JOIN USThe extremely chaotic traffic situation cited strongly by the petitioners to convince the High Court of the drawbacks in CDP 2015 may well be the one that Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) would have to seriously address in future.
While BDA, in its CDP 2015, has provided room for Namma Metro alignment and the Peripheral Ring Road, it has failed to provide a cap on the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) in the ‘mixed zones’. Urban experts believe that while the CDP may have adhered to the norms of providing a plan for the City, it has been unable to prove that the Master Plan may indeed work.
“With the Master Plan providing scope for high FARs in mixed zones, the entire model of public transport seems to be failing. While they build the Metro for those who wish to commute to their workplaces and back, the roads below are as congested as before or even worse due to the high FAR and less parking space,” points out Sanjeev, an urban planning expert.
Despite making a mention of the commuter rail system, the CDP will have no meaning if so many infrastructure policies lead to lack of space on the roads and there are no workable decongestion policies, the experts say. Another major infrastructure project in the pipeline is the High Speed Rail Link (HSRL). Although this proposal to connect the City with the Bengaluru International Airport has been approved by the Cabinet, the CDP 2015 has no mention of it.
“This would mean that HSRL will run through the heart of the City and violate further FAR norms with increased infrastructure activities around the alignment,” he says. Rising multi-transport modalities in a City which has not been able to provide clear zoning regulations can only defeat the purpose of public transport, say the experts. According to them, the existing infrastructure itself needs to be upgraded in accordance with prescribed CDP zoning. “However, little seems to have been thought about in terms of water, road and sanitation before prescribing the mixed zoning norms,” says another expert.
The Thomas Committee report had prescribed that in mainly residential areas, only identified roads should be permitted to have independent buildings for ancillary uses and the FAR on these roads should be identical for both residential and commercial uses. However, it is claimed by those who had filed the PIL disputing the CDP regulations that the FAR has been increased to suit the commercial skyline in these zones.
Residents have also been facing a torrid time with little thought being put into the parking spaces which are needed for vehicles that enter the mixed zones.
The report of the committee of Dr A Ravindra, Advisor to the Chief Minister on Urban Affairs, has been put forth as the possible solution by the High Court to address the increased commercialisation in residential areas. Ravindra says the parking woes and congestion in residential areas have increased due to indiscriminate violations of CDP 2015.
“Unfortunately, CDP 2015 does not clearly define the zonal restrictions in residential areas for commercial activities,” he notes.
Dr A Ravindra,
Advisor to the Chief
Minister on Urban Affairs
Violations have happened under the CDP 2015 with every individual house being converted into a commercial space in residential localities. While the final judgment by the HC is awaited, the interim order may have far reaching implications.
Prakash Mandoth, President, FKCCI
Residential areas should not have any commercial activity or mixed zones. BDA and BBMP can select and develop a few zones into commercial areas which are not far from the residential zones. The move needs to be looked at, studied carefully and improved. Also, there should be no further constructions in the central business district.”