Deviations in Proposed Land Use in RMP-2015 for Bengaluru

Comparing the Proposed Land Use (PLU) in the Revised Master Plan (RMP)-2015 with the land use that existed in 2015, the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA)’s RMP-2031 draft found many deviations. Although the draft refrained from calling it a ‘deviation,’ the big gap between planning and execution was clear.

In the category ‘Residential + Residential Mix,’ the RMP-2015 had a PLU of 422.56 sqkm. But the actual Land Use was only 194.93 sqkm.​

​ Under the ‘Industrial’ category, the PLU of 91.07 sqkm was far higher than actual Land Use of 39.43 sqkm.

Under ‘Transport and Communication,’ PLU was 113.74 sqkm and actual Land Use: 75.45 sqkm.

A total area of 304.82 sqkm remained vacant in the total plan area of 804 sqkm.

Mutation corridor, Mixed Land Use

The PLU under RMP 2015 had introduced land use sub-categories such as mutation corridor, Commercial Axis and Residential (mixed). The RMP-2031 draft noted: “Given that these categories are not embedded in the Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act, 1961 and the accompanying rules of the Authority, there have been several court litigations challenging this.”

“Consequently,” the draft says, “what has translated on the ground is vastly different from what was anticipated.” Section 14 A (3) of KTPC Act, 1961 and zoning regulations of Mutation Corridor Land Use has led to large scale commercial developments at certain junctions limiting the improvement of junctions. “This has resulted in traffic congestion which can be observed in the proposed and existing land use at the Sony World Junction area in the Koramangala Planning Di District (As seen in Map).