The Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) will soon commence groundwork for preparing a new Revised Master Plan (RMP) for Bengaluru which has been delayed for nearly two years after the authority withdrew its RMP 2031.
BDA Commissioner Jayaram N. in an interview with The Hindu said he had made the RMP a top priority, while he would parallelly focus on Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. Excerpts from the interview.
What are your priorities for the BDA?
As the Revised Master Plan (RMP) has been delayed for many years, I have directed officials to kickstart the groundwork for the plan and this is my top priority. Now the Supreme Court-monitored committee has resolved all the issues, emphasis will be given to completing the land acquisition and providing basic amenities in Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout. Alongside this, I will focus on the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout and implementation of the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project.
What groundwork will be done for the RMP and when this may be completed?
This is a long process and to start with, a survey will be conducted to know about the present status of land use in the city. For the survey, drones will be deployed. The survey will look into which are the agricultural zones, residential zones, commercial zones, revenue land, and others. The BDA will also analyse the city’s requirements for the next 10 years. The draft will be prepared after carrying out consultation with all stakeholders and it will be published for objections. Later, it will be sent to the government for approval. I am looking at RMP 2034 or 2035.
When will you start allocating sites in Dr. Shivaram Karanth Layout?
We have acquired 2,700 acres and are now working on acquiring the remaining 1,500 acres of land. We are holding talks with landowners. The allocation will start after the completion of basic civic infrastructure works; this may take at least four to six months. The civic infrastructure works are under way.
What is the progress of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout?
About 1,300 acres of land is pending for acquisition and the BDA will honestly work to clear all the hurdles to acquire the land. If there are any complaints of work moving at a slow pace or stopped due to pending payment to contractors, we will check. There are a few issues which are acting as obstacles and they will be cleared soon.
Is it possible to convince farmers/landowners to agree for lower compensation for the PRR project?
I cannot answer this in one line as it is a little complicated. I can now say that I will ensure that the PRR will be implemented soon as it is an important project for the BDA.
