TERRA GARDEN

THE INDIAN EXPRESS: DELHI AND LUCKNOW EDITION 22 JUNE 2014

 Lucknow Development Authority to launch Master Plan 2031

TNN | Jun 12, 2014, 04.47AM IST

 

LUCKNOW: Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) has announced to develop a new city master plan taking into consideration facilities which the state capital would require till 2031. The current plan highlights the city planning till 2021. The new plan will cover housing and transport facilities, road connectivity, green cover, etc.

At a board meeting held here on Wednesday, LDA announced to include the city's extended areas under the master plan 2031. This would empower LDA to approve maps in these areas. Currently, it is done by zila panchayats. There has always been a clash of interest between LDA and the zila panchayat regarding powers to sanction maps. While panchayats claim they are empowered to approve maps in areas not covered under the master plan, LDA says that the power to sanction map is vested with it according to 'UP Urban Planning and Development Act 1973'.

In a government's notification of 2009, around 197 villages were included in the extended development areas, but since these were not mentioned in the master plan, often small developers got maps sanctioned by zila panchayats at rates lesser than that of LDA and sold projects to people at lucrative prices. The fee charged by zila panchayat is nominal as compared to the development fee charged by LDA. Usually, the panchayat's fee is one-fourth of LDA's development fee.

To save on cost, many developers get maps sanctioned by panchayats, but often flout building norms. Once these villages are included in the master plan, all the land and properties in the extended area will come under LDA's purview even though their maps have been approved by the panchayat.

This will adversely affect those who have unknowingly bought properties in surrounding areas without checking whether the map has been sanctioned by LDA or not. There are many such illegal structures on Sitapur Road, IIM Road, Kanpur Road and Faizabad Road. Ironically, LDA, which has been passive over the contentious issue of unauthorised constructions across the city, has now woken up to the cause.

People are questioning as to why the authority took five years to include extended areas under the master plan. Defending its move, LDA officials said, "When a city is extended and included under the development plan, it takes about four-five years to incorporate the people's needs in the master plan. Though villages were notified under LDA in 2009, it has taken fiveyears to understand the development plan of the area."

Projects above 25 acres in extended development area to be approved by LDA

Master Plan 2031 (Outer Ring Road), Times of India News

Master Plan 2021 (Outer Ring Road)

Future of Outer Ring Road (News Paper Report)