The Hindu : Karnataka / Mysore News : `Adopt Western pattern of numbering houses in new layout'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 24, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mysore

`Adopt Western pattern of numbering houses in new layout'

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, DEC. 23. Even as it welcomed the innovative features in the new Vasanthanagar layout coming up on Mysore-Bannur Road, the Mysore Grahakara Parishat (MGP) has urged the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) and Mysore City Corporation (MCC) to adopt the Western pattern of numbering houses with a view to facilitating their easy location.

Responding to MUDA's request for public feedback on its plan for the layout, the parishat said the existing pattern of numbering houses was unscientific. "It is just about impossible to locate a house even if you know its number and the street. Houses bearing successive numbers can be separated by a distance of several hundred metres", said R. Bapu Satyanarayana and N. Ramesh, convenors of the parishat.

The parishat has urged the MUDA and the MCC to employ the house numbering method, which was in vogue in many western countries. "In this system, numbers are given only along the main roads; all the houses on the left side of the road are given even numbers and those on the right side are given odd numbers. The houses till the first cross are given numbers up to 99, the houses between I cross and II cross are given numbers between 100 and 199, and those between II cross and III cross are given numbers between 200 and 299," the parishat said.

Explaining the advantage of the western pattern, the parishat said the exercise of locating houses will become easier. "If one is looking for house number 781, he immediately knows that it is on the right side of the road between seventh cross and eighth cross."

Citing the experiences of several people in locating houses under the present pattern, the parishat said one was forced to ask for directions from local people. "The seeming randomness in house numbers makes it difficult even for the local people to locate a house from its given address."

The parishat said the unscientific manner of numbering houses had led a lot of people to include references to cross roads, landmarks such as temples, hospitals and parks in their addresses. "Even with these lengthy addresses, there is no guarantee that the house can be found," the parishat said.

The parishat has urged the MUDA to create space for parking vehicles in the commercial area of the new layout. It has suggested that the cost of land for parking space may be passed on to the owners of commercial property by increasing the price of their sites. Apart from urging the MUDA to scrap side setbacks in small plots, the parishat has favoured creation of cul-de-sac (dead end or blind alley) to provide for parking vehicles.

The parishat has welcomed the innovative features in the new layout. The MUDA deserves compliments for the absence of houses in low-lying areas, detailed allotment of sites with spaces reserved for fruit and vegetable vendors, food court for snack vendors, petrol station, bus terminal, autorickshaw and taxi stands, the parishat said.

The parishat has welcomed the designation of a main road as commercial area and the provision of ducted utilities so that roads are not cut. "There are several innovative features, which did not exist in the previous layout plans", said Mr. Satyanarayana and Dr. Ramesh after participating in a meeting convened by the MUDA Commissioner, Pankaj Kumar Pandey, to elicit feedback on the new layout.

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