The master plan for the smooth development of Bangalore city
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Vertical or horizontal, where will the native Bangalorean be by the end of the plan period? A look by K. SUKUMARAN
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Photo: G.P. Sampath Kumar
Growing metropolis: An aerial view of Bangalore city. —
With the clearance given by the State Cabinet to the city’s master plan for the period 2005-15, some of the local dailies’ headlines zoomed thus:
Bangalore is set to grow vertical
The master plan will change the face of Bangalore
Mixed land use norm approved
Floor Area Ratio (FAR) increased
An epitaph to a green Bangalore
Those who had seen the draft plan circulated by the Bangalore Development Authority in July, 2005, and filed their objections to some of the proposals are naturally eager to know the shape of the final plan. 500 copies of the plan document, along with maps, priced at Rs.5,000 (original price Rs.10,000) were available for sale. Print orders for more copies are reported to have been issued.
The central theme of the draft plan was “an integrated planning approach towards a vibrant international city”. Its main features were:
Local Planning Area (Bangalore Metropolitan Area) — 1306 sq km
Area for development (conurbation area) — 786 sq km
Green belt and agricultural areas — 455 sq km
Projected population for 2015 — 8.84 million
Salient features
As against the above, the salient features of the approved plan are:
1) Local planning area — 1306 sq km; land use jurisdiction —1219 sq km.
2) Conurbation area — 800 sq km, providing for flexible zoning systems and mixed land use.
3) Green belt area opened up 277 sq km for development considering the demand for land.
Major features
Setting up of integrated townships with a minimum of 40 hectares.
Specific park zones, a special plan to develop a park of 747 acres on the lines of New York’s Central Park.
Identified areas for housing, housing clusters around metro stations.
Increase in FAR in the Central Business District.
Development of valleys and canals.
Provides for waste disposal sites.
Multi-level car parking.
Provision for basement plus 5 levels.
Facilities for sports and games areas in large housing layouts.
Rainwater harvesting.
Changes in regulations covering high rise buildings on the lines of Mumbai regulations.
Quake resistance stipulations.
A review committee to periodically review the implementation of the plan will be set up under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary.
International character
All modern international cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Dubai have grown vertically. But the support systems such as water supply, drainage and transport will have to be very intensive to meet the growing population. One has to hope that this will be taken care of in Bangalore too.
Critical areas
Some critical areas for the master plan are:
Overrun — already, two years have elapsed since the formulation of the plan.
Relaxation in FAR may lead to changes in the construction of buildings which are not yet completed, which may require to be regulated.
Residential houses in the Central Business District will be mostly apartments, and open bungalows may become a thing of the past. Even the few remaining such buildings may be demolished for putting up apartments.
The car parking facilities set apart may still be found inadequate for the increasing vehicle population.
Cost of land in the business district will go up substantially.
Plans to shift offices and Govt. departments from the CBD could have been included in the master plan to reduce congestion.
While alignment between roads and metro appear to have been left out, housing clusters likely to come up around metro stations will help commuting to Central Business District for work.
Change of “face”
The new Central Business District is likely to choke the native Bangalorean whose thirst for independent houses is well known. Older generations may be compelled to move out of the CBD to new townships, though they may miss the Bangalore of their dreams. Further, the increase in land prices may lure them to sell away old bungalows for putting up high rise structures.
With all these, in all probability, we may have to look for the native Bangalorean in places outside the CBD after 2015.
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