Date:14/12/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/12/14/stories/2008121450940300.htm

Other States - Orissa

State draws flak on CDP

Staff Reporter

‘Give say to independent experts’

Plan is handbook on city’s development
Hearing will be held on suggestions, says BDA official

BHUBANESWAR: With the State Government set to go through the process of finalising Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) prepared by the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (IITK), for Bhubaneswar, stakeholders have questioned the wisdom of not taking the help of technical experts to judge the report.

The Orissa chapter of the Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) said before taking a final view on the CDP, which would be the foremost handbook on city’s development for next few decades, the plan should have been thoroughly assessed by independent experts, who would have previous experience to handle such a mammoth task.

“IIT, Kharagpur has prepared the CDP using its own perspective. Although objections and suggestions were invited from general public as well as other stakeholders on the plan, some broad-based fundamental errors could be detected by highly-experienced experts only,” Akshaya Beuria, Chairman of IIA, Orissa, said here on Saturday. He said the final CDP had a lot of loopholes, which should have been fixed.

A Board of Inquiry would be constituted very shortly to conduct hearing based on the objections and suggestions received by Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) on the CDP.

“We have received feedback from around 5,000 individuals and organizations. The Board of Inquiry would hear them very soon,” BDA Vice-Chairman D. K Singh said on the sidelines of seminar held here on Saturday on ‘Otto Koeinigsberger’s (Architect of New Bhubaneswar) Dream and Realisation of the same in the proposed CDP for Bhubaneswar.’

He said the board could comprise four or five members, mostly top government officials and experts from IIT, Kharagpur.

‘Enough technology’

Elaborating institute’s objections and suggestions, Mr. Beuria said “If the present CDP is implemented, Bhubaneswar would look beautiful by 2030. We have enough technology and tools to carry out this before implementing the CDP. By this we can have a three dimensional walkthrough, define and skyline, cityscape and its structure.”

The entire land use plan required revision as there were some noticeable fundamental mistakes on road networks, delineation of CDP areas, recreational areas, buffer zone, infrastructure and housing, IIIA, Orissa chapter, said.

Similarly, Real Estate Developers’ Association (REDA) Chairman Anup Mohapatra said the agency responsible for preparing the CDP had not done realistic survey of land availability and not studied fast developments the city was currently witnessing.IIT, Kharagpur should have been helped by a group of Orissa government officials, Mr. Mohapatra suggested.