<p>An updated master plan laying out a detailed blueprint for the city is unlikely to be ready anytime soon. </p>.<p>No bidders have participated in the tenders called by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to prepare the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2041. In the absence of such an important vision document, authorities are relying on a 15-year-old plan to clear building approvals. </p>.<p>It’s learnt that the BDA made it mandatory for companies to participate in the bids without entering into a joint agreement with other firms. As no companies have the past experience of solely preparing a city plan that comprises a wide range of topics such as water, mobility, geotechnical issues, the tenders received no response, sources said. </p>.<p>BDA Commissioner M B Rajesh Gowda said the authority would tweak the tender conditions to attract more players. “We will review the conditions after consulting companies during the next pre-bid meeting,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/plan-infra-for-50-years-not-five-1094694.html" target="_blank">Plan infra for 50 years, not five</a></strong></p>.<p>In December last year, the BDA had invited tenders for the selection of consultants to prepare the RMP 2041 for the Bengaluru Local Planning Area of 1,314 square kilometres. The bids were floated more than a year after the state government scrapped RMP 2031 without citing clear reasons. The BDA had spent close to three years preparing and finalising the now-scrapped vision document.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>‘Catastrophic impact’ </strong></p>.<p>Urban planners believe that the delay in preparing the city plan will have a catastrophic impact. “We are a fast-growing city. The city is undergoing so many changes as we speak. Unless we have a planning tool to steer the growth, the situation will be catastrophic,” a professional planner said.</p>.<p>She cited instances of layouts and buildings coming up in the catchment areas of the lake in the peripheral areas as approvals have been given based on an outdated RMP 2015.</p>.<p>Urbanist Vivek Vaidyanathan said the master plan is a great opportunity to integrate transport and land-use planning. “It also provides insights on what is happening to the city and uses this data to develop strategies to plan the city better. The updated master plan is also an important tool to reduce carbon footprints. Broadly, the quality of life, too, is hit if the city is not planned well,” he said.</p>.<p>“The extended absence of a master plan for Bengaluru means more outward sprawl, more congestion, persisting air pollution, greater health hazards and greater unsustainable consumption of water, among other problems,” said Dr Champaka Rajagopal, urban planner and faculty, Azim Premji University.</p>.<p>“The city urgently needs political commitment to building a shared vision among diverse stakeholders.”</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>An updated master plan laying out a detailed blueprint for the city is unlikely to be ready anytime soon. </p>.<p>No bidders have participated in the tenders called by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to prepare the Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2041. In the absence of such an important vision document, authorities are relying on a 15-year-old plan to clear building approvals. </p>.<p>It’s learnt that the BDA made it mandatory for companies to participate in the bids without entering into a joint agreement with other firms. As no companies have the past experience of solely preparing a city plan that comprises a wide range of topics such as water, mobility, geotechnical issues, the tenders received no response, sources said. </p>.<p>BDA Commissioner M B Rajesh Gowda said the authority would tweak the tender conditions to attract more players. “We will review the conditions after consulting companies during the next pre-bid meeting,” he said.</p>.<p><strong>Also Read — <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/city/plan-infra-for-50-years-not-five-1094694.html" target="_blank">Plan infra for 50 years, not five</a></strong></p>.<p>In December last year, the BDA had invited tenders for the selection of consultants to prepare the RMP 2041 for the Bengaluru Local Planning Area of 1,314 square kilometres. The bids were floated more than a year after the state government scrapped RMP 2031 without citing clear reasons. The BDA had spent close to three years preparing and finalising the now-scrapped vision document.</p>.<p class="CrossHead"><strong>‘Catastrophic impact’ </strong></p>.<p>Urban planners believe that the delay in preparing the city plan will have a catastrophic impact. “We are a fast-growing city. The city is undergoing so many changes as we speak. Unless we have a planning tool to steer the growth, the situation will be catastrophic,” a professional planner said.</p>.<p>She cited instances of layouts and buildings coming up in the catchment areas of the lake in the peripheral areas as approvals have been given based on an outdated RMP 2015.</p>.<p>Urbanist Vivek Vaidyanathan said the master plan is a great opportunity to integrate transport and land-use planning. “It also provides insights on what is happening to the city and uses this data to develop strategies to plan the city better. The updated master plan is also an important tool to reduce carbon footprints. Broadly, the quality of life, too, is hit if the city is not planned well,” he said.</p>.<p>“The extended absence of a master plan for Bengaluru means more outward sprawl, more congestion, persisting air pollution, greater health hazards and greater unsustainable consumption of water, among other problems,” said Dr Champaka Rajagopal, urban planner and faculty, Azim Premji University.</p>.<p>“The city urgently needs political commitment to building a shared vision among diverse stakeholders.”</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
