BHOPAL: The draft of master plan released on Thursday has paved way for encroachment around the Upper Lake thus endangering the very existence of the city’s lifeline, said residents and experts. They are of the opinion that catchment areas of the lake are under threat to guard the vested interests of a few.
If one goes by the clauses put up in the draft plan, the marriage gardens, commercial establishments and other buildings around the Upper Lake will now be legalised and warranted by the government, decried the residents. The draft has given enough options to the builders and colonizers to develop colonies, marriage gardens around the lake, they rued.
Besides, the proposed clause regarding the permission for a hiked Floor-area-ratio (FAR) in the areas of old Bhopal have also left the experts perplexed as area is already reeling under heavy congestion.
Several marriage gardens have come up on Bairagarh road encroaching upon the Upper Lake. Besides, there are several commercial and residential structure on the lake embankment which are no less a threat to lake and also damaged the green belt around.
The experts believe that master plan draft has many provisions which would be used by the colonoziers, builders and marriage garden operators for their advantage. The clauses in the draft would validate the marriage gardens around the lake even as the issue of encroachment has been repeatedly challenged in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in post, said the residents.
The experts have also questioned the draft plan for not banning high-rise building around the heritage structures.
Architecture Amogh Gupta said the government has legalized encroachment at the catchment area of the lake. The construction around the lake was under attack but now the draft plan of the city has paved way for it, he claimed. The proposed hike in the FAR in the old Bhopal areas will lead to a heavy congestion around, said Gupta, adding that this approach represents lack of farsightedness in the planners.
Shafique Khan, a retired official of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the NGT had reprimanded BMC officials to clear encroachments from the catchment areas of the lake but now the draft plan gives all freedom to encroach the lake. The builders who wish to construct halls, develop marriage gardens or any other structure will no longer have to worry now, he added.
There are loopholes in the draft plan and these will be used by the builders for their advantage, said Khan. The government has not banned any high-rise around the heritage buildings and the talks of heritage conservation are mere gossips, as if buildings are constructed they will overshadow the looks of the heritage sites.
A retired IPS officer Arun Gurtoo said the government has allowed the extinction of the Upper Lake. Instead of putting ban on all the constructions around the lake, the government has allowed new constructions to come up, said the retired officer. We will challenge the step as any new construction around will endanger the lake, he added.
