Bhopal Master Plan 2047 Eyes City Makeover But Arera Colony’s Old Problems May Persist

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The proposed Bhopal Development Plan 2047 may bring new rules for road widths, land use and building development, but for residents of Arera Colony, some of the most pressing problems could remain unchanged.

Experts have flagged parking and the availability of basic daily amenities as major challenges, particularly because a large part of the colony comprises leased properties and redevelopment is likely to put additional pressure on existing infrastructure.

Residents, including Purnendu Shukla, said the draft appears to give greater emphasis to commercialisation than protecting the character and quality of life of existing residential neighbourhoods.

Shukla further explained that government-leased quarters in Arera Colony were allotted to MPEB employees for residential use, but offices are now operating from these premises. In several cases, no engineer or employee is residing there, while the properties are being used as offices.

This has led to problems such as parking of large vehicles, damage to sewage lines and even residents’ gates.

When the original lease specifies residential use, allowing such non-residential activities through broad mixed-land-use provisions in the master plan raises serious concerns for residents.

The draft plan identifies parking locations across the study area, including multi-level facilities at MP Nagar Zone-1, Bairagarh, New Market, Ibrahimpura and Moti Masjid. It also records several off-street and on-street parking locations.

However, the draft does not provide a separate parking inventory for Arera Colony. The figures therefore indicate the scale of the parking issue documented in the wider study area, rather than the availability of parking within the colony.

What the draft provides

Issue

Draft plan provision

Off-street parking locations

Multi-level parking facilities

On-street parking locations

Premium parking

Residential access road

Colony drainage

Percolation pits

Commercial layouts

24

5

11

3

Minimum 9 metres

Drains required along roads

Required at drain bases

12% open area, half for parking

Lease concerns remain unclear

Experts say this raises a larger question for Arera Colony: whether existing infrastructure can cope with additional development.

MANIT Department of Architecture and Planning HoD Dr Krishna Kumar Dhote has raised concerns over parking in the colony, particularly in view of leased properties and limited plot sizes.

He has also stressed the need to assess the capacity of water supply, drainage, electricity and other civic services before allowing further development.

Provisions for government-leased properties are also left unmentioned as even if the land use can get regularised retrospectively, the lease still can’t be turned into freehold without Supreme Court’s directions.