Members and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) demanded that the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) extend the date for submission of suggestions and objections on the draft Master Plan- 2041, till August 31.
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Led by former BJP MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju and MLC P.V.N. Madhav, they staged a dharna near the VMRDA office here on Tuesday. The date for submission expires on July 30.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju said that the VMRDA has finally conceded the demand to upload the plan documents in Telugu. “But it was uploaded in Telugu barely two days ago. The time is short to study such a bulky document that extends over 350 pages. And more importantly, it is also difficult to download such a big document, as it occupies a great deal of memory space. That is why we are demanding that the date be extended till August 31, so that people can download it and study the document, before giving their suggestions and objections,” he said.
Mr. Madhav also pointed out that the Master Plan was drafted without much of a field survey and checking the physical conditions. It appears like a greenfield master plan, where the existing contours, geographical features, buildings, roads and physical conditions in existence, have not been considered, he said.
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Pointing out a few discrepancies, Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju said that the existing road from Hanumanthawaka to beach via Visalakshminagar is around 20 metres. But in the master plan, it has been extended to 60 metres. Similarly, the existing Sampath Vinayaka Temple road is around 26 metres and in the master plan it has been shown as 45 metres.
“If the existing roads are extended in such a manner, many residential and commercial complexes have to be fully or partially demolished, which is not practical. This clearly indicates that adequate field survey has not been done,” he said.
Mr. Madhav pointed out that the roads in the new plan runs through layouts and even run parallel to the existing roads, which is not necessary.
The MLC said out that there is no clarity in the zoning aspect and this is confusing the public.
Apart from demanding an extension in the date, the BJP leaders also said that road width and designs needs a relook.
“We also demand that the VMRDA should initiate a discussion with all the stakeholders and public and as well as come clear on how and to what extent the earlier Master Plan -2020 was implemented. We also demand that the VMRDA come clear on funding such an elaborate plan and how it intends to complete the project, when on one hand the State government does not have funds even to repair the potholes on the roads,” said Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju.
He said that the draft plan does not give a clear picture on the compensation to be paid to those who might lose whole or part of the buildings or land. “Whether it is going to be land-to-land or cash payment against land, should be indicated. If it is land-to-land, then they should specify, where the land will be given,” said Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju.