E-Paper
Only 219 cities with over 1 lakh population have their master plans notified: Govt
The government told the Rajya Sabha that the master plans for 158 cities with over one lakh population are at a draft stage
Only 219 out of the 500 cities with more than one lakh population as per 2011 census have their master plans notified and for another 158 such cities the master plan is at a draft stage, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
These master plans are being prepared as part of a sub-scheme of the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs’ (MoHUA) flagship Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) mission. Further, under a sub-scheme of AMRUT 2.0, 661 Class-II cities with a population over 50,000 to 1 lakh as per 2011 census are in the proposal stage.
Master plans are legal checks on issues related to urban development usually for a period of 20 years and cater to the demands anticipated in light of future growth.
Notably, the master plan for Delhi 2041 drafted in 2021 is yet to be notified by the Centre.
Addressing reporters on December 10, Manohar Lal Khattar, the minister for housing and urban affairs had refused to give a clear timeline on the notification while stating that stakeholder discussions are still being taken.
These numbers on Monday were presented by minister of state Tokanu Sahu as he replied to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP KR Suresh Reddy from Telangana. Reddy had asked if 65% of 7,933 cities in India don’t have a master plan as stated in a 2021 NITI Aayog report. Another report by non-profit Janaargaha in 2023 had found 39% of capital cities in India lack an active master plan leading to the poor and unsustainable growth of Indian cities.
Sahu added that MoHUA had also issued “Urban and Regional Development Plan Formulation and Implementation (URDPFI) Guidelines”, 2015 to provide a framework for preparation of master plans.
In his reply on the issue of Delhi master plan, Sahu on November 26 had said, “There are a range of complex issues contained in the document which require a detailed analysis and stakeholder consultations which are currently ongoing.”
Finalisation of Draft MPD-2041 document is a time-consuming process, he said, while adding highest priority is being accorded for its finalisation.
