The Hindu 30.10.2009
Consultant selected to develop master plan
Rajesh B. Nair
| Plan will cover an area of 72 square kilometres |
Photo: C. Venkatachalapathy 
MORE GROWTH: The urban limit of Puducherry is all set to extend with the development of a new master plan. —
PUDUCHERRY: The Town and Planning Department has selected a private consultant to develop a master plan for town and its urban agglomeration. Work will be awarded to the consultant for preparing the master plan after approval from Lieutenant Governor Iqbal Singh, a senior government official told The Hindu.
“The Lieutenant Governor has convened a meeting shortly to get a first-hand account about the preparation of the master plan. A presentation would be made to him very shortly,” the official said.
The new master plan would cover an area of 72 sq km, which would include areas that come under Pondicherry, Oulgaret Municipalities and Revenue villages of Ariankuppam and Villianur. The consultant would be given a period of six months to submit the draft plan, officials said.
The existing master plan, prepared in 1982 for an area of 41 sq km, was reviewed in 1997. As per the norm, the master plan had to be reviewed every 10 years, the officials said.
The consultant would identify residential areas, floor area ratio, existing land use pattern to assess the land to be marked for different purposes, earmark agriculture land and industrial area based on the Urban Development Plan Formulation and Implementation guidelines issued by the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.
The comprehensive draft report would also cover population density, areas underserved by essential commodities, road network, sewerage and drinking water network, bus and rail routes. It would also cover the entire social and infrastructure of the region, the officials said.
Since the review of the last master plan, development had taken place beyond the existing urban agglomeration. Hence, several areas would be added to urban and urban agglomeration limit as the town was fast expanding, the officials said.
Apart from bringing out a new master plan, the Town Planning Department was in the process of developing a regional plan for Puducherry, Cuddalore, Villupuram and Auroville in consultation with Tamil Nadu government and Union Ministry of Urban Development. The plan was to have a coordinated action plan for the region to bring about sustainable development, they said.
“We have already initiated the process. We have communicated our interest for developing a regional plan to Tamil Nadu and the Ministry of Urban Development,” an official said.
The department was also in the process of notifying heritage buildings in Puducherry. The buildings would be first identified based on the guidelines issued by the Ministry, he added.
