Bhopal Master Plan 2047 Faces Fourth Delay As Farmers Launch Protests Over Catchment Zones, BJP Government May Put Plan On Hold Again

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Protests by farmers may force the government to hold back the Bhopal Master Plan again.

The plan has set off anger among farmers, and the Bharatiya Kisan Singh, an outfit of the RSS, has launched an agitation against it.

As the master plan includes many villages in catchment and buffer zones, the farmers feel it will get in the way of constructing any building and doing farming.

These farmers remain BJP voters, and the party has been winning the Hujur, Berasia, and Govindapura seats because of them.

The BJP has begun to mull over the Master Plan because of the farmers' protests.

The farmers also object to the fact that the land bought from them has been converted to residential plots or low-density residential areas (LDR).

On the other hand, the land that the farmers hold has been included in the catchment, Bhojtal influence zone, riverfront, and green belt. All these issues generated anger among farmers living around the state capital.

The government will hear the Master Plan-related claims and objections that it has so far received. Afterwards, it will make a decision on its publication.

According to sources, after hearing the claims and objections, the government may hold back the master plan before its publication.

A senior officer said the farmers wanted the government to give them permission for construction.

The state cannot allow construction in the catchment area included in the Master Plan, or else the government will not be able to give a suitable reply to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), he said.

Even if the catchment area remains far away from the Upper Lake, the government cannot allow construction there, he said.

The purpose of bringing the master plan was to solve the problems related to commercial activities on residential land use.

Although the government wanted to satisfy traders, the farmers opened a front against the Master Plan, and the government is worried about it.

Draft cancelled thrice

The government cancelled the draft Master Plan thrice after its publication. The then chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan cancelled the plan after its publication in 2009. In 2020, when the BJP formed a government, Chouhan cancelled the plan after its publication. In the same way, the government led by Mohan Yadav cancelled the Master Plan in 2023.