakada, Kenjaru, Thokuru, Bala, Idya, Surathkal and the Mangala Corniche Road connecting the Netravati bridge to Gurupur Bridge. It had sought laying of four-truck terminals at Kannur, Bajpe, Hosabettu, and Panambur.
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The master plan has provided for regularisation of illegal sites registered prior to the new plan, which became effective from October 1, with a penalty. Mr. Ramesh said that buildings above 18 metres high would be considered multi-storied as against the previous norm of 15 metres. All buildings measuring 75 sq. m and above should provide for parking space of not less than 2.5 m x 5 m. Earlier, the minimum parking area had been fixed at 3 m x 6 m.
He said that the floor area ratio to be allowed in different categories - intensely developed zone, moderately developed, and sparsely developed zone - would range from 1.25:3.25.
He said that MUDA had come out with separate byelaws for integrated townships and group housing schemes. There were separate sets of rules for making sites in converted lands where the minimum width of roads had to be nine metres. The restriction on the maximum area to be occupied by housing sites – which had been fixed at 50 per cent of total area - had been withdrawn. The new rules provided that 10 per cent of the area should be earmarked for parks and 5 per cent for civic amenities. The new rules also allowed construction of staircases in set back area.
Other features included: allowing a maximum of 3 per cent of sites for commercial activities; compulsorily obtaining licences from the Deputy Commissioner to build places of worship; and allowing basements on uneven surfaces.
The plan has projected that Mangalore’s population reach 8.5 lakh in 2011 and 10.75 lakh by 2021. It was 6.46 lakh in 2001.
Norms violation
Mr. Ramesh and Mr. Bhandary expressed helplessness about large-scale violations of building rules in the city, which had resulted in parking of vehicles on roads. “Situation has reached beyond correction,” Mr. Bhandary said. MUDA could only recommend action to Mangalore City Corporation, Mr. Bhandary said. Only media could help if the recommendations were not carried out. He demanded railings on all footpaths but could not say anything when it was pointed out that many roads did not have footpaths at all.