New master plan for ULBs being laid out

New master plan for ULBs being laid out
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Road network,  sewerage system, creation of residential, commercial and industrial zones and other  infrastructure facilities  in many Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)  in Telangana state  are ‘ unscientific’ as the municipalities endorsed the works without a ‘Master Plan’ in the town planning. 

Hyderabad: Road network, sewerage system, creation of residential, commercial and industrial zones and other infrastructure facilities in many Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Telangana state are ‘ unscientific’ as the municipalities endorsed the works without a ‘Master Plan’ in the town planning.

A study conducted by Commissioner and Director of Municipal Administration (CDMA) said that only 18 municipalities in the state have master plans which adhere to the municipal acts. Nearly 50 per cent of the existing 68 ULBs were still functioning without master plan resulting in haphazard development of the local bodies. Another 20 per cent of the municipalities continue to follow outdated master plans.

It may be mentioned here that every ULB is mandated to adopt a master plan under the state Municipal Acts - AP Town Planning Act, 1920 and UDA Act, 1975 of undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The report said the master plan prepared and approved within 4 years as per APTP Act was only in 3 municipalities - Ramagundam, Kothagudem and Miryalaguda in Telangana.

The approval for most of the plans took more than 25 years in many urban bodies due to various factors mainly local political reasons, officials said. As a result, ownership disputes on the properties owned by the government increased in the municipalities.

In some master plans, the core issues-- ownership of all lands and buildings in the plan area, extent of land in the master plan area under public/private ownership and infrastructure facilities such as water supply, drainage, street lighting and transport facilities were not included.

“Master plans have been redundant as the urban bodies skipped such important issue in town planning”, a senior official said. Government has taken the ‘unscientific ‘development of the rapidly growing urban areas as a serious issue. On the instructions of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao , Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA and UD) Department began fresh exercise to prepare master plan for each municipality this year.

Officials said under the new plans, it adopted four land use zones in the place of the existing five zones. Residential use zone, industrial use zone, mixed use zone (non- residential and non industrial) and conservation zone (environment, heritage, recreation and agriculture and water bodies) would be created in every town planning. The fifth zone- public and semi public use zone would be deleted in the plan.

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