THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting an end to uncertainties, the draft masterplan 2040 of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation is all set to be published within a week. The draft plan, prepared as part of the Centre’s Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) scheme, spells out, among other things, the development goals and land use activity that would be taken up in the city in the coming years.
The draft was prepared by the corporation and approved by the council last October. It was sent to the government, which approved it and issued a government order in February. However, the government delayed handing over the draft masterplan back to the civic body citing legal issues in its publication.
Those in the know said the delay was due to legal issues that arose due to the survey conducted for the masterplan using Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping technology. Now, said corporation authorities, all hurdles are over, and the draft will be published within a week.
“At present, the draft masterplan is being scrutinised by the town planning department. The department will submit the plan this week, and it will be published within a week,” corporation secretary Binu Francis told TNIE.
“Once the draft masterplan is published, we will provide the people a 60-day period to submit objections and seek suggestions and modifications. After a committee led by the mayor goes through the objections and suggestions, we will prepare the final plan and hand it over to the government for final approval. Once the government gives the nod, we will start implementing the masterplan,” Francis said.
The corporation approved the new draft of the city’s masterplan 2040 unanimously. This comes two years after the resolution was first introduced in the council. Besides detailing the development goals, the masterplan will also clearly mark out layout plans for future ecological developments. As per the masterplan, Thiruvananthapuram corporation has been divided into two zones. These have been further divided into total 25 zones. Keeping in mind the city’s future urban growth, regions with higher ecological sensitivity have been designated in the masterplan, which also places emphasis on transit-oriented development corridors on the northern and southern sides of the city.
Zones have been designated based on priorities and as per specific sectors, such as industrial zones, tourism zones, IT sector zones, and residential zones. Three special zones have been earmarked to establish a mobility hub. A heritage zone, covering the Fort and Kowdiar regions, has also been set up.
To encourage open and green areas, the draft master plan has provisioned areas around Fort as ‘no construction’ zones. Additionally, new parks have been identified for construction in the zones. There will be restrictions on development in the area around Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple as per the plan, which also says conservation steps will be taken in green zones and water bodies within the city.
A NON-STARTER PROJECT
The city corporation published the notification for the masterplan in 2017 but the resolution was made several years later. It was reintroduced to prevent any legal objection that may be made against the new masterplan. The first masterplan for the city was mooted in 1966, but it was approved only in 1971. Later, two area development plans and 13 detailed town planning plans were prepared. A draft of the second masterplan was prepared in 1993, but it did not materialise. The civic body also came up with a masterplan in 2013. However, it was withdrawn in February 2014 following widespread protests in the outer areas of the city, especially in Kattayikonam and Attipra, after people found that their requests for building permits were being rejected as some of these areas were marked as strategic zones in the masterplan.