Bangalore Master Plan: Villages give way to complexes

Bangalore Master Plan: Villages give way to complexes

CNN-IBN


Bangalore: Bangalore is booming like never before. And the latest offering comes in the form of 5 new suburban layouts and 1.76 lakh sites.

If the Bangalore Development Authority has its way, then the lands on the outskirts of the city will be converted to residential layouts. As part of the BDA master plan 2015, the development agency plans to form 5 new layouts spread over 56 villages.

Around 15, 277 acres of land is to be acquired for the project, which has an estimated budget of Rs 314 crore. The layouts are to have 1,76,000 sites, the construction of which will be taken up in association with the landowners.

And the BDA also plans to "go with the contours not against it. Rainwater harvesting which will not damage the eco-system of the area will be protected. That's why we are calling it Eco-friendly," said BDA Commisioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda.

Eco-friendly measures notwithstanding, not everyone is happy. Town planners say it would add to the infrastructure problems in Bangalore.

"The city will grow, whether you like it or not. But the intensity of development will have to match the availability of infrastructure. If this is not analyzed than an imbalance will occur and the city will suffer," SC Kari Gowda Chairman, Institute Of Town Planners.

It's estimated that there are 2.5 lakh Bangloreans who do not own BDA sites... But while the development Authority tries to the address the issue by coming up with new residential projects; layouts which were developed 5 to 7 years ago still remain vacant due to a lack of basic facilities like good roads and electricity.