Multiple land use allowed in core city areas

HYDERABAD: With growing need for multi-pronged development in the erstwhile Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) area, also known as core city, multiple land use has been introduced in the revised master plan for the city.

With the flexible land use policy, all uses are permitted in residential, commercial and public and semi-public zones except hazardous and polluting industries. Even at industrial estates like Azamabad and Sanatnagar, plots can be converted into multiple use but with some rider. Along with development, special emphasis has been given to environment protection by creating open space. If any plot owner in any land use creates, develops and maintains open space on the sites of 1,000 square metres or above, they will be given 25 per cent concession in property tax and, if the land belongs to registered societies, they will get 50 per cent exemption.

Giving a big relief to land losers in road widening, HMDA has increased the transferable development rights (TDR) from 100 per cent to 150 per cent for those who give their land free of cost for road widening. Under TDR, the owners get additional built-up area, which they can either use it for themseleves or sell it to others.

The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has prepared revised master plan for the core city after 35 years which was approved by the Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) a couple of days ago. The master plan was prepared by consolidating earlier master plans and zonal development plans. After inviting objections and suggestions from people - 2,053 objections and suggestions were received by the HMDA.

" Seventy per cent of the objections and suggestions were considered in the master plan. Most of the objections pertained to reduction of road width from 200 feet to 100 feet. For instance, residents of Erramanzil raised objections over a proposal to widen the Taj Krishna-KPC guest house road to 80 feet. They claimed the road was widened to 60 feet a couple of years ago and further widening would affect their properties," a senior HMDA planning wing official said.

Some residents of Makta, located opposite Raj Bhavan, also raised objections over the proposal to make their area a recreation zone, but keeping in view of the objections, the land use of that area has now been converted as residential zone, the official said.

On the request of APSRTC to allow multiple use in bus depot and bus station areas like Ranigunj to construct commercial complexes under Public Private Partnership (PPP), HMDA agreed for multiple use except Imliban bus area.

The rider is five per cent of the built-up area or 10 per cent of the plot should be handed over free of cost to GHMC for public facilities like eSeva or citizen service centres or parks, a city planner said.

To encourage transit-oriented development, a special category Transit Oriented Development zone, a 300-metre belt on either side of the proposed metro rail routes has been created for multiple zone. However, the minimum plot size should be 500 square metres for sites in GHMC circles IV and V, 1,000 sq metres in circles VIII, IX and X VIII and 2,000 sq metres in circles VII and X. But all such plots abutting the MRTS corridors have to leave six metres common building line or road.

The revised master plan has also provided redevelopment on government land, public and semi-public land usage plots of 4,000 sq metres or above. Redevelopment will be allowed if 15 per cent of the total extent be left as open space in single block and five per cent built-up area or 10 per cent of the land be handed over to the corporation for public facilities.

HMDA has listed out 29 infrastructure and facility nodes (Infans), mainly government properties with large tracts of vacant land in the city such as Government Printing Press, Chanchalguda, ITI, Musheerabad, Gudimalkapur market yard and surrounding land, parts of Punjagutta government quarters, Hyderabad district collectorate, AP Dairy Development Corporation in Lalapet and parts of government land on the premises of Women's College in Koti.

With several industries either shut down or shifted to surrounding areas of the city, HMDA has created Work Centre Use Zone. LPG godown areas, electronic industries, banks and computer units could come under this land use. For industries, conversion of land use from industrial to other would be allowed only after getting `No Objection Certificate (NOC)' from the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation ( APIIC) and the industries department.

"Conversion of land use will be allowed only if the land is a minimum of 4,000 square metres (earlier in the draft plan it was proposed for 8,000 sq metres), 15 per cent open space and mandatory setbacks, five per cent of land should be handed over to the GHMC," an urban planner said.

On the request of the Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited, roads abutting the proposed metro rail roads would have minimum 100-feet roads.

HMDA also identified some specific areas as special area development projects at various locations like the Secunderabad railway station for detailed planning and development.

Though the master plan has been created, it is now for the implementing agencies, including GHMC, to ensure development takes place as per the plan.