Thomas panel opposes pruning of green belt

Thomas panel opposes pruning of green belt

The Hindu

`BDA should reduce green belt only in moderation for future development of city'

# 220 sq. km of green belt area opened up
# Speculation is rife that the new BDA layout is coming up in the opened up area

BANGALORE: In a recommendation that will bring some cheer to environmentalists in the city, the P.S.S. Thomas Committee has suggested that the Banagalore Development Authority should avoid reducing the green belt. The six-point recommendation on the Comprehensive Draft Master Plan 2015, prepared by the BDA and French consultants SCE Crocean, which has been submitted to the Government, advocates that the "green belt be cut down only in moderation for future development of the city," said a government official. According to the draft Master Plan, over 220 sq. km of the green cover, including agricultural lands, in the eastern side of the city has been opened up for development. Compared to the 742 sq. km of green belt proposed in the 1995 CDP, this draft plan provided for a green cover of only 565 sq. km. During the discussion of the Master Plan, the BDA and the French consultancy firm had supported opening up large tracts of the green belt because of the pressure on land. Even a part of the BDA's proposed 50,000 site layout is speculated to be in the "opened-up" green belt.

The BDA and French firm had said that the Comprehensive Development Plan of the 1995 that was supposed to plan growth in the city for the next decade had become ineffective by 2003 because the city had grown beyond all parameters that the 1995 CDP had estimated.

The 66-paragraph report based on recommendations made by the public has advocated that slums be integrated in the Master Plan and the BDA ensure that their needs are taken into account while planning for the city.

In the draft Master Plan, the BDA had identified more than 700 shadow areas for slum dwellers but had not provided details on housing plans for these persons.

The P.S.S. Thomas Committee has recommended making optimum use of land for building the peripheral ring road and had urged the Government to ensure that the concept of a core ring road, which will run around the city's business district, is implemented.

Officials at the BDA, when contacted, said they are yet to go through the panel report. "We just got hold of a report. We are yet to go through it," said the official.