A day before the deadline to submit suggestions and objections on the controversial draft of the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2031, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) had received 8,869 suggestions and objections from the public.
A majority of people (8,031) submitted their responses through hard copies and 838 sent in emails.
The BDA, which will accept responses till January 23, has decided not to extend the deadline as demanded by NGOs and elected representatives.
Last week, members of the Bengaluru Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) requested Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to extend the deadline to submit objections alleging multiple errors in the RMP.
Thippeswamy N.K., town planning member of BDA, said, “We have called for suggestions and objections as per provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961. The Act stipulates that a maximum of 60 days can be given to seek suggestions and complaints, and we have complied with that.”
He added that a review committee has already started processing the responses received so far. “We have been receiving responses from the general public since November 25, and are expecting another 1,000 suggestions or complaints on the last day. The processing of the letters has started. Several NGOs have cited errors in the draft report, which we are rectifying,” he said.
‘Flawed plan’
Though the opportunity to file responses is all but over, citizen activists and urban experts said the very fundamentals of the plan are not in place.
Urban expert R.K. Mishra said the RMP ‘lacks philosophy’ and is ‘a deliberate attempt to create chaos’. He alleged that the RMP 2031 draft was prepared without consultation with stakeholders.
Architect Naresh V. Narasimhan added that the draft masterplan is ‘completely flawed’, and the current plan would make the city unsustainable. The focus should be on creating a plan that would focus on the environment rather than the population. “The plan itself needs to be done from scratch, as it is full of mistakes. For instance, in a small area in Shanthinagar, we found that 15 roads were missing,” he said.
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