<p>Bengaluru is perhaps the only capital city in India without a working Master Plan. A Master Plan is a statutory framework that regulates the development of buildings, roads, and infrastructure, shaping the future growth of a city.</p>.<p>The last Master Plan, created in 2005, has not been updated for eight years, leading to a chaotic development pattern with unplanned land use changes associated with high-density development, especially on the outskirts (Conurbation limits). Although the Revised Master Plan 2031 was prepared by BDA in 2015 and underwent the requisite public participation (with 14,000 objections), it was later cancelled in 2022. As a consequence, all the maps and documents related to the Revised Master Plan 2031 were removed from BDA’s website.</p>.<p>The new government aims to prepare a fresh Revised Master Plan (RMP), but it is expected to take at least 2 to 3 years, as the base-map preparation alone requires at least a year’s time. The RMP should incorporate a new planning approach that develops ward-level action plans in alignment with the 74th Amendment to the Constitution, integrating ward-level infrastructure with the city level. These ward-level action plans should be reviewed and revised every 2.5 years.</p>.<p>An efficient and experienced Town Planning Officer in BDA is essential to guiding the Master Plan’s preparation within the specified timeframe. Additionally, the regulations for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) being drafted by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) need to be aligned with the new RMP. However, the absence of an RMP has resulted in several ad hoc proposals, such as elevated roads and tunnel roads, which may have detrimental effects on Bengaluru’s long-term prospects.</p>.<p>The city’s traffic congestion is primarily caused by its heavy reliance on private transport. Even with the full completion and operation of Metro Rail Phases II and III and doubling the BMTC bus fleet to 13,000 buses (from the existing 6,767), the share of public transport may drop to 30% by 2031 from the current 40%. To address this, the government needs to improve the public transport infrastructure, Multi-modal/Parking facilities, and create more dedicated bus lanes or elevated bus lanes (as an alternative to “all Vehicle elevated roads or flyovers) well in advance.</p>.<p>While Bengaluru is distinct from cities like Singapore and London in terms of geography and development, valuable insights on “Sustainable Transport Solutions” can be learned from these two urban centres. Proposals like tunnel roads should be considered as a last resort for any city, with a careful evaluation based on route planning and traffic studies. For instance, there already exists a 6-lane road from Hebbal to the international airport, and BMRCL’s Line-3 between Sarjapur and Hebbal is approved, making the envisaged Tunnel roads in these two alignments less appealing. Instead, the BDA/BBMP should prepare “Rejuvenation Plans” for densely populated inner-city areas like Chickpet, Cottonpet, Shivajinagar, Gowripalya, etc., and explore the need for tunnel roads based on thorough study reports.</p>.<p>Rather than tunnel roads, Bengaluru should consider planning “infrastructure-carrying tunnels” to eliminate the constant road digging by various infrastructure agencies and facilitate the operation and maintenance of existing and future infrastructure, including cables, gas pipelines, district cooling systems (AC), water supply, and sewerage networks.</p>.<p>The 2005 Master Plan led to the elimination of the Green Belt, which was reduced from 830 sq km in 1984 to Zero Acreage by 2005. The loss of the Green Belt, the emergence of 8,647 acres of unauthorised colonies and 500 slums, and the high density of 559 urban villages have contributed to urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and the issue of flooding.</p>.<p>Given the current context, it is challenging to find land for Satellite towns. Even KIADB is left with only a few hundred acres in Bengaluru! In 2021, the central government invited state governments to bid for Rs 1000 crore (each) in central funding (under the 15th Finance Commission) for incubating new towns (Satellite Towns). For reasons unknown, Karnataka did not bid for it. Of the other states that bid for the same, nine states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were selected to receive the requisite funding.</p>.<p>However, two decades ago, NICE Ltd proposed building satellite or self-sustained mixed land-use townships adjacent to its proposed expressway at Bidadi, Ramanagaram, and Channapatna and had already notified the lands for acquisition. With the Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway now functional, it is prudent for the government to advice NICE Ltd to develop Satellite towns and Self-sustained townships in the notified lands, decentralising Bengaluru.</p>.<p>In view of the regional imbalance in Karnataka, it is crucial to evolve an “Urbanisation policy” and “New Township Policy” to alleviate the burden on Bengaluru. </p>.<p>(The writer was a Member of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission)</p>
<p>Bengaluru is perhaps the only capital city in India without a working Master Plan. A Master Plan is a statutory framework that regulates the development of buildings, roads, and infrastructure, shaping the future growth of a city.</p>.<p>The last Master Plan, created in 2005, has not been updated for eight years, leading to a chaotic development pattern with unplanned land use changes associated with high-density development, especially on the outskirts (Conurbation limits). Although the Revised Master Plan 2031 was prepared by BDA in 2015 and underwent the requisite public participation (with 14,000 objections), it was later cancelled in 2022. As a consequence, all the maps and documents related to the Revised Master Plan 2031 were removed from BDA’s website.</p>.<p>The new government aims to prepare a fresh Revised Master Plan (RMP), but it is expected to take at least 2 to 3 years, as the base-map preparation alone requires at least a year’s time. The RMP should incorporate a new planning approach that develops ward-level action plans in alignment with the 74th Amendment to the Constitution, integrating ward-level infrastructure with the city level. These ward-level action plans should be reviewed and revised every 2.5 years.</p>.<p>An efficient and experienced Town Planning Officer in BDA is essential to guiding the Master Plan’s preparation within the specified timeframe. Additionally, the regulations for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) being drafted by the Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) need to be aligned with the new RMP. However, the absence of an RMP has resulted in several ad hoc proposals, such as elevated roads and tunnel roads, which may have detrimental effects on Bengaluru’s long-term prospects.</p>.<p>The city’s traffic congestion is primarily caused by its heavy reliance on private transport. Even with the full completion and operation of Metro Rail Phases II and III and doubling the BMTC bus fleet to 13,000 buses (from the existing 6,767), the share of public transport may drop to 30% by 2031 from the current 40%. To address this, the government needs to improve the public transport infrastructure, Multi-modal/Parking facilities, and create more dedicated bus lanes or elevated bus lanes (as an alternative to “all Vehicle elevated roads or flyovers) well in advance.</p>.<p>While Bengaluru is distinct from cities like Singapore and London in terms of geography and development, valuable insights on “Sustainable Transport Solutions” can be learned from these two urban centres. Proposals like tunnel roads should be considered as a last resort for any city, with a careful evaluation based on route planning and traffic studies. For instance, there already exists a 6-lane road from Hebbal to the international airport, and BMRCL’s Line-3 between Sarjapur and Hebbal is approved, making the envisaged Tunnel roads in these two alignments less appealing. Instead, the BDA/BBMP should prepare “Rejuvenation Plans” for densely populated inner-city areas like Chickpet, Cottonpet, Shivajinagar, Gowripalya, etc., and explore the need for tunnel roads based on thorough study reports.</p>.<p>Rather than tunnel roads, Bengaluru should consider planning “infrastructure-carrying tunnels” to eliminate the constant road digging by various infrastructure agencies and facilitate the operation and maintenance of existing and future infrastructure, including cables, gas pipelines, district cooling systems (AC), water supply, and sewerage networks.</p>.<p>The 2005 Master Plan led to the elimination of the Green Belt, which was reduced from 830 sq km in 1984 to Zero Acreage by 2005. The loss of the Green Belt, the emergence of 8,647 acres of unauthorised colonies and 500 slums, and the high density of 559 urban villages have contributed to urban sprawl, traffic congestion, and the issue of flooding.</p>.<p>Given the current context, it is challenging to find land for Satellite towns. Even KIADB is left with only a few hundred acres in Bengaluru! In 2021, the central government invited state governments to bid for Rs 1000 crore (each) in central funding (under the 15th Finance Commission) for incubating new towns (Satellite Towns). For reasons unknown, Karnataka did not bid for it. Of the other states that bid for the same, nine states, including Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were selected to receive the requisite funding.</p>.<p>However, two decades ago, NICE Ltd proposed building satellite or self-sustained mixed land-use townships adjacent to its proposed expressway at Bidadi, Ramanagaram, and Channapatna and had already notified the lands for acquisition. With the Bengaluru-Mysore Expressway now functional, it is prudent for the government to advice NICE Ltd to develop Satellite towns and Self-sustained townships in the notified lands, decentralising Bengaluru.</p>.<p>In view of the regional imbalance in Karnataka, it is crucial to evolve an “Urbanisation policy” and “New Township Policy” to alleviate the burden on Bengaluru. </p>.<p>(The writer was a Member of the Karnataka State Policy and Planning Commission)</p>