DRAFT DEVELOPMENT PLAN
At any conferences, seminars,
discussions or at meetings the only statement that is commonly made is
“Bangalore is the fastest growing city in the country, in Asia or in the
World”. No doubt it is time that this is
the fastest growing city, whether we should appreciate it or we should curse
ourselves for this unwarranted ugly unplanned growth is a point that worries
every one. So far all the plans, if any, have been totally flouted. No building
byelaws have been followed; no law governing the growth has been respected. However
with industries, multinational companies coming in, people from everywhere have
found Bangalore to be their destination for earning their livelihood and thus
Bangalore is growing. There has been unscientific growth all around, occupying
the available land whether agricultural or non agricultural. There have been large scale encroachments on
Government lands and the stage has reached when nothing can be done to set
right the things.
Now
Government has come out with a comprehensive development plan for the
Metropolitan City of Bangalore through French consultancy services. What are the guiding principles, if any, in
this exercise involving crores of rupees is not known? One thing appears to
have been disclosed is, it is a plan for the next ten years, i.e. till
2015. This so called ‘CDP 2015’ has been
displayed by Bangalore Development Authority for Public viewing at the city’s youth
centre viz. Yavanika. People are visiting in 100’s and 1000’s. A common man can
hardly make out any thing. The maximum
that a common man does at the exhibition is tries to find out, after a couple
of hours searching, his place or his site. For what purpose this search is not
known.
For
a common man it is not possible to know about the ultimate purpose of the
CDP. What the basic idea behind the plan
and why for ten years! Well, it is only
for the planners to explain and convince the common man. What a common man in Bangalore wants is –
good roads, jam free traffic movement, well organised and on scientific basis
the city’s public transport system, open spaces and gardens, good school
buildings, market places, adequate water supply, efficient drainage system and
so on, and not just the plan for the next ten years of which one year is almost
over.
Various
major infrastructure works are in progress now.
What is needed is the works are completed expeditiously as per schedule
and not to talk or debate on future plan.
Bangaloreans are aware of the slow pace of execution of the various infrastructure
works like the International Airport, Metro rail, some flyovers etc.
What
is required in the circumstance is that the authorities concerned should
periodically give the status reports about the works in progress about the
schemes already planned and are yet to be taken up. The delay in completion of the works affects
the citizens and the business community.
If there is a delay in completing the flyovers and the roads connected
with those flyovers the shop keepers, business establishments have to face
loses apart from inconvenience.
For
any growth, planning is necessary but any such plan should be in the interest
of the common man and for the benefit of the citizens. If the plan is made keeping in view the
immediate need and executed in time and on schedule it would be more in the
interest of a common man.
The
CDP 2015 provides for large scale industrialisation, large scale population
influx from all over, without any indications of halting the expansion. If such planning continues we may all see the
city of Bangalore with a radius of 100 Kms, i.e. Tumkur, Mysore, Kolar all
becoming part of Bangalore City. No
thought is given while preparing the present 2015 plan about the developments
of other cities like Belgaum, Hubli-Dharwar, Mysore, Gulbarga and
Mangalore. The other cities have been
deprived of their basic needs and their developments. Bangalore means the entire state or the state
means Bangalore that is what a common man feels.
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