Do HMDP-2031 need 10 more years to reach its projected development?

Hyderabad: Achieving the planned development of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Plan -2031 (HMDP-2031) seems to need another five to ten years beyond 2031.

According to the sources, Directorate of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), the HMDP-2031 was planned in 2011. It took another two years to come up with the notification of maps, and other plan reports.

Speaking to The Hans India, a senior official of DTCP said, "the HMDP-2031 attempted to come up with a planned development to meet the requirements of a population of about 1.84 crore and a workforce of about 65 lakh."

The HMDP-2031 was drafted keeping in view the development trends prevailing in 2011. They include development activities like inner ring road, outer right road, radial roads. And, it was proposed "a radial -concentric structure of development with new urban nodes and urban centres in all directions."

Leaving aside the economic downside and impact of COVID-19, the trends and analysis during pre-COVID period show that there has been only random and sporadic development as against the bubbling activity in 2011, on which, the HMDP-2031 was based.

The HMDP-2031 was meant for planned and balanced development in Hyderabad Metropolitan Region (HMR) with a peri-urban zone all along the urban area. Besides, a hierarchy of circulation network to cater to the present and future travel needs of population and activities.

The HMDP -2031 draft, covers 5,965 kms, including an area of HMD at the time of its preparation, an extended area of it spread over 5,018 kms; the outer ring road growth corridor area; part of the dissolved Hyderabad Airport Development Authority Master Plan (HADAMP), which was falling outside the outer ring road growth corridor, and spread in about 185 km. That apart, Bhongiri and Rangareddy master plans were also covered under it.

The HMDP precisely focused on four areas: zoning and activities regulation, development schemes and circulation network pattern, and building and site development stipulation. Cut to 2021, after a lapse of 10 years, now, the HMDA claims to cover an area of 7,257 sq km under its purview. It includes seven districts, 20 mandals, 1,032 villages (including 175 villages of GHMC), 40 municipalities and Nagara Panchayats of 138 villages, the remaining 719 villages under the jurisdiction of the HMDA.

However, the HMDA remains a toothless body. It faces criticism for collecting money from people to sanction plans. But, cannot deliver any services, the sources pointed out.

For example, people and private entities expect civic amenities like drinking water supply, power supply, road network and other civic amenities etc. But the HMDA does not have line departments to deliver the same. And, the GHMC has been struggling to provide civic amenities. So, "Several local leaders, particularly, the ones in the villages are approaching Zilla Parishads to get drinking water, roads etc done. In turn, the growth remained stunted and not taking off as projected to the new areas in an outward direction as expected in the HMDP-2031. Instead, the population density is growing in the already populated areas mounting more pressure on the existing civic infrastructure. The stunted outward growth is one of the reasons why the existing Outer Ring Road is yet to serve its full capacity, the sources pointed out.

Expressing the need for a review of the current masterplan, recently Secunderabad MP and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy wrote a letter to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao following several complaints and representations received by him from the farmers, poor and middle class people for seeking changes in the current master plan.