Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Bhopal's Master Plan pre- pared for the last time in 1995 on the basis of the population of the city in 2005 has been swept under the carpet for the third time. Afterwards there was no such plan, and the city has been haphazardly expand- ing for 19 years.
Former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan got the draft Master Plan pub- lished in 2009. Because there were many irregu- larities in it, the case went to the high court, and the government had to cancel the plan.
Afterwards the government kept mum over the issue for nine years. The assembly elections were held in 2013 and 2018, but the Master Plan was put on the back burner. In 2018, when the Congress formed a government, the draft of the Master Plan was released, but the government fell after the objections over it were heard. Then the BJP returned to power. The BJP government made some changes in the draft Master Plan.
During a hearing held on the changes, there had been 3,000 objections which were cancelled. Be- fore the 2023 assembly election, the Master Plan could not be published because of the pressure from the people's repre- sentatives. Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijay- vargiya has directed the officials to prepare a fresh draft of the Master Plan. Because of enormous delay in publishing the Master Plan, all the exercises have to be redone on the basis of metropolitan area. Bhopal has spread to Sehore and Raisen districts.
So, at the time of making the Master Plan, these districts have to be taken into consideration and the preparations made for the coming years. Accord- ing to specialists of urban development, a city is developed in two ways through a plan. The present plan is being pre- pared on the basis of development that has taken place in Bhopal. Whether it is the width of the roads or the area of commercial and residential buildings - everything has been abruptly constructed due to want of a plan. Now, it will be an uphill task for the government to make a proper plan correcting the past mistakes.
'PLAN SHOULD BE MADE EVERY 10 YRS'
An expert in urban planning Aruneshwar Singhdeo has said the Master Plan of a city should be made in every ten years. Nevertheless, no government has ever paid any attention to it, he said. If it is not decided how Bhopal should be expanded and how the sewage lines, the water supply system and the traffic circulation should be arranged, the city will go out of control, he said. "It is not understood if Indore can be developed according to a plan, why are the city planners unable to do so in Bhopal?" he asked.
