Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The Madhya Pradesh government may find it difficult to present the current draft of Bhopal Master Plan-2047 before the Supreme Court at its Nov 23 hearing, as the scrutiny of 13,438 claims, objections and suggestions is expected to take at least 30 working days.
The Town and Country Planning (T&CP) department will begin examining the submissions on Tuesday (Oct 27), following the closure of the 30-day submission window on Oct 24. The department received 6,155 online and 7,283 offline applications.
At the previous hearing in the case concerning the Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) action against illegal commercial establishments, the Supreme Court had permitted the government to publish the draft master plan and directed it to present the plan at the next hearing for the court's approval before implementation.
Duplicate objections to be filtered
The T&CP department will cross-check online and offline submissions to identify duplicate entries, as several applicants have reportedly filed the same objections through both channels.
The final number of unique objections will be known after verification. Given the volume of submissions and the estimated scrutiny period, completing the process before the Nov 23 hearing could prove challenging.
Catchment restrictions, farmland dominate objections
Around 80% of the objections reportedly concern restrictions in the Upper Lake catchment area and proposed land-use changes affecting agricultural land. Farmers fear that classifying their land under riverfront, forest or green belt categories could restrict cultivation and threaten their livelihoods.
Residents of 78 villages have also protested against the proposed provisions. Traders have submitted around 2,500 objections, while farmers have filed approximately 2,000 claims and objections.
Cultural facilities proposed for inclusion
The Dushyant Kumar Manuscript Museum has submitted a memorandum seeking an assessment of the city's requirements for libraries, reading rooms, small auditoriums, theatres, open-air stages, exhibition spaces and training facilities. It has urged the authorities to include these facilities in the master plan map and prepare a phased implementation strategy.
Official statement
T&CP deputy director Indu Tripathi said scrutiny of the submissions would begin on Tuesday as holidays had delayed the process. Hearing slots will be allotted after the scrutiny is completed, and applicants will be informed through WhatsApp.
