Urban News

Source : The Hindu Date : 29.06.2009

Berhampur city all set to get a master plan

Staff Reporter

BERHAMPUR: After a long gap of 40 years, Berhampur city is set to get a master plan for its planned development.

The Berhampur Development Authority (BDA) organised a launching workshop on Saturday on the preparations of Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for a greater Berhampur. The CDP is to be prepared by the Town and Country Planning Organisation (TCPO), the technical advisory body of Central Ministry of Urban Development. The new master plan would be Geographical Information System (GIS)-based. It would depend on remote sensing data provided by satellites as well as the ground level data collected through surveys.

This workshop was attended by the chief planner of the TCPO, J.B.Khirsagar, director of State Town Planning Surendra Behera, chairman of the BDA, Sarat Ranjan Patnaik, chairpersons of Gopalpur Notified Area Council (NAC), and A.Janaki Ram, chairperson of Berhampur municipal corporation Siba Shankar Dash. Representatives of all sections of society, various departments of the administration, police officials and social organizations who are stake holders to this new master plan took part in this interactive workshop to provide suggestions.

The preparation of the CDP would cost around Rs. 1,09,75,000. The State Government, which would bear the cost, has provided Rs. 35.50 lakhs for it in the first phase.

It may be noted that Berhampur, a major trading and cultural centre had its last master plan way back in 1969. This master plan envisioned the urban growth and required basic amenities for a population of over two lakh persons by the year 1986. The present CDP however would provide urban development plan for the area now under the BDA which includes areas of urban bodies like Berhampur, Gopalpur and Chatrapur and 139 villages. This would be part of the greater Berhampur with a vision of development for next 30 years. The CDP would comprise a total area of 317 square km having a population of 5,13,760 persons. It is expected that the CDP would be ready in 18 months.

According to Mr Patnaik, the BDA had tried to have a master plan for the city in 1998 and 2004. But due to various reasons it could not materialize due to funds crunch and other reasons. Ultimately the TCPO was provided the contract for the CDP. During his address in the workshop Mr Khirsagar listed out the potentials of development of the area under the BDA.

Source : The Hindu Date : 28.06.2009

Housing schemes must be in accordance with master plans: Upalokayukta

Raghava M.

Patri Basavanagoud

BANGALORE: Upalokayukta G. Patri Basavanagoud has directed the Government to ensure that housing schemes in cities should be in accordance with the master plans of respective cities.

Censuring violation of master plans by housing agencies, Mr. Goud said: “Master plans prepared with an objective of providing recreational facilities and civic amenities … should not be allowed to be defeated by statutory organisations such as Karnataka Housing Board (KHB).”

In his letters to the principal secretaries, Urban Development and Housing departments, recently, Mr. Goud asked the two departments to issue instructions and ensure that approved housing plans/schemes were not violated to grant additional housing units/sites by eating away the areas reserved for “public purpose”. The letters come in the light of an inquiry into a complaint filed in 2007 by D. Shravankumar of Bidar.

The complainant had alleged that the Assistant Executive Engineer of the KHB had two residential sites in the land meant for a park and a school in Bidar. The inquiry revealed that the KHB approved the housing scheme (layout plan) during 2001-02 and modified it the next year. Both the plans show areas designated for the park and the school.

Both the areas have been used for forming residential sites without taking mandatory clearances.

“The approval for the layout plan (modified) is accorded by the Bidar Urban Development Authority (UDA) and communicated to the KHB only after the complaint was filed with this institution,” Mr. Goud said.

The KHB, he said, had developed the area before obtaining the approval of the Bidar UDA.

It had gone ahead with the change in land use (from park and civic amenity to residential sites) without getting the approval of the Bidar UDA for the modified plan as mandated under the provisions of the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act.

“The whole process of plan preparation, approval and modification (the changes effected in the original plan to provide for additional sites) happened in the office of the Housing Commissioner in Bangalore,” Mr. Goud said.

Though the modifications done by the KHB in Bidar may not be a “major development (change)” in land use, Mr. Goud said, “ … in larger interest of planned development of towns and cities in general … such proposals should be discouraged as they take away the areas reserved for parks and civic amenities.”

However, in exceptional situations, modifications should be given effect only after obtaining the approval of the Urban Planning Authority or the Town Planning Authority, Mr. Goud said.