The Silicon Valley of India and the capital of Karnataka, Bangalore is one of the fastest growing cities in India. This cosmopolitan city with the presence of IT/ITES industries and public sector undertakings, such as BEL, BEML and HAL had led to its growth that attracts people from everywhere in India to settle here.
BDA Master Plan: Evolution
The Local Planning Area (LPA) of the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) spreads over 1,219.50 sq km (as per revised master plan (RMP)-2015) with a population of around 85 Lakh as per census 2011. The LPA of BDA includes the following:
- Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) excluding area under Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor Area Planning Authority (BMICAPA)
- 251 villages in the BBMP periphery
Since 1976, all the BDA’s master plan projects have worked on addressing the changing urban landscape and challenges the city faced. In July 2020, the BDA withdrew the previous plan and decided to revise it. With the influx in population, the BDA is working on revising and preparing the master plan for Bangalore 2031.
The Bangalore Master Plan 2031 will focus on the infrastructure, effective usage of land, and transit-oriented development, while preserving the city’s green belt.
Revised BDA Master Plan: Objective
- Long-term planning
- Safeguard of environment and explore alternate sources of energy
- Garbage-free city
- Accurate representation of information
- Low-cost housing and green open space, large parks, and playgrounds
- Conservation of heritage places in the city
- Integrated land usage, traffic, and transportation planning, better road networks
- Disaster preparedness
- Citizen safety, support for senior citizens and differently abled
- Rebuilding houses and pattas and providing basic services for slum dwellers
BDA Master Plan Map
Source: RSP-2031-BMRDA
- The premium floor area ratio (FAR) in Bangalore Master Plan 2031 may be set to five, which will allow construction of tall commercial, and mixed-land-use projects along the transit corridors.
- The draft master plan has proposed large buffer zones around lakes and drains. However, the Supreme Court struck down this order, which was mandated by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Now, the revised master plan may not have such conditions.
- There is an ongoing debate on whether the elevated corridor projects will be included in the revised master plan, following public resentment regarding land acquisition for the projects.
BDA Master Plan 2031: Highlights
- Transit-oriented development: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) came out with a transit-oriented development (TOD) policy in May 2019. This was at odds with the Draft Master Plan 2031. The revised master plan will use the TOD policy that will include dense, mixed-land-use developments along the transit corridors, such as bus hubs, and suburban rail corridors. Focus will be on developing integrated transportation hubs, enabling ease of travel.
- Impact zones: Impact zones will be created near transport routes that will have stores and houses nearby. These ‘Impact Zones’ will have high density, mixed-land-use developments that will be within five to 10 minutes of walking distance from the mass transit corridors.
- Higher buildings: Vertical development will be a focus so that larger space will be put into use. There are chances that the premium FAR in the Bangalore Master Plan 2031 will be set to five, which will allow construction of tall commercial and mixed-land-use projects along the transit corridors.
- Changes to lake and drain buffer zones: Due to the Supreme Court order, the RMP-2031 may not include prior buffer zones around lakes and drains.
- Elevated roads: A decision on use of elevated roads is still being discussed as this will involve use of land.
BDA Master Plan 2031: Various zones
Source: Revised Master Plan for Bengaluru- 2031(draft) volume-1 vision document
Zone A: With a little scope for further growth in this zone, it needs strategies that can stabilise its growth. Also, commercialisation and development of economic centres within this area will not be a focus.
Zone B: This area will be between the Outer Ring Road and the conurbation limit of RMP-2015, part of this zone. The development will be a priority here as the zone is characterised by narrow roads, and absence of good network.
Zone C: This zone is the outermost zone that extends from the conurbation limits till the BMA boundary. It has agricultural land use and has sparse developments. As per the RMP 2031, this will be developed to help the farmer community.
Bangalore Master Plan 2031: Timeline
| Date | Event |
| May 2012 | Idea of preparing revised plan floated |
| February 2014 | Consultant for the master plan selected |
| April 2015 | Public consultation held |
| January 2017 | Public meetings were conducted |
| October 2017 | Final revised master plan submitted |
| November 2017 | Provisional approval of draft master plan |
| November 2017-January 2018 | Over 14,000 objections were received |
| January 2019 | Revised master plan sent to the Urban Development Department for approval |
| May 2019 | BMRCL comes out with TOD policy |
| July 2020 | The Urban Development Department asks BDA to withdraw draft master plan 2031 |
BDA Master Plan: Objections
- Property owners across Bangalore opposed the demarcation of zones as residential, commercial, and agricultural.
- Inclusion of private property in 12 heritage zones was opposed.
- The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) regulation of buffer zones around lakes was called out to be very strict.
- Property owners asked for more FAR, which would have given them more space for the construction.
- No public comments, or suggestions were included in the revised draft and no clarification was given by the BDA over why these were ignored.
- The draft did not evaluate the previous master plan and analyse the reasons why parts of RMP 2015 were not implemented.
FAQs
What is a master plan?
A master plan is a long-term planning document, to guide the future development of a city.
Where can I find the CDP Bangalore Master Plan?
You can check out key highlights of the Bangalore Master Plan in this article.
What is the full form of BDA?
The BDA stands for Bangalore Development Authority, which is a government organisation, the principal planning authority for Bangalore.
What is the future plan of Bangalore?
Bangalore Master Plan 2031 plans the future of the city by focusing on its growth in terms of infrastructure, usage of land, transit-oriented development, and conservation of the environment.
Is it safe to buy BDA properties?
Properties approved by the BDA are legally secure as it identifies ownership and the development’s legality.
| Got any questions or point of view on our article? We would love to hear from you. Write to our Editor-in-Chief Jhumur Ghosh at jhumur.ghosh1@housing.com |