Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Patna 2021: Master Plan for mega expansion

PATNA: The Master Plan unveiled by the Patna Regional Development Authority (PRDA) for a "big and beautiful Patna" like Mumbai and Delhi by 2021 has some startling facts and figures. While the present Patna urban area consisting of Patna municipal area, Danapur Nizamat, Danapur cantonment and their outgrowth is 135 sq km, it is projected to expand to 333.2 sq km. The urban area has to grow to cater to the needs of a poulation of 46.97 lakh by the year 2021. The number of house holdings, which was estimated to be 3.75 lakh in 2001, will rise to 7.82 lakh.
Here are some projections:
The existing planned residential area in Patna is 8938 hectares. It is proposed that it should rise to 14,609.57 hectares.
The planned residential area in Patna is 641 hectares while for apartments it is 242 hectares. Unplanned residential-cum-commercial areas come to 8013 hectares apart from 42 hectares of slums.
By 2021, according to the Master Plan, the face of the city will change dramatically. There will be 8014.70 hectares of residential area, 514.9 hectares of commercial area, 1073.91 hectares of community area, over 3000 hectares of green land, 1709.44 hectares of internal roads and 88.74 hectares of infrastructure area.
However, the existing land occupied by administrative offices of the government, educational and medical institutions, religious, archeological and historical sites and graveyards and cremation ghats which is currently over 691 hectares, is proposed to be reduced to 68.24 hectares.
The area for clubs, cinema halls, theatres, parks and playgrounds is to be increased from 224 to over 990 hectares.
There is a proposal for 60 metre-wide roads in Patna occupying a space of over 681.98 hectares, apart from 800 hectares of 30 and 20-metre wide roads.
The Master Plan speaks of building a North-South Activity Corridor for public-semi public use, which is an expansion of the present node comprising the secretariat, assembly, high court, various central and state government offices and semi-government instiutions within the present PMC area. This corridor will have a 60-m wide road which will be connected to Gaya Road near Punpun river.
This corridor will have offices, hospitals, hotels, security establishments, heritage park among other things.
The area will have limited residential area -- 25 per cent at the maximum. It also speaks about building an East-West Activity Corridor to house commercial and related activities. The Plan also speaks about the need to develop Maner and Fatuha as satellite towns and also develop Hajipur and Sonepur in order to shift the population pressure coming to Patna urban area. It also lays stress on development of five industrial growth zones and 10 small economic zones across the state for uniformity in development.

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