CITY BASED ISSUE: Bhopal

The Development Plan (draft) 2031 for the city

proving disastrous for the environment

Fundamentals of Urban
Umang Manhar 2/2/22
and Regional Planning
OVERVIEW OF THE CITY:
Bhopal is the capital city of the ‘Heart of India’ – Madhya Pradesh. It is located on hilly terrain within
the Malwa Plateau in the North and the Vindhyachal ranges in the South with its beautiful landscape of
hillocks and lakes. The city is the centre of the social, economic, and political life of Madhya Pradesh
with a legacy of rich historical past and future aspirations.
The natural and geographic setting of Bhopal renders a unique environmental characteristic to the
city. It is built on the banks of the two lakes with unique and rare flora and fauna. There are in total 18
major water bodies that not only serve as important water resources but are also essential to the
ecology of the whole Bhopal region.
The Bhojtal, along with its catchments has an area of 361 sq. Km and is a unique habitat for migratory
birds. It provides environmental and socio-cultural services to the population in and around Bhopal
and supplies nearly 40 per cent of the domestic city water needs. The Bhopal region is biodiverse with
25.4% of the forest land. It comprises of a large part of the Ratapani forest sanctuary that has been
marked as a Tiger reserve. The natural features of Bhopal are the natural heritage of the city, which
needs to be protected.

THE ISSUE: Draft Development Plan, 2031, disastrous for the Upper
Lake and the Environment
➢ The Proposal
The city’s first draft development plan for 2031 came out in the
KEY FOCUS AREAS
public domain, after a gap of 25 years, on March 5th, 2020.
1. Zoning and Development
The main focus of the plan includes creating a vibrant,
sustainable, and liveable city, and to transform Bhopal into a 2. Transport Network and Mobility
world-class metropolitan city. The comprehensive Development
3. Housing
Plan envisages the direction of development considering social,
economic, natural, and built environment. The plan has been 4. Green Network
formulated after carefully studying and analysing the spatial, the
5. Physical Infrastructure
population and the economic growth trends.
6. Social Infrastructure
The draft basically is the guiding document for where, how
much, and what type of construction or activity should be 7. Economic Development
allowed in the coming years. But the BDP 2031, approved
8. Heritage
provisions for construction activities on green zones which does
not abide by the whole green space conservation concept. 9. Environment

The planning area for BDA 2005 was 605 sq. km and the
proposed planning area for BDA 2031 is 1016.9 sq. km. The purpose of the enlargement of the
planning area is reportedly to include all the villages falling in the upper lake catchment area and to
develop uniform development control norms across the entire catchment area and other wetland
areas. The draft also declared the Kerwa-Kaliasot complex—home to numerous tigers—as a public
semi-public (PSP) land use zone, which allows the construction of schools, colleges, and hospitals in
an area. This has attracted serious criticism from environmentalists, wildlife enthusiasts,
conservationists and even urban planners as the decision risks the life of the upper lake – the lifeline of
the city - and that of the wetlands and other wildlife conservation areas. (Directorate Town and
Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020) (Noronha, 2020) (Naveen, 2020)
(Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020)
(Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020)
Some proposals for the lakefront area and wetland region are:

(Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020)

 ➢ The Feedback
Suggestions and complaints came thick and fast, and these vastly included objections on permitting
development in the eco-sensitive zones which would raise serious concerns over the environment and
ecological balance in the city. Most of these objections term the draft disastrous for the city’s lake and
environment and point out several legal issues regarding the finalisation of the plan.

MAJOR CONCERN:
Environment - water bodies, green covers and rivers

Risk to Upper Lake

(Bhojtal), Reduction of Reduction of Tiger
wetlands Reserve areas

The Bhopal Citizens’ Forum – a body of prominent residents of the capital city, filed PIL, raising
concern over the likely detrimental impact on Upper Lake and the tiger habitat area near Kerwa and
Kaliyasot reservoirs and reduction of agricultural lands and green spaces based on an exaggerated
population projection, i.e., the draft has projected the population of Bhopal in 2031 as 36 lakhs, which
the petition says is improbable by any calculations and cannot exceed 27 lakhs. It actually makes
provision for residential and other land use which is enough for a population of around 80 lakhs – a
huge extra provision. (Sarkar, 2020)
According to a report, the BDP 2031 also possesses a major scope for mischief when the area of the
lake is concerned. The plan shows the Upper Lake’s area as 34.84 square kilometres whereas a
survey conducted by the Bhopal District Administration and the civic body in 2019 when the lake was
full pegged its area at 38.72 sq. km. (Noronha, 2020)
The PIL also includes a suggestion letter that raises objections on specific points in the plan. These
include the provision of two proposed roads, one an 18-metre-wide highway along its north and the
other a fancier 45-metre ring road along its southern periphery, passing over and across the Upper
Lake that can destroy thick plantation and vegetation of Upper Lake, the only Ramsar Convention-
protected site in central India and also a wetland area. Spread over more than 32 square kilometres,
the Bhoj Wetland is rich in biodiversity. It possesses zooplanktons, phytoplanktons, insects, natural
and cultured fish species, and is home to a massive number of resident and migratory bird species.
The Upper Lake is a drinking water source; the riparian zone of the wetland has an estimated 1.7
million trees. It came into existence when an earthen dam was built on the Upper Lake in the 11th
century and another dam was constructed on the Lower Lake 200 years ago.
An objection is also raised against showing a big residential area on Bhopal-Indore Road where
actually illegal marriage gardens exist close to Upper Lake and allowing permissible activities on the
24-metre-wide road. They termed it as a clear attempt to regularise the illegal gardens at the cost of
life and the ecology of the lake. (Sarkar, 2020)
The identity of the city derives from these lakes. By proposing roads and residential areas in a
Ramsar-protected site, the state government indicates its carelessness for the environment. Also, In
the wildlife census released in 2019, Madhya Pradesh, with 526 tigers, was crowned as the tiger state
of India and measures must be taken to save the pride of the city as well as the state. (Noronha,
2020)

➢ The Stakeholders Involved:

Implementing Bodies:

1.) Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh

2.) Bhopal Development Authority (BDA)
3.) Madhya Pradesh Housing and Infrastructure Development Board (MPHIDB)
4.) Capital Project Administration (CPA)
5.) Central Public Works Department (CPWD)
6.) Public Works Department (PWD)
7.) Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC)
8.) Other Private Bodies

For Suggestions and Feedback:

Extensive public consultations and stakeholder meetings are carried out which include

1.) Experts from several Government and Semi-Government departments

2.) Non-Government Organizations (NGOs)
3.) Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT), Ahmedabad
4.) Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology (MANIT), Bhopal
5.) School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Bhopal
6.) Institute of Town Planners (ITPI)
7.) Indian Institute of Architects (IIA)
8.) Institution of Engineers
9.) Citizen groups and experts
10.) Nursing home association
11.) OHD Chamber of commerce
12.) Transporters Association
13.) Govindpura Industries Association
14.) Hoteliers Association
15.) Bhopal Builder’s Association
16.) Bhopal Citizens’ Forum
17.) Public representatives

(Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020)

(Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020)

➢ The Solution
The stakeholders concerned for the ecological well-being of the city requested the government to give
clear instructions to the director not to refer to any development norms and provisions of the Draft
Development plan 2031, which are not as per legal provisions. Besides, a request was made for a
complete ban to be imposed in the villages of catchment areas of the Lakes with reference to any
development permission or modification in the earlier permission.
Several PILs and letters were fabricated by various citizen groups and eminent citizens who opposed
the development plan draft. The state government was also willing to make improvements in the plan
and handed it over to a committee of experts. The government intended to omit all such provisions
which the citizens were opposing. A decision on the master plan was taken at a meeting where
suggestions of all stakeholders were considered.
According to a report, the master plan of Bhopal, which was being prepared for the last nine years,
will be implemented from January 2022 which abides by the demands of the citizens. (Pandey, 2022)

➢ Additional Solution
Another solution from my understanding for the upper lake catchment area villages can be to invest in
introducing new modern ideas and technology which will help the villages become self-sustaining and
independent instead of completely devoiding development initiatives there. This way the ecology of
the area will not be disturbed, and it will also lead towards the overall development of the particular
area.

➢ References
Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020. Bhopal Development Plan‐2031, (Draft),
Volume–I (Existing Conditions, Studies & Analysis), s.l.: s.n.

Directorate Town and Country Planning (T&CP), Madhya Pradesh, 2020. Bhopal Development Plan-2031, (Draft),
Volume–II (Planning Proposals and recommendations), s.l.: s.n.

Naveen, P., 2020. The Times of India. [Online]

Available at: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/bhopal-master-plan-2031-tussle-over-proposal-to-
post-shunted-woman-officer-in-tncp/articleshow/77326856.cms
[Accessed 2nd February 2022].

Noronha, R., 2020. India Today. [Online]

Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/saving-bhopal-s-famed-urban-tigers-1715845-
2020-08-27
[Accessed 2nd February 2022].

Noronha, R., 2020. India Today. [Online]

Available at: https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/why-bhopal-s-development-plan-could-kill-its-
upper-lake-1713381-2020-08-20
[Accessed 2nd February 2022].

Pandey, M., 2022. Free Press Journal. [Online]

Available at: https://www.freepressjournal.in/bhopal/bhopal-a-blue-print-of-development-in-2022
[Accessed 2nd February 2022].

Sarkar, S., 2020. The Week. [Online]

Available at: https://www.theweek.in/news/india/2020/09/03/bhopal-development-plan-draft-triggers-eco-
concern-upper-lake-tiger-habitat.html
[Accessed 2nd February 2022].

TNN, 2020. The Times of India. [Online]

Available at: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/save-upper-lake-in-new-city-
masterplan/articleshow/77651440.cms
[Accessed 2nd February 2022]