CDP: ‘Presentation good, but too technical’

‘Presentation good, but too technical’
The Times of India

Bangalore: Philip Therian has a site in Maruthi Nagar, but he does not know what landuse has been prescribed for his area.

“I found Maruthinagar on the relevant map, but the block next to it is coloured green, meaning a forest area. I am not sure if my site comes under green or the nearby yellow (residential) zone,’’ Therian told The Times of India on Wednesday at Yavanika, where the draft masterplan is on public display.

A majority of those who came to see the draft plan were like Therian, individual site owners wanting to know what their area will look like ten years from now. Many lawyers were also present, acting on behalf of individual clients. One lawyer, V.S. Narayan, said he came to find out “what zones are prescribed for various areas. Once we know that, we can advise our clients on where to buy land for their use,’’ he explained.

The lawyers found things easy going but people like Mallika, Varun and Arsala Qureishi, had a tough time. Like Therian, they said the draft plan is too technical. Mallika, who owns land in Bangalore South, praised BDA and its consultant SCE-Creocean India for an “excellent presentation.’’ “The draft masterplan is very important. People like us must find out how our areas will develop in the next decade. But there is not enough information on display. And there are not enough guides to help us,’’ she said.

Varun, a student of JSS Academy of Technical Education, came to check out investor prospects in Bangalore. “I want to know where is J.P. Nagar 15th Cross. The surrounding places are marked but this particular place is not there,’’ he complained. The young man has been researching development prospects in Bangalore for the past one-two years. “I have been trying to find out where to invest but I cannot make out the landuse regulations. The draft plan is confusing without informed people to help out,’’ he said.

Arsala Qureishi was there on an errand similar to Varun’s. “My family owns a lot of property on Old Madras Road and Bannerghatta Road. We want to develop these plots. So we have come here to see the outlook for the next decade. It would have been easier if there were people to guide us,’’ she said.

More people to volunteer: When told about these observations, BDA officials admitted they were caught unawares by the public response. “We thought the conference room will be enough and we never expected such crowds,’’ officials said. As for the lack of guides, they said officials from the government Town Planning department have been asked to help out as volunteers, apart from BDA’s town planning officials and personnel from SCE. Besides, we will give badges so that these guides are easily identifiable,’’ officials said.

Land conversion: Changes to the government order banning registrations on conversion of agricultural land will be effected after getting Cabinet approval, revenue minister M.P. Prakash said on Wednesday. Prakash told the Legislative Council that the ban order had been issued on April 23 with a view to check exploitation of farmers by land developers; 12,000 acres of agricultural land had been converted in the past three years.