Govt. deals body blow to green belt

Green belt: the lean and mean look
Deccan Herald

The green belt would be reduced by 248 sq km of which 221 sq km will be used for industrialisation and urbanisation.

In order to meet the demands of burgeoning Bangalore, the State government on Wednesday approved the revised draft Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for Bangalore Metropolitan Area (BMA) for the next 10 years. As per the draft plan, the green belt area would be reduced from the existing 742 sq km to 494 sq km.

About 248 sq kms of green belt area would be deregulated. “Of this, about 221 sq km will be available for urbanisation and industrial development in the northern and eastern parts of Bangalore. Industrial and urban development till 2015 will more or less be confined to northern and eastern parts of Bangalore to facilitate orderly growth,” Chief Minister N Dharam Singh told reporters after a meeting with Bangalore Urban District in-charge Minister R Ramalinga Reddy, Chief Secretary K K Misra, officials of the Urban Development Department and BDA.

The government will issue a notification in a day or two inviting objections and suggestions to the revised draft CDP. Objections will have to be submitted within 60 days.

Ms Shamim Bhanu, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, said the draft CDP, applicable to 1240 sq kms of BMA, envisaged a balanced and equitable urban growth. Tanks and valleys will be protected.

According to BDA Commissioner M N Vidyashankar, the revision of Master Plan-2015 was being carried out primarily to address two important aspects – the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act necessitates revision of master plan once every 10 years and the City utilising the land-use allocation made up to 2011 by the year 2003 itself.

Vidyashankar said diverse areas have been regrouped thematically under five main categories. The main areas are treated as zones with relevant regulations for each zone. Transfer of Development Rights and Premium Floor Area Ration to enable purchase of rights have been introduced, he said.

Most of the proposed green belt area would be in the West and South of the City. It includes the TG Halli catchment area and Bannerghatta National Park. The Master Plan-2015’s green belt area is equivalent to 40 per cent of the revised CDP of 1995. While the land earmarked for industrial use is currently 42 sq km, under the proposed revised CDP projection for 2015, the land proposed for industrial use is 54 sq km (16 sq km for industrial areas, 25 sq km for hi-tech areas and 13 sq km for logistic areas).

*Green belt area reduced from 742 sq km to 494 sq km
*221 sq km will be utilised for urban development and industrial use
*Tanks and valleys to be protected