BHUBANESWAR: The comprehensive development plan
(CDP) for Cuttack development plan area (CDPA) was finally notified on
Sunday. The plan envisages around two-and-a-half times increase in land
used for residential purpose from 9.92 per cent at present to 23 per
cent by 2030.

The CDP suggested creation of 12,000 houses for
economically weaker sections (EWS) category to rehabilitate the existing
slum dwellers. Among others, it advocated construction of 5,000
low-income housing units in Sikharpur zone and re-densification of the
area besides development of new housing colonies and townships in
Barang, Gopalpur and Nirgundi. This will include apartments and gated
colonies, high-rise apartments in areas with relaxed height norms and
increased floor area ratio (FAR) provision. The eco-sensitive area of
Mundali has been plannes for resort housing and lagoons. While Barang
has been planned as an activity centre with high-end housing projects,
government and corporate offices besides IT special economic zone,
Gopalpur has been marked for high-end group housing projects by
developers.

As per the plan, Nirgundi, Charbatia, Chhatisa and
Choudwar areas on the northern fringe with a comparatively lower
population density would in future accommodate a significant share of
population and would see rise in the housing densities. Charbatia and
Chhatisa areas have been proposed for restricted development. Hence, the
densities of these zones will be limited. The plan suggests
revitalization of existing residential industrial infrastructure the OTM
Colony in Choudwar after clearance from the Archeological Survey of
India (ASI) and a special residential zone (SRZ) for affordable housing
in Nirgundi keeping in mind availability of uninterrupted vacant land
there.

The CDP plans Bidanasi as one of the largest satellite
townships to meet the future housing demands of the millennium city. It
had been planned for a population of 1.5 lakh which included the
spill-over population of the main city, migrants from outside engaged in
various economic activities including the service population.

The plan suggests making rental housing acceptable and affordable by
increasing the rental housing stock through reverse mortgage. Currently,
overall, 77 per cent of the households own their houses and only 15 per
cent live in rented accommodation. The rural areas of CDPA show that
almost 98 per cent of the households own their houses.

The CDPA,
comprising CMC, Choudwar municipality and CDPA rural, is spread over
302.80 sq km. The projected population of CDPA in 2030 is 15 lakh
compared around 8.27 lakh at present. The CDP projects the housing
requirement of CDPA to be 2.68 lakh dwelling units by 2030 and envisages
larger roles for private players and public private partnership (PPP) model to realize the need.

Real estate
developers feel notification of the plan will give a push to real
estate activities. “There was a broader idea about the plan from the
draft published long ago. But, now the plan has legal sanctity.
Hopefully, it will facilitate regulated development in the plan area as
developers will keep the CDP as a guiding principle,” said DS Tripathy,
president of Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of
India state unit.

Experts said efforts should be made to execute
the CDP. “Such plans are made and mostly put in archives. Sincere
efforts should be made so that it works,” said Piyush Rout, an urban
management consultant.