Wait for Master Plan to continue in Warangal

Warangal: The long-awaited Master Plan – 2041 appears to be a distant dream, at least for the moment, if one goes by the summary of the high-level meeting chaired by MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao that discussed at length about it in Hyderabad on Saturday.

It's been four-and-a-half decade since the last master plan came into force in the city. Even though the Warangal has been witnessing a rapid growth all these years, the successive governments failed to roll out a new master plan that addresses the needs of the city.

It may be noted here that the first Master Plan came into existence in 1971, however, the successive governments failed to revise it though the plan is to be revised after every 15 years.

The Master Plan – 2031 prepared in 2013 has not seen the light of the day in the undivided Andhra Pradesh. In fact, the government didn't even appoint KUDA board. Against this backdrop, the appointment of Marri Yadava Reddy as the KUDA Chairman rekindled the hopes of rolling out a new Master Plan. However, it remained a nonstarter even after two and a half years.

The KUDA authorities that set many a deadline finally released the draft Master Plan – 2041 on May 14, 2018, claiming that it essays the future growth of the region, especially the tri-cities of Warangal-Hanamkonda-Kazipet.

The authorities gave 90 days for the stakeholders to come up with their suggestions and objections. In a meeting a few days ago, the people's representatives of Warangal expressed confidence that they would get approval of the MA&UD Minister KT Rama Rao, who is scheduled to visit Warangal on October 5.

Against this backdrop, KTR on Saturday conducted a high-level meeting with Ministers Errabelli Dayakar Rao, Eatala Rajender, Government Chief Whip D Vinay Bhaskar, MP Banda Prakash, legislators and officials, and discussed at length about the pros and cons of the proposed draft master plan.

KTR, who appreciated the efforts of KUDA in preparing the draft master plan, emphasised the need for focusing on historical and archaeological importance of Warangal. He also emphasised the need for studying irrigation tanks, roads and colonies.

To give final touches to the draft master plan, a nodal officer would be appointed to coordinate with the local people's representatives in eliciting field-level feedback. The voice of residents should also be given priority, he said.

The plan should also focus on amassing funds on its own using its resources. He suggested the KUDA to take a cue from the Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) to initiate land pooling scheme (LPS) to act as a facilitator and developer.

Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao said that there was a need for linking inner ring road and outer ring road. He called for concerted effort in giving final touches to master plan.