::: BHUJ AREA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY :::

On May 18 EPC was appointed as Town Planning Consultants to modify the published plan based on detailed studies.
The planning area, covering 56 sq.km, consists Bhuj municipality, Mirzapar village and part of Madhapar village.
A base map was provided by GUDC at the start of assignment, based on revenue sheets. This map was modified by EPC (Environment Planning Corporation) at four stages.

Several studies were carried out for data collection, study and analysis included:

1) Land use studies
2) Demography
3) regional content
4) Industry trade and commerce
5) Traffic and transportation
6) Review of damage assessment studies.
7) Review of geological, sesmicity studies
8) Assessment of relocation needs
9) Inventions of government lands.
10) Social infrastructure
11) Physical infrastructure
12) Heritage
13) Informal sector
14) Urban design

In Order to make the development planning process as participatory as possible, a series of consultation with a cross section of stakeholders in Bhuj were conducted the consultation exercise was designed to (1) explain the process of development plan to stake holders (2) clarify issues concerning the development plan which had been notified in mid-day, 2001 by the Town Planning and valuation Department, Government of Gujarat (3) Interact information from stake holders groups that would be necessary for preparing the conceptual plan and (4) receive feedback on the conceptual development plan to specific groups, particularly media, opinion leaders, representative of trade and people.

Guidelines for Town Planning are as follows

1) Promoting rapid reconstruction
• Implement key infrastructure components immediately (roads, water supply, sewerage, storm water drainage etc)
• Reinstate government and public buildings (municipality and District administration buildings)
• Rebuild key social infrastructure (schools, hospitals, community facilities, etc.)
• Release urbanizable land for development

2) Making the city disaster resistant
• To decongest the city (gamtal) by offering Relocation plots.
• Make necessary changes in the physical layout of the city
• Introduce special regulations to make buildings safer from
disasters.

3) Planning for consistent urban form and character
• Retain and retrofit heritage buildings.
• Regulate new development to be consistent with the historic character

4) Reviving the economy
• Proposing the redevelopment of key commercial areas
• Rebuilding small-and large-scale industries
• Promoting the city as an investment destination

5) Facilitating rapid implementation
• Packaging proposed public expenditure into commercially viable projects (BOO, BOT, etc.)
• Set up institutional linkages to facilitate private investment in housing and economic activities (Raising of loans, credit, etc.)

Development control regulations are the major tools for controlling the urban form of the city. Land use zoning determines appropriate use of urban land, while building bylaws ensures the suitable built form. The policy of facilitating urban development through private participation and public sector, as facilitator is the main thrust of the proposed Development Plan for BHADA area. The Development Control Regulations thus provide for conducive land development, and promotion of development activities and uses through Zoning and Building requirements.

Bhuj is a city that has developed gradually as a result of the natural growth process. Being the administrative capital of the District the pressures of development are immense. This has resulted in the expanding administrative boundaries. A more participatory and equitable approach is development through Town Planning Scheme, which may be adopted as the model of development in Bhuj. In the Development Plan, assemblage of land and development is proposed through the Town Planning Scheme mechanism.

Objectives	Strategies	Proposals
BHADA
Facilitate smooth flow of traffic	Restructure the road network, building on the available existing roads. Articulate a network of secondary roads.	1. Develop the following ring roads • 24 m ring road around the Walled City. • 30 m ring road at a distance of approximately 1 to 1.5 km from Walled City ring. • 36 m wide ring road at a distance of approximately 1.5 to 2.0 km from the 35 m ring road. 2. Strengthen the existing seven radials. 3. Create six new radials. Create a grid of 18 m roads with the sectors formed by rings and radials.
Improved Public Transport	• Restructure land use to support public transport in the long time. • Introduce an efficient transport system. • Decongest.	• Delineate higher density zones with major traffic generating activities along the major transportation corridors. • Delineate bus routes and support the municipality in expanding the fleet.
Decongest center city areas.	• Move out major traffic generators that cause congestion. • Divert the regional traffic away from city	Shift ST Bus Stand to Old Railway Station near Bhujio. Implement the proposed by-pass (by R&B Dept.)
Walled City
To improve access and connectivity within the Walled City without losing the original character of the street pattern.	Widen existing roads and structure. introduce a new set of first level roads in the Walled City a secondary and tertiary road network that reflects the original character of street pattern.	Develop an inner ring road system with radial link roads, to which inner streets can connect
To facilitate smooth how of traffic and reduce congestion.	Articulate a pattern with clear hierarchy Distribute proper parking lots.	• Develop a hierarchy system of streets with designed street sections-12 m for the main ring road and the main connecting radials, 9 m a couple of link roads, 7.5 to 6 m for all access roads. • Provide parking lots at entry points to the main market areas and on-street parallel parking along main roads. • Relocate wholesale markets outside the Walled City to prevent entry of unwanted traffic.
To improve connectivity between the Walled City and the rest of BHADA area	Increase entry/exit points Improve condition of existing entry/exit points	Improve the five existing entry points and introduce 6 new entry points where required.
To ensure pedestrian safety	Establish a traffic management system that includes pedestrian zones. Create a “park and walk” system.	• Develop the main commercial streets such as Saraf Bazaar Street, Danda Bazaar, Wania Vad Street to Maherali Chowk, Bhid Chowk to Bhid Gate as non-traffic zones. And provide parallel streets to carry traffic. • Develop parking lots and rickshaw stands at strategic points such as Holi Chakla, between Saraf Bazaar and Bhid Chowk, at Bhid Gate, on the outer ring road near the entry gates, off Maherali Chowk, and at Pareshwar Chowk.
To facilitate disaster management	• Make roads wide enough for emergency vehicles to pass through. • Ensure exit possibilities from all areas.	• Develop road sections of 12 m, 9 m and minimum 6 m width within the Walled City. • Turn all cul-de-sac streets into connecting streets.

36 m wide ring road, which has a periphery of 18.5 km embraces airport and all developed and proposed relocation sites. It get connected to the 30.0 mt Middle ring road with the radials of 1 to 1.5 kms. Almost 70% of the work has been completed (11 Km) and rest of the work will be probably completed by end of the June month.

It has a periphery of 9.8 kms at radial distances of approx. 1 to 1.5 kms from Gamtal Ring road, which has width of 24.0 mts. 25% work has been completed.

Having a total length of 17.4 kms is the inner/ Middle ring road. 9.1 kms is fully mettled whereas rest of the work is scheduled to be cmpleted by 21st May, 2004.
The width of this road would allow smooth traffic from Bhid Chowk to Station Road to Vaniawad Gate to Hamirsar Lake. While Khengar Park near Hamirsar Lake attracts a large crowd on weekends and holidays. The new road would ease the traffic at Khengar Park.

This ring road is connected to outer ring through a network of roads having widths varying from 9 m. to 24 m. The approximate length of this ring is 5 km.

This ring road provides a better connectivity to people living inside & outside the walled city, Which has taken place within last few years. The approximate length of this ring is 7.7 kms.

In the short and medium term, this ring road will also act as a regional bypass traffic from Mandvi/Nakhatrana/Mundra

BHADA played a praise worthy role while removing encroachers and slum dwellers at the time of developing 36 mt., 30 mt. , 24 mt. ring road. Each and every encroacher was identified by the authority and since most of them belonged to vulnerable section, authority showed its full sympathy towards them. Temporary settlements were arranged by authority and intended to resettle them properly with full legal status almost. 50 % of the encroachers have been resettled in all the developed re-location sites with full legal status while process is on for resettling rest 50 % .

Approximate numbers of encroachments which are given permanent settlement or yet to be given :
Place Approx number of encroachments
Valmikinagar 120
Kodki 70
Near Police station 40
Parshuramnagar 40
R.T.O site 88
Mundra site 15
Motapir 38

The walled city has been divided into 8 Town Planning Schemes for the sake of convenient execution.