In a move to develop the congested areas of the city, the Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) will very soon formulate a “master plan” under “local area plan” for areas between Bharalumukh to Uzan Bazar. A senior official of GMDA talking to G Plus said, “The survey of the area is almost complete and the ownership details of the area are being studied, after which the master plan will be created.” Local Area Plan (LAP) is the sub-scheme under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT). The goal of this scheme is to support the preparation of Local Area Plans (LAP) and Town Planning Scheme (TPS) on a pilot basis in 25 States/ Cities and build local capacity for undertaking such tasks. States should be able to replicate this exercise on their own in several of their towns and cities to meet the challenges of planned urban development. Accordingly, Guwahati was selected for the task and the GMDA official explained that usually the most congested areas in a city or a town are selected because it is the central business area. “Bharalu point till Uzan Bazaar, the entire area is choked with traffic. The buildings are too close to each other. There is so much congestion, and it requires redevelopment,” said the official adding that accordingly the area was selected for LAP. The total area of the LAP identified portion from Bharalumukh to Uzan Bazar is 300 hectares which is around 2700 bighas, said the official adding that an entire area is the business hub of the city. The official mentioned that due to haphazard construction in the past, the locality has become highly congested. Since it is a central business district, development projects, particularly LAP (Local Area Plan) projects, are typically undertaken in densely populated areas. Talking about the plan the official said at present a survey is being conducted which is almost complete, and after acquiring details of all the plot owners, the master plan will be created. A local area plan gives plot level detail of any area, said the official. The plan will include details on, land use zoning and density, public open space, private open space, car parking, provision of infrastructure, conservation of built heritage, conservation of the natural environment, provision of traveller accommodation, community facilities and design and development standards. The master plan will look at wider roads, and arcades on the buildings, said the official. In architecture, an arcade is a set of contiguous arches that are all supported by columns or piers. Arcades on the outside of a building normally create a walkway, while an arcade on the inside can be found on the lowest part of the walls. Regarding how will be the plan executed, the official said that if a plot owner is approached to leave a portion of the land whatever ratio it may be depending on the master plan–10 feet or 5 feet, instead of offering cash, the property owner will be given Transferable Development Rights (TDR), which will be a certificate with the help of which the property owner could build one more floor on top of the building, or in a property which is located somewhere else, or even the property owner can sell the TDR to a builder for whatever price he/she wants. In places like Ahmedabad, everything is done through TDRs, stressed the official. The entire idea is to decongest the area for the “public”, said the official and after the master plan is ready the GMDA will approach the public, first sensitise them and thereafter start working on the plots in lieu of TDRs. The GMDA is in talks with the builders’ association for their support on the issue because, without the support of the builders and property owners, the LAP implementation will be challenging. LAP from Bharalumukh to Uzan Bazar is the pilot project, and if it turns out successful, the plan will be gradually implemented in different areas of Guwahati too, said the GMDA official. It needs to be mentioned that GMDA developmental works have always seen a sluggish speed and mostly because the bureaucrats heading the body get transferred frequently. The Chief Executive Officer who had extensively worked in planning the LAP from Bharalumukh to Uzan Bazar is recently transferred and a new bureaucrat will take charge soon. The success of the project will depend on how seriously the new head will pursue the project.
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