‘The plan is for the Bangalore of tomorrow…’

‘The plan is for the Bangalore of tomorrow…’
Master Plan 2015, the proposed Bangalore’s Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) for the next 10 years has been on display for public viewing. The public’s response has been encouraging. M N Vidyashankar, Commissioner, Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), shares some thoughts in a chat with B S Manu Rao, on his initial impressions of the public reaction and what BDA plans to achieve with this master plan
The Times of India

How has the response been to the CDP display? Are you happy with the turnout?
The overall response to the CDP display is tremendous and overwhelming. More than 6,000 people visited on the first day. About 12,000 and 8,000 people visited on the second and third days. We are very happy with the enthusiastic response from the general public.

Have you gone through the feedback submitted yet? Any trends emerging?
People are visiting in enormous numbers. We have given away feedback forms to everyone but we have received only about 40 to 45 feedbacks so far. The BDA on its part will prepare data by feeding the details into a computer. All these details will be handed over to an expert panel constituted for this purpose by the Government headed by P S S Thomas, Retired Adviser, Planning Commission. It will review, analyse and advise the Government on modifications to be effected to the document.

Do you see considerable change in focus on development - both residential and commercial - with relaxation in green belt area regulations?
The BDA has to plan and modify zones to accommodate all the needs of this burgeoning city and its population within the confines of its jurisdictional area. The projected population by 2015 is in the order of 88.50 lakhs. The housing requirements, other facilities, and adequate infrastructure facilities have to be considered and borne in mind as the main concerns. Balancing a healthy green belt protection to the city is the main concern of BDA while opening the doors of development. The plan document prepared is based on aerial maps, GIS data, and is scientifically done at every step. As such, many a drawback or mistake that happened previously has been rectified here. Flexible land use provisions by recognising mixed land uses are made in the peri-central areas constituting older planned residential areas surrounding the city's core area. This makes way for good housing stock nearer to the core business district and reduces reliance on automobiles, need for travel, and also minimises the urban sprawl.

What in essence is this exercise of presentations to the public and display of CDP all about? Are the citizens in sync with the purpose of this interaction?
The plan is for the Bangalore of tomorrow. The plan cannot be created in isolation excluding the citizens who are going to be part of the city and live in the city. Their thinking, ideas, and aspirations should be a part of the planning exercise for their city. That is the whole idea. BDA has taken all pains and made arrangements to put the facts before the public in the form of presentations, maps, documents, and clarify their points in interactive sessions. First we are creating awareness and helping them understand the process through these presentations. People are taking part in these sessions very enthusiastically. The end result will be known only after getting their feedback.

Are you involving other civic agencies in this exercise at some stage?
All the city's stakeholder agencies have been consulted and completely involved at every stage of formulating this draft plan document. This is the product of collective thinking, participation, and multiple inputs from all stakeholders.

What will be BDA's role subsequently vis-a-vis areas such as road development, commercial belt regulations etc that are not exactly in BDA's purview? Are you only involved in drawing up concepts?
BDA's major role is in planning for the city, giving a blueprint, and a direction for the city's development and growth. In addition to developing certain infrastructure in the form of ring roads, flyovers etc, it also regulates the growth process as an authority for sanctioning plans, new layouts, and change of land use, based on zonal regulations.

Going by response so far, how successful would you say this CDP is? Are you happy with the buy-in?
We are happy with the kind of responses we are getting everyday. The concept of CDP is understood by the people, and the purpose behind this display is also understood by them. We have taken them as associates or co-planners, and given them a feel of a joint endeavour. This exercise is giving us a lot of satisfaction. The way the people are extracting information from BDA officials and volunteers, and visiting the BDA website is encouraging. We are looking for the same tempo in the coming weeks also.

Where will the funds for all the development plans chalked out come from?
As the development plans and activities are related to different fields and different stakeholders, the implementing agencies will have to take the onus of putting them into action. More so because inputs to the draft plan have come from all the stakeholders in the city.

Do you expect more people and NGOs to come up with suggestions in the weeks ahead?
Certainly. We are eagerly expecting participation and interaction from all quarters. Many NGO groups have visited already. Many more are going to participate in the coming days to come up with valuable feedback/suggestions to fine-tune the CDP.