JOIN USUrban administration needs to be revisited, revamped: MUDA chief
D B Natesh, who took charge as Commissioner of Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA), on May 4, 2019, is a 2004 batch KAS officer.
Earlier he served as Tahsildar of Mysuru, Ramanagar, Theerthahalli and Chikkaballapur, Administrative Officer of Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), Special Land Acquisition Officer of Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Assistant Commissioner of Bengaluru South and Deputy General Manager of Karnataka Housing Board (KHB).
Speaking to T R Sathish Kumar of Deccan Herald, Natesh says, the dynamics of population growth, economy and urban growth has drastically changed over the decades and the entire urban administration should be revisited and revamped, in the light of prevailing situations.
MUDA rings only one thought among the people, sites. Besides developing residential layouts and allotting sites and houses to applicants, MUDA approves private layouts. What else does MUDA do? What such work is under progress?
The objective of MUDA is to realise the dream of a planned city. We chart the Local Plan Area (LPA) and prepare Master Plans. The latest Master Plan, that includes parts of adjoining Nanjangud and Srirangapatna taluks, started in 2006. It was published in 2016. But it is being revised to incorporate the guidelines of Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The final draft would be published in a year. It will give a direction to the development of Mysuru over the next few years.
As per data 80,000 applications seeking sites are pending with MUDA. According to an estimate, there are already 1.25 lakh vacant sites in Mysuru City and suburbs. Further development of layouts will only create more vacant sites. What is the practical solution?
The urban population has grown by 37% during 2001-2011. It is expected to grow by 42% during the next decade. Due to various reasons, people migrate to urban areas and they need adequate infrastructure. To meet the demand, more residential areas with proper amenities, should be developed. To check the rise in the number of vacant sites, we need a change in the policy and need stringent laws to withdraw allotment or confiscate such sites. At present, there is a provision to withdraw sites if the allottee does not construct a house within 10 years. But, that too is a bit complicated.
Don’t you think, Mysuru should have a conservation authority, rather than a development authority, as it is marketed on its heritage?
City Improvement Trust Board (CITB) is probably the first such agency in the whole of India, for town planning and development. Conservation policy and laws are not as stringent as in the West, in India. In our urban plan, infrastructure is the priority. Due to growth dynamics over the years, residential areas around Mysuru Palace became business areas. As industries did not develop on expected lines, the stress on the central business district grew, resulting in haphazard growth.
Both MUDA and private developers are converting lands into residential layouts. For both, lands, revered as Mother Earth earlier, are a commodity. Green cover in and around Mysuru is depleting. Except for those earmarked or created before Independence, neither MUDA nor MCC has created a lung space. Rather, existing lung spaces are destroyed under the guise of development. How do you plan to ensure lung spaces in the expanding city?
Under existing policies, laws and priorities, creation of a new lung space is impossible in any urban area in India. Lung spaces need vast expanses of lands, involving huge costs.
Mysuru is developed, managed and administered by multiple agencies. MUDA’s jobs seems to end in developing layouts, allotting sites and handing over layouts to the MCC for maintenance. The concept of development has diminished for MUDA. What can be done to put forth the real concept of development of a city?
Besides charting the development and maintenance guidelines for MCC, MUDA lays out guidelines for the maintenance of the planned city. But, due to various factors, mostly political interference, the guidelines and rules are violated. There is a policy gap in this respect.
The Ring Road is in a pathetic condition though it had been handed over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). There are thousands of potholes on the Ring Road. Most parts of the service roads and its footpaths are used for dumping of garbage and debris. Now, there is a plan for a Peripheral Ring Road. What plans do you have for the existing Ring Road? How do you plan sustainability of the Peripheral Ring Road?
The NHAI has started ashphalting of the Ring Road. Tenders have been invited for other works. Wherever there is no service road, they will be laid. Roads are vital for economy.Thus, there will be proper planning for the Peripheral Ring Road.