BENGALURU: While suggestions and objections from the public have been invited for the Revised Master Plan (RMP)-2031, citizens are finding it hard to raise their concerns. The main reason being due to the fact that suggestions can only be given in the form of hard copies, a process that is a lengthy as is tedious, say citizens.
True to its tech city tag, a set of enthusiastic Bengalureans took it upon themselves to make things easier for concerned citizens. They have developed and are hosting a website called ooru.in where citizens can voice their demands and raise their issues with regards to the plan.
S Gopiprasad, a 44-year-old urban planner and architect who heads a consulting firm, came up with the idea of the website to reach a larger audience. The main goal was to connect citizens as well as authorities and make it easier to compile comments and concerns.
The website has a digitised copy of the application form. It has the option to submit concerns with a map as well. One’s phone number will also be asked when you raise your concern.
Other members of the ooru.in team are are working professionals in the field of technology, advertising to name a few. They are namely Mohan Krishna, Suvajit Sengupta, M S.Gopal, Jayanth G, Nikhil V and Krishna Kumar.
Gopiprasad says that it has been five days since the website became fully operational. Since it was first set the website has already had had two thousand visitors. “Most of them have raised issues about lakes and valley, land use, road infrastructures and about residential and commercial areas marking,” he adds.
“To make it easier for people there is a direct link to the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) query cell in this regard. So, once a person raises his query or issue, it will directly reach the BDA query cell,” says Gopiprasad who did his PhD on implementation of master plan in different cities.
Gopiprasad and his team have developed the website as a public initiative and are not looking for any monetary gains. “I was born and brought up in Bengaluru. The city has given us so much. For a better future of citizens and Bengaluru, public participation is a must and we are happy that we have been of help,” he says.
Map the website
There are various categories such as land use, zoning regulations, traffic and transportation, roads, industries, agricultural zone, parks. The existing and revised master plans are also uploaded where the users can raise the issue by just clicking over a specific area of a map. The user would get confirmation email once an issue is posted.