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Master Plan

Master plan for outer ring road to be ready in 3 months

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The Times of India            27.11.2013

Master plan for outer ring road to be ready in 3 months

SURAT: The master plan for the 27km first phase of the 67km Outer Ring Road will be ready in three months. Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) and Surat Urban Development Authority (SUDA) have jointly shortlisted three consultants for designing the master plan.

"The first phase passes through 13 town planning (TP) schemes. Nine of this TP schemes are in SUDA and remaining four in SMC areas," city engineer, SMC, Jatin Shah said.

"In all, eight consultants had sent their expression of interest and made presentations. We have shortlisted three," he added.

The shortlisted consultants include HCP Design and Planning, Ahmedabad, Stuth Consultants and Intercontinental Consultants.

The master plan's design outlay will mark the position of roads, bridge structures, junction flyover positions, transportation systems, urban road planning and water supply networks, drainage networks, storm water drains, electricity and communication networks. It will also define specific service lanes and roads for creation of service ducts and other utility areas.

"We would like to plan this project in advance and make provisions for all facilities required so that it doesn't create chaos in future," municipal commissioner Manoj Das said.

"This will model project for the country as it is self financing," he added.

SMC and SUDA estimate to foot the whole project from the money it generates by sale of FSI. Against the total expenses of Rs 5,100 crore, it is likely to generate income of about Rs 10,000 crore in coming five years time. The spare money could be used to fund mass transport project like metro rail.

As this whole project is self financed, SUDA and SMC expect and are dependent on state government to quickly approve all 13 draft TP schemes that have been submitted.

Once the draft TP schemes are approved, authorities can take possession of the land and start providing basic infrastructural facilities and generating enough money by way of sale of Floor Space Index (FSI).

A special provision is made in the case of Outer Ring Road where FSI up to 0.6 would be provided free of cost after which a developer can purchase extra FSI up to 4.00 by paying a premium of 40 per cent of the prevailing jantri rate of the area.

 

Mysore Master Plan 2031 needs relook: MGP

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The Hindu               17.09.2013

Mysore Master Plan 2031 needs relook: MGP

A high Floor Area Ratio in Mysore's city centre would increase congestion, say stakeholders.— Photo: M.A. Sriram
A high Floor Area Ratio in Mysore's city centre would increase congestion, say stakeholders.— Photo: M.A. Sriram

Is the Central Business District (CBD) in the city doomed to see greater congestion in the years ahead following the implementation of the Mysore Master Plan 2031?

The issue comes to the forefront because of the Mysore Grahakara Parishat’s (MGP) fresh input to the document, which was released by the authorities last year.

The plan has drawn flak from the public for “not addressing the needs of the city.”

Ashok Kacker, R. Chandra Prakash and B.V. Shenoy of the MGP have called for a fresh look into the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) described in the plan, as it has a direct bearing on the density in an area and the future of the city.

FAR is the ratio of the constructed area to total plot area, which is dependent on plot size and road width. The Mysore Master Plan 2031 — prepared for the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) by Ahmedabad-based SAI Consultants — has increased the FAR for the CBD.

However, it has retained the existing FAR, which varies from 1.25 to 1.5, for residential areas.

What it should be

“This is inexplicable,” according to the MGP, which pointed out that if the plan’s stated objective was to reduce congestion in the city centre, then the FAR should have been frozen in these parts. As the MGP representatives pointed out, the policy should be to discourage high-rise buildings and commercial complexes in the CBD by keeping the FAR low, while increasing it in residential areas.

However, the plan stipulates a high FAR in zone A, which comprises the business areas of the city, and low a FAR in residential areas. The fallout of this will be more shopping malls in busy areas, which will add to vehicular congestion.

“In commercial areas, land coverage increases with decrease in road width, while it should be the opposite,” according to the MGP. Stakeholders have pointed out that if the FAR was further relaxed to add floor space, it would have a negative effect on the city centre, which is already quite congested.

The official version

Officials have tried to justify the increase in FAR: they say that as the land cost was higher, limitations on construction would not yield good returns. The MGP questioned this approach to underline the fact that the plan’s objective was to protect the city from “descending into degeneration”, not to protect the investors.

A solution to decongesting the CBD is to spread out the commercial areas instead of concentrating them in one place.

The grid

At present, the grid comprises K.R. Circle and the surrounding areas, Devaraj Urs Road, Dhanavantri Road, Irwin Road, Ashoka Road and Sayyaji Road. This grid constitutes the main commercial centre, which is clogged and overrun with buildings.

Stakeholders urge for freezing sanctions for new structures or floor space in this area, and push for commercial development on the outskirts and residential areas.

If this happens, it would reduce traffic congestion in the city centre and hence result in less footfall in and around the market area. However, the question is whether MUDA will incorporate such suggestions in the plan.

Decongestion of the CBD gains significance in view of Mysore’s growing vehicular density and the lack of space for road-widening and pedestrian walkways.

 

Upper Lake master plan may get ready by Oct

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The Times of India               17.09.2013

Upper Lake master plan may get ready by Oct

BHOPAL: The master plan for Upper Lake is likely to be out by October. The plan, prepared by Ahmedabad-based Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, would be integrated into Bhopal master plan 2031. It is another matter that nobody still knows the fate of city master plan.

Sources claimed that the BMC had requested the state government not to unveil the master plan of Bhopal before its integration in lake plan.

"The Upper Lake's master plan and Bhopal's overall master plan have to complement each other," they said. No technical glitch should affect implementation of the lake's master plan at later stage. Hence after CEPT presents the Lake master plan, the BMC will send it to the state government for integrating it with the overall master plan of Bhopal city.

The lake master plan would define the land use in and around the catchment area of the Upper Lake, hence it is extremely crucial for the conservation of the Upper Lake.

CEPT University's survey team conducted the fourth and the last phase of the survey earlier this year. Experts from CEPT gathered data from different agencies here to prepare the master plan. While preparing the plan, suggestions were also sought from people, experts, stakeholders keeping in view water management, environmental aspects, heritage and socio-economic development of people.

Riding the success of the BRTS in Ahmedabad, the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University, Ahmedabad bagged the project to prepare the master plan for Upper lake in January last year. Gujarat government has approved CEPT University as state-level anchor institute for infrastructure sector.

Bhopal's population has increased manifold from about 70,000 in 1951 to 18 lakh in 2011. This, coupled with fast urban development around Upper Lake has subjected it to various environmental problems over the years. Upper Lake along with Lower Lake was declared a Ramsar site (a wetland of international importance) in 2002.

The detailed project report (DPR) being prepared for 1.64 crore for the conservation of the 10 lakes will be in sync with the Upper Lake master plan, according to the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Vishesh Garhpale.

Points to ponder

  • CEPT University has raised concern over unplanned constructions in Upper Lake catchment area
  • Last year, Shivraj Singh Chouhan made an aerial survey of catchment area stressing a detailed action plan
  • Last year, BMC constituted a six-member team to keep tabs on encroachments, illegal constructions in catchment area.
  • 365 small, big rivulets merge with Kolans river, tributary of the lake
 


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