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.)
Formulation of Development
Control Regulations
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.
|
Developing the ring roads.:-
36.0 Mt Outer Ring Road:-
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.
30.0 m middle ring road :-
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.
24 m ring road around the Walled
City.
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
While removing encroachers............
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
Re-aligning the city
The walled city has been divided into 8 Town
Planning Schemes for the sake of convenient execution.
|