Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): In a bid to ensure that planning for the proposed Bhopal Metropolitan Area meets the highest standards, the Bhopal Development Authority (BDA) is preparing to send study teams to leading metropolitan cities including Hyderabad, Lucknow and Mumbai.
According to BDA CEO Shyambeer Singh, teams will be sent to these cities to study best practices in metropolitan planning. “We are thinking of sending teams to Hyderabad, Mumbai and Lucknow for study purposes. They will learn from the best practices adopted in these metropolitan areas, which will help us shape the Bhopal Metropolitan Area effectively,” Singh told Free Press.
While team members for the visits are yet to be finalised, BDA has already initiated the process to hire a consultant to expedite implementation of the metropolitan area concept. The Authority, which serves as the nodal agency for the project, is also planning to approach Town and Country Planning (T&CP) Department to request freezing of the metropolitan boundaries—a key step before any formal planning begins.
A senior BDA official involved in the project said that the planning horizon is 25 years, and work will be carried out in phases. Once boundaries are finalised and a coordinator appointed, groundwork such as socio-economic surveys and infrastructure mapping will commence.
The proposed Bhopal Metropolitan Area will transcend current district boundaries, integrating parts of Bhopal, Sehore, Raisen and Biora (Rajgarh district) to form a unified development region. This model aims to bring coordinated planning across administrative lines.
Tender for consultant
Sources in BDA said that a national-level tender has already been floated to appoint a consultant. The tender is expected to be opened in the second week of June. Once selected, the consultant will be tasked with preparing Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the metropolitan area.
Meanwhile, BDA is also reaching out to 26 government departments to collect crucial data—such as PWD’s road maps and infrastructure plans—to support detailed and integrated metropolitan development.
