BENGALURU: State capital Bengaluru has not had a Master Plan since 2015, but most interestingly, the city never had a Master Plan Scheme drawn up. This is why most Bengalureans experience traffic jams, complain of narrow or poorly maintained footpaths, or experience flooding whenever it rains heavily.
While the Master Plan lists out areas where development can happen, the Master Plan Scheme explains how the development should happen, and if there is an extension of an area, how it should be done.
According to rules, a Master Plan Scheme should be prepared along with a Master Plan. Officials and experts admit that the Master Plan Scheme was never prepared for Bengaluru.
“A Master Plan Scheme is salient to a city and its organised growth. Because of its absence, there is haphazard development in Bengaluru, regular traffic jams, malls and mega housing projects on two-lane roads, regular flooding in the city,” a senior government official told TNSE. The official also pointed out that there is no agency to prepare the Master Plan Scheme, which is why it has never been done.
While many serving government officials in Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) and BBMP wonder what the Master Plan Scheme is, retired officials admit that it was not done decades ago when no new Layouts were being formed, and politicians or bureaucrats showed no interest.
An official from the Urban Development Department said: “An attempt to prepare the scheme was done in 2017-18, but it was scrapped in 2019 due to political reasons. Bengaluru’s last Master Plan was prepared in 2007 — which was the 2015 Master Plan — and it continues even now. The 2031 plan was scrapped. Developments in Mahadevapura zone and other new areas are not part of the 2015 plan. Most developments in Bengaluru are therefore in the absence of a Master Plan and a Master Plan Scheme.”
A senior BDA official added that the Authority does not prepare a Master Plan Scheme for the entire city, but only when Layouts are formed. “A scheme has been prepared for Kempegowda Layout, which lists how the Layout should be formed. This is the only one which has been done. Since Outer Ring Road, Peripheral Ring Road or any such mega infrastructure project had not been chalked out, no scheme was prepared. Metro is also not listed. Introduction of Floor Area Ratio for Central Business District areas is also due to lack of a scheme.”
What are Master plan & scheme?
Master Plan defines how each area should be utilised, and divides the city into zones. Master Plan Scheme lists out how roads and footpaths should be, development plan of each area. While the plan lists out areas for development, the scheme explains how it should happen.