Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) has come out with the draft plan for Bengaluru that will decide the city’s growth for next 15 years. The Revised Master Plan-2031 (RMP-2031) has been displayed in its website. It’s time for interested citizens to understand and decode the RMP and comment in it, raise objections or give suggestions.
The process of first Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) was started in 1995, but as public were less connected among themselves and to the government, there was lack of engagement from the public. As a result the planning process became an one-sided affair, largely catering to the business interests and commercialisation.
However, in practicality, the plan did not suit the ground realities, and it wasn’t followed. Lakes became encroached, and commercialisation occurred on smaller roads. The process was also ridden with legal battles, as a result when the final master plan came out, the duration for which it was designed was almost over.
Then it was again time for a new master plan, for the changed, fast-growing Bengaluru. In 2015, the Government kickstarted the process. Ever since, there have been public debates about the process and the plan. The team working on master plan also held consultations with groups of public and special interest groups.
Now, the draft master plan is out and is seeking public inputs. And the display mechanisms have improved, with the government displaying it all online. Thus the scope for public engagement has improved a lot.
In this background, Citizen Matters, in association with Bengaluru Political Action Committee (BPAC) and Ooru.in introduce the ‘Master the Master Plan’ series of events, which involves:
1) Webinars on understanding the master plan from different angles,
2) Public comparison maps of existing and proposed land uses, and
3) A contest on analysing hyperlocal areas – what the master plan does to one area.
Aim of ‘Master the Master Plan’ is to introduce Master Plan to citizens, prompt them to look at the Master Plan, in the local level and the city level, and help them understand and engage in the city planning process.
A series of web videos will be organised covering subjects to give a familiarity for the citizens. This will be followed by a contest for citizens to send in analytical write ups in Kannada and English.
Topic of the contest: What will the revised master plan do to my area (or a particular area of your choice, either a ward, or a particular planning district)?
Winning entries will be awarded with cash prize of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 for winners and runners!
The webinar will be kicked off on Monday, December 18th 2017, on https://www.facebook.com/BPACofficial/ and will be re-shared on https://www.facebook.com/citizenmattersbengaluru/
Topic for Monday December 18, 2017: How to make sense of Master Plan
Speaker: V. Ravichandar, Chairman & MD, Feedback Consulting
Time: 7:30 pm – 8:00 pm
To participate in the contest, please click here: https://citizenmatters.in/master-the-master-plan-contest