HC: there can be only one development plan

The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday said that there must be one development plan constituted by one planning authority and that there cannot be subsidiary plans. The court was hearing a matter regarding the approval to the Revised Master Plan (RMP)-2031 prepared by the Bangalore Development Authority

A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar was hearing a public interest litigation filed by Namma Bengaluru Foundation and Citizens' Action Forum.

According to the petitioners, the Bangalore Metropolitan Planning Committee (BMPC) is the constitutional body instituted for creating and implementing the master plans. However, the BDA is formulating the master plans and sending them to the state government for approval, bypassing the BMPC.

The bench said that the revised master plan is a violation of Article 243ZE of the Constitution of India that states that "there shall be constituted in every Metropolitan area a Metropolitan Planning Committee to prepare a draft development plan for the Metropolitan area as a whole''.

The bench adjourned the matter to Wednesday.