Planning the growth of the city is losing out as multiple agencies spar over who should do it.
While the recently formed Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC), which is now mandated with the planning of the Bangalore Metropolitan Area, is yet to meet, BDA’s move to come up with Master Plan 2031 is being questioned. The BMPC, headed by the chief minister, was formed in September this year. Eighteen members from BBMP and two from panchayats surrounding the city were elected to the body.
The tenure of the 18 representatives from BBMP is concomitant with their term in the civic council. Thus, BMPC will be severely truncated as the term of this council ends in April 2015.
The State government also appointed a three-member panel, headed by former chief secretary B.S. Patil, to look into the division of BBMP in September within three months. This panel is yet to meet. This may lead to a delay in holding polls to the BBMP, as the government wants to decide on the proposal of splitting the civic body, it is feared.
This would mean a dysfunctional BMPC for an extended period of time, which, it is feared, will further delay the process of preparing Master Plan 2031.
Sources say that the BMPC is to first develop a Comprehensive Development Plan for the metropolitan area, following which a Master Plan for Bangalore has to be made. The State government is yet to take a call as to whether BDA would continue to be a local planning authority for the city or will the responsibility be entrusted to BMPC.
As the chief minister heads both BMPC and the BDA, activists say, the confusion reflects badly on the administration.
Meanwhile, BDA has hired a Netherlands-based company Royal Haskoning DHV to prepare Master Plan 2031 and the work is underway. But as activists demanded that planning for the entire Bangalore metropolitan area has to be entrusted to the newly formed BMPC, BDA cancelled Thursday’s public hearing in this regard. This leaves Master Plan 2031 hanging in balance.
BDA officials lose a junket?
Ten BDA officials were to go on a study tour to one city within the country and one non-Asian city to study best planning practices, during the process of preparing Master Plan 2031. Royal Haskoning DHV was to sponsor the trip.
Activists from Environment Support Group (ESG) have now questioned the rationale for the trip and for choosing a non-Asian city to study planning for Bengaluru.
