BDA has got hundreds of letters suggesting that road-widening be scrapped in 2035 plan
Letters poured in to the offices of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) after it asked the citizens to send in their objections and suggestions for the proposed Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2035,which will replace theMasterPlan2015.And most of the letters,sent by citizens groups,resident welfare associations and individuals,were complaints against road-widening projects.Sources said that one citizen even went to the extent of writing a letter in blood.It seems like everybody who is at the risk of losing his or her property to road-widening has written to the BDA saying that such an initiative should not be part of the 2035 plan.Some even suggested various alternatives, a source said.Road widening has always remained a contentious issue.Back in 2006 when the 2015 plan was in its initial stages,the BBMP had announced plans to widen 216 roads,mostly in the central areas of the city.But as of 2012,only 20 of these roads have been widened.The BBMP came up with the transferable development rights as compensation for people whose properties would be demolished or taken over for road widening.Even this resulted in further controversies with allegations of misuse by developers.Green activists have also opposed road widening as many old trees had to be chopped off.The Sankey Tank Road widening according to the 2015 plan was also challenged in the High Court.
Letters poured in to the offices of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) after it asked the citizens to send in their objections and suggestions for the proposed Revised Master Plan (RMP) 2035,which will replace theMasterPlan2015.And most of the letters,sent by citizens groups,resident welfare associations and individuals,were complaints against road-widening projects.Sources said that one citizen even went to the extent of writing a letter in blood.It seems like everybody who is at the risk of losing his or her property to road-widening has written to the BDA saying that such an initiative should not be part of the 2035 plan.Some even suggested various alternatives, a source said.Road widening has always remained a contentious issue.Back in 2006 when the 2015 plan was in its initial stages,the BBMP had announced plans to widen 216 roads,mostly in the central areas of the city.But as of 2012,only 20 of these roads have been widened.The BBMP came up with the transferable development rights as compensation for people whose properties would be demolished or taken over for road widening.Even this resulted in further controversies with allegations of misuse by developers.Green activists have also opposed road widening as many old trees had to be chopped off.The Sankey Tank Road widening according to the 2015 plan was also challenged in the High Court.
The Master Plan 2015 is the comprehensive development plan currentlyinplace.Theallegationagainst civic agencies is that only four per cent of the plan envisioned by the BDA in the 2015 plan has been completed till date.In another two years when the RMP 2035 comes into existence it may only carry over the current plan's ideas that have not been implemented.
BDA is entrusted with planning the city and a comprehensive development plan has to be revised once every 10 years.The first CDP came into force in 1984.
Environmentalists too oppose road-widening as it needs axing of full-grown trees
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